Jill E. Grundstrom - NMU Theatre and Dance

Jill Grundstrom is an Associate Professor, Artistic Director, and Assistant Department Head in the Department of Theatre and Dance at Northern Michigan University (NMU). A proud NMU alumna, she created and launched the University’s Dance Major in 2020 and serves as the Artistic Director of the North Coast Dance Festival.

Jill holds degrees from Northern Michigan University and New York University and is currently a doctoral candidate at Columbia University, where she is studying dance medicine. Her professional certifications include the Luigi Jazz Technique, Giordano Jazz Technique, American Ballet Theatre’s National Training Curriculum, the Dance Medicine Education Initiative, and she is a certified Hamrick Method Master Trainer.

With over 25 years of professional teaching and choreography experience, Jill has worked with prestigious organizations such as American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, and So You Think You Can Dance. She has performed professionally in New York, Los Angeles, and Italy, and has studied with and demonstrated for some of the most distinguished artists in both commercial and concert dance spheres. She also serves as a guest instructor for Eisenhower Dance Detroit's Uprooted intensive.

Jill’s choreographic portfolio includes more than 30 full-length dance and musical theatre productions, including the world premiere of East of the Sun, West of the Moon, a ballet created in collaboration with composer Dr. Griffin Candey, and the feature film Our State Fair. Her current research focuses on dance-related injury rehabilitation and leadership in the dance field. She has recently co-authored two published articles with her research teams and is dedicated to further integrating dance science with artistic practice.

In addition to her academic and creative work, Jill actively collaborates with, reviews for, and adjudicates performances, presentations and proposals for the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO), the National Honor Society for Dance Arts (NHSDA), and the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS).