Department of Theatre & Dance Staff

Meghen McKinley is a modern dancer, choreographer, and educator. She is an Assistant Professor in Dance at Western Kentucky University, where she teaches all levels of Modern, Choreography, Improvisation, Dance in Culture, and Visual Media for Dance.

Professional choreography and performance work includes: Found Movement Group – Nashville, TN, Inaside Dance Chicago – Choreographer’s Showcase, Moving Collective- Louisville, KY, Champaign Arts Salon-Champaign, IL, Zodiaque Dance Company- State University of New York at Buffalo, Anderson University - Anderson, IN, collaborative choreography with Kylene Stephens for Motus Dance Company - Indianapolis, IN, and collaborative skype choreography with Teal Darkenwald at East Carolina University. She has also performed with Germaul Barnes' Dance 4U Project/Black Bones at 92nd St. Y; NYC, Dance Martha Dance! Bernier Dance, DeXDance Contemporary Dance Company, The Hatch, Greenspace, Dancers Responding to Aids at St. Marks Church - NYC, and Orlando Fringe Festival.

Meghen was co-director and current contributing artist with multi-grant recipient Convergence Dance Theatre in Honolulu, HI. CDT produces annual concerts in addition to performance work featuring her choreography and dance films at the Honolulu Art Museum, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Outreach College/Statewide Cultural Extension Program, First Fridays, MicroFest Honolulu, and Oahu Fringe Festival. She also serves on the board for the non-profit organization, Collaborative Dance Foundation. CDF works to promote dancers and artists in the local community. Meghen has also presented research and choreography at regional American College Dance Association; Baja Region, Central Region, and South Region, Tennessee Association of Dance, as well as at the Asia Pacific Dance Festival. She has been involved in master classes with East Carolina University, University at Buffalo, and Zoom residency with University of Alaska, Ankorage.

She continues to pursue her research interest in exploring the Relationship Between Media and Dance on the Performance Stage. Current dance films include; Ardent Silence, All Around Us – both award winning multi-regional dance films, Inside These Walls, x1, and Variables. Research and movement investigation and analysis continues through master classes in Integrated Movement Systems. Meghen received her BFA in Dance from The State University of New York at Buffalo and her MFA in performance and choreography from The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.