Dr. Valarie Williams is a professor of Dance at OSU and a University Senator for the Division of Arts and Humanities. She was a 1987 Presidential Scholars in the Arts honorable mention and is a certified dance notator. Her research collaborations, Archiving Black Performance and Dance2U#mentalhealth, bring together critical conversations that drive global societal change, and she has received prestigious accolades and extensive funding for this academic work. Additionally, she has taught and set works around the world from Peru, Ecuador, China, and Indonesia.

In this conversation, we speak with Dr. Williams on how dance allows her to study people and culture in a unique way. We also discuss the science of Labonotation - think sheet-music but for dance - and how it is applied in the modern day! Finally, we cover her work bringing to light social issues through the medium of dance and the qualities of dance that allow for it to unify people.