Elinor Harrison is a dancer and movement scientist whose research applies her performance expertise to develop therapeutic techniques to treat movement disorders.
Ellie has performed nationally and internationally with numerous dance and theatre companies including musicals such as “A Chorus Line” and original dance/theatre works by choreographers including Jane Comfort, Nancy Meehan, Carlos Orta, and Thomas/Ortiz. In 2014, she returned to Washington University to pursue a PhD in Movement Science with hopes of transferring her love of movement out of the studio and into the lab to better the lives of people with neurological disorders. During graduate school, she developed a novel therapeutic technique of singing to improve gait for people with Parkinson’s disease, for which she received a Grammy Museum Grant. Her research sheds light on how dance can improve mobility throughout the lifespan and has been funded by the National Institutes for Health and the National Endowment for the Arts. She is also the artistic director of Elinor Harrison Dance, whose mission is to bring experimental dance theatre works to local audiences.