Rima Faber

Rima Faber, PhD (American University, 1997), MA (American University, 1994), and BA (Bennington College, 1965) returned to academia after a full career as performer, choreographer, and director of several performing companies, and founder and director of the Primary Movers Dance School and Company (1979-2000). As a performer in the Washington , D.C. , area she danced with Liz Lerman (1978-1980) and as a soloist for Pola Nirenska (1980-1992). Rima has taught in the D.C. Public Schools since 1980 with a prime focus on cognitive development and kinesthetic learning. She taught academic curricula through dance as well as dance as an art form. In the mid-and late 1990s, Rima worked with the National Assessment of Educational Progress on developing, facilitating, and implementing the national assessments in arts education. Rima is the founding president and executive director of the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO), where she currently serves as program director. At NDEO she chaired task forces to develop standards for dance in early childhood and new standards for dance education in the arts. She serves as research director in NDEO's research initiative Research in Dance Education and as co-editor for Priorities for Research in Dance Education: A Report to the Nation.  Rima currently serves as the dance education representative on Joy of Motion Dance Center's Board of Directors.