Dance
Norma Sue Fisher-Stitt
Professor
BIOGRAPHY
Norma Sue Fisher-Stitt, a graduate of Canada’s National Ballet School, danced with the National Ballet of Canada for four years prior to attending York University. The subject of her Master’s thesis was “The Cecchetti Method of Classical Ballet: An Investigation into its Evolution”. Other historical research projects have focused on dance in Canada during the early 20th century, including Anna Pavlova’s Toronto performances and entertainment in Dawson City at the turn of the century. She is the author of The Ballet Class: A History of Canada’s National Ballet School 1959-2009, released in 2010 in conjunction with the school’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
For her doctoral dissertation at Temple University in Philadelphia, Dr. Fisher-Stitt created and tested a computer tutorial on ballet allegro terminology. Together with her department colleague Professor Mary Jane Warner, she authored and produced the groundbreaking educational CD-ROM Shadow on the Prairie: An Interactive Multimedia Dance History Tutorial. She has presented papers at conferences hosted by the Society of Dance History Scholars, the Canadian Society for Dance Studies, the Canadian Association for Theatre Research, and the Popular Culture Association, and she sat on the Editorial Board for the Society of Dance History Scholars for six years. In 2022, she co-chaired the daCi (dance and the Child international) conference and she currently sits on the daCi Board. Her areas of teaching and research include dance history, the evolution of ballet technique, community dance and dance education/pedagogy.
Dr. Fisher-Stitt has served as Chair of the Department of Dance, associate dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, associate dean and interim dean of AMPD, and associate vice-president Teaching and Learning at York University.
Areas of Research and Academic Specialty: Dance History, Ballet Technique, Dance Education, Community Dance
Dance
People of AMPD
