Roberta Lucas
Roberta Lucas is a professional teaching artist, choreographer and dance educator from Detroit, MI. Integration of the arts in all aspects of education,learning and living is her motivation and passion.
Her education includes a BA in Communications, Theatre and Dance from Oakland University (Rochester, MI) and a Master’s Degree in Psychology with an L.L.P. from the Center for Humanistic Studies (Detroit). Lucas has taught as an artist educator in school settings serving students P-12 for 20 years.Her Master’s Thesis on “collaborative-creativity”included an interdisciplinary performance of dance and visual artists with performers ranging in age from 4– 74. As a developing dancer she studied and performed in Michigan with Linda Z. Smith, Lisa Nowak, Art Bridgeman & Myrna Packard, The Detroit Dance Collective, and Laurie Eisenhower. Nationally, master workshops and intensive studies with Judith Jamison, Gus Giordano, Deborah Hay, Trisha Brown, Bill Evans and Anna Halprin have and continue to provide her inspiration to teach and create dance. In June of 2015 Lucas graduated from Tamalpa Institute (founded by Anna and Daria Halprin) completing Levels I and II. With completion of Level III in 2018 to become a Halprin Practitioner, Expressive Arts Therapist and Somatic Educator. She conducts “Environmental Expressions” workshops–site specific pieces where the environment IS the dance partner.
As a Master Teaching Artist for the Wolf Trap Institute for early learning through the arts Roberta has led classroom residencies, teacher trainings and artist trainings for the institute at the LA Music Center, the Kennedy Center as well as teaching in England, Greece and residencies throughout the United States. Lucas is the founding affiliate director of Detroit Wolf Trap. and a Special Lecturer in dance education at O.U. working with dance majors and education majors. Roberta is a recipient of the Alumni Arts Achievement Award from Oakland University for her “outstanding contributions to children’s dance”.
