I translate what dancers know into wisdom for living. 

As a celebrated dancer, choreographer, international educator, and writer, I understand the body’s intelligence—its power to lift us up, steady us through chaos, and reveal who we are. Over decades, I’ve mined movement for its deepest truths, creating more than 70 acclaimed works as artistic director of Jan Erkert & Dancers and leading the University of Illinois Department of Dance from 2006–2024. 

Now, I channel a lifetime of embodiment into writing, workshops, yoga, and thought leadership. In these spaces, I invite people to come home to their own bodies—to rediscover resilience, creativity, and self-knowledge within. Whether onstage, on the page, or in the studio, I light the path to what the body already knows.