Samantha Burns

Samantha Burns (she/her) is a dance artist, teacher and choreographer. She graduated magna cum laude with degrees in dance and psychology from DeSales University. Burns has performed in choreographic works by Jonathan Campbell, Austin Diaz, Jessica Warchal-King, Shannon Dooling Cain and Angela Sigley Grossman. She has been recognized for her choreography and has produced original work at the Performance Garage in Philadelphia. Burns received the Jeanne Meixell Award in 2017.

Burns has been immersed in various industries and has held positions at UNCSA, Count Basie Center for the Arts and Helen Simoneau Danse. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she worked with Tony-nominated dancer Elizabeth Parkinson to develop holistic dance education in an endeavor entitled dansphere. 

As a dance educator, Burns encourages her students to embody contemporary dance technique within their individual anatomy and rediscover the humanity in movement. She aims to teach dancers to move efficiently and to aid them in making artistic discoveries during class. 

She is currently the administrative coordinator of UNCSA's Preparatory Dance program, as well as an assistant grant coordinator with the Billy Rose Foundation.