Sarah Slifer Swift

My dance technique classes give special attention to body awareness, strength, and flexibility, and an inventive, playful approach to movement, musicality, and phrasing.    

Sarah Slifer Swift joined the Conservatory in 2021 and is an associate professor of dance in the Theater Division.

Slifer Swift is the director of Movement Arts in Gloucester, Massachusetts and has been on faculty at Boston Ballet School, Salem State University, George Washington University, Amsterdam College of Art/School for New Dance Development, Scotland’s National Center for Dance/Dance Base, and Liza Indiciani Studio of Dance. Through the Gloucester Education Foundation she created two movement-based curricula for Gloucester Public Schools. Since 2014 she has directed the Live Art Series in collaboration with Matthew Swift Gallery. She was also director of the Gloucester New Arts Festival (2005–2009) that specialized in site-specific art and performance.

Slifer Swift performed as a dancer with several dance companies and choreographers in the United States and in Europe, seeking radical, experimental work that challenged traditional ideas about performance and aesthetics. Her choreography has been performed in Amsterdam, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and New England, and has received several grants and awards, including a Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellowship. Slifer Swift received a Bachelor of Arts from George Washington University.

Professional Awards and Recognitions

• Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellow, Choreography (2010)

Notable Recent Works

• Constellations (Maritime Heritage Center, 2020)—Director
• Edge (Ocean Alliance, 2019)—Codirector
• Gloucester New Arts Festival (2005–2010)—Director