Biography

 Dr. Lisa Sandlos has been a faculty member at York University since 1998, teaching in the Department of Dance, the School of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, the School of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies, and the Faculty of Education. She also works as a Research Associate at Brock University, Child and Youth Studies.

Dr. Sandlos holds a PhD in Gender, Feminist, and Women’s Studies and an MA in Dance at York. She is qualified as a Certified Movement Analyst (CMA) through the Laban Institute of Movement Studies (LIMS) in New York and as an Expressive Movement Analyst (EMA) at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). These certifications equip her to work with a diverse range of students in educational or coaching contexts.

Building on her doctoral thesis, a main trajectory of Dr. Sandlos’ research focuses on the sexualization of young female dancers and the impacts of this trend on dance education, public perceptions of dance, and girls’ psychological and social development. Another branch of her work is accomplished through Soma-City, an organization that uses interdisciplinary methods of research and teaching to explore topics at the intersection of human movement and landscape design.

An enthusiastic presenter of her academic research and the various embodied movement/dance modalities that she practices, Dr. Sandlos has been invited to share her expertise at various conferences, festivals, and educational and training programs in international locations including Theatrum Mundi in Paris, France; The University of El Paso, Texas (UTEP); The University of California Polytechnic, Pomona; The University of the West Indies, Bridgetown, Barbados; The University of Porto, Portugal; and Etobicoke School of the Arts (ESA) in Ontario, Canada. Drawing on her extensive experience in facilitating inclusive, community-based dance, she is the co-director of two eco-somatic arts education projects: Global Water Dances (Hillsburgh, ON chapter) and Sonic Kinesthetic Forest.

Together with her husband, Dave, children, Maya and Zachary, and dog, Elsa, Dr. Sandlos enjoys dancing, playing music, and living close to nature at their home near Erin, Ontario, Canada.

Faculty & School/Dept

• Faculty of Health
• Faculty of Fine Arts
• Faculty of Education -
• Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studie

Courses Taught

• Content Into Practice (ED/EDFE 3200)
• Experience, Inquire, Contribute II (EIC): Inquiry Project (ED/EDST 4999)
• Integration Through Arts (ED/EDIN 4000)
• Pilates (HH/PKIN 0405)