Heather Boni

Hometown: Winnemucca

Fall 2014 - Spring 2017

Currently Resides In: Orlando, Florida

MFA in Dance with specialized studies in Arts & Community Engagement

OPUS Archive & Research Center Visionary Scholar 2014

Heather Boni video from Tallahassee Democrat - discussing a dance activity for the FSU OLLI program

Current Job/Occupation:

I am currently working as a Community Arts Program Developer working with non-profit and community arts organizations to offer arts enriching opportunities to special populations. Our aim is to create and develop purposeful, insightful, and educational arts experiences for all community members to participate in the arts. I currently teach integrated movement (and dance) classes and workshops for seniors, people living with physical and intellectual disabilities, people living with degenerative neurological disorders, and special needs children in the Orlando community. The Fellows Society is not only a prestigious group of intellectual students from all over the world, but a committed student body of curious, inquisitive, and open-minded learners who contribute important research in diverse areas of study. 

Experience as A Member of The Fellows Society?

The Fellows Society is not only a prestigious group of intellectual students from all over the world, but a committed student body of curious, inquisitive, and open-minded learners who contribute important research in diverse areas of study. The members of the Fellows Society during my three years of FSU were constantly sharing research, investigations, and inquiries among one another, aiming to find important connections throughout our disciplines. After three motivating years in the Fellows Society, I was invited to serve as a Panelist and Presenter at the Fellows Society Forum in 2017. I shared my research "Creating Community through the Performing Arts: Integrated Dance Practice and Community Engagement" and offered a live performance from the beautiful integrated dancer, Rebecca Metcalfe. For many attending, this was their first experience seeing integrated dance with a soloist living with a disability. The Fellows Society provided me with exuberant support to share my research endeavors, and also the necessary space needed to unravel my own questions and findings. My experience as a Fellows provided me with a reaffirmed confirmation of the importance of the research and work I was doing in graduate school, and continues to support the work I do in our communities.