Marissa Finkelstein is a dance artist, educator, and choreographer originally from New Jersey. She is interested in community-based dance-making and how place and memory inform embodiment. As a third year MFA candidate at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Marissa’s thesis research explores themes of care through an intergenerational choreographic project. At UNCG, Marissa is a Graduate Assistant and Instructor of Record, where she teaches courses in jazz, tap, dance appreciation, and contemporary to college students. Her work across these disciplines is informed by a somatic understanding of one’s own body, play, and student empowerment. Marissa is a Minerva Scholar and Greensboro Graduate Scholar at UNCG, and she is pursuing her K-12 certification. 

Marissa received her BA in Dance and Business from Muhlenberg College. While at Muhlenberg, Marissa had the chance to study abroad and dance in Florence, Italy at Florence University of the Arts, where honed her passion for pasta and ate all of the gelato. Marissa has worked as a choreographer, educator, and performer throughout New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. As an arts advocate and arts administrator, Marissa has worked with the National Dance Education Organization, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Jacob’s Pillow, and Get Empowered, where she also worked as a teaching artist for various schools and community based organizations.