Biography

Dr. Tanya Berg is a Toronto-based ballet teacher, dance educator, and researcher. She is a graduate of Canada’s National Ballet School Teacher Training Program, and her PhD research explored kinesthetic dialogue and embodied communication in advanced ballet pedagogy, reflecting her ongoing commitment to innovative approaches to dance education. Prior to joining the Department of Dance, Theatre & Performance Studies as Assistant Professor, Tanya was a sessional lecturer for over two decades in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education at the University of Toronto, and recently she enjoyed teaching in the Faculty of Education at York University. 

Tanya’ s research examines dance pedagogy, embodied learning, arts-based education, and global perspectives on dance. She serves as Chair of DACI Canada, the not-for-profit chapter of Dance and the Child international (daCi). As Canada’s national representative within the daCi network, she contributes to international conferences and collaborations that advance dance education worldwide.

Her first book, Arts-Based Pedagogies: Integrating Culturally Relevant Creative Processes in K–12 Education (2024), bridges theory and practice to support interdisciplinary, student-centred learning. Her forthcoming edited volume, Educating Global Citizens Through International Children's Dance Experiences, brings together contributions from dozens of scholars across four continents. Her scholarship has appeared in journals including Research in Dance Education and Journal of Dance Education, as well as the edited volumes Ethical Dilemmas in Dance Education: Case Studies on Humanizing Dance Pedagogy (2019), and The Oxford Handbook of Ballet Pedagogy (2026).

In addition to her research and teaching, Dr. Berg regularly serves on MA and PhD supervisory and examination committees across multiple faculties and institutions, including York University and the University of Toronto, supporting graduate research in dance, education, sociology, and kinesiology.