Penelope Freeh, Ballet and Composition
Dancer, choreographer, educator, and writer Penelope Freeh dismantles antiquated modes of how ballet is taught, languaged, applied in research terms, and expressed physically, intellectually, performatively, and at the gut level. Through her practice of expanding the terms and exploding the tropes of ballet, she aims to meaningfully connect with a diversity of collaborators, colleagues, students, and audiences. Freeh is a two-time McKnight Fellow for Choreographers, McKnight Fellow for Dancers, and Sage awardee for Outstanding Performer. She danced for James Sewell Ballet for seventeen years, serving as Artistic Associate from 2007-11. In addition to St. Paul Ballet, she is faculty at the University of Minnesota, the St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, TU Dance, and Zenon Dance School. She holds a Dance MFA from Hollins University.