Casandra Hillman is a dance educator, choreographer, and program architect whose professional work integrates curriculum innovation with the operational leadership required to sustain a thriving dance company. Her career reflects a dual commitment to artistic excellence and organizational strategy, positioning dance education within a framework that mirrors the structure and accountability of a professional arts enterprise.

Hillman’s curricular leadership centers on the design and implementation of comprehensive dance programming that aligns technique, performance, history, and cultural studies with clearly scaffolded learning outcomes. She has led course development initiatives, advised on long-range scheduling, and contributed to program review and accreditation processes, ensuring that dance curriculum remains academically rigorous, culturally responsive, and industry relevant. Her work extends to evaluation and tenure review, faculty mentorship, and participation in hiring processes that strengthen departmental sustainability and instructional quality.

In parallel with her academic leadership, Hillman manages dance production and performance initiatives with the strategic mindset of a business director. She oversees budgets, fundraising efforts, scholarship allocation, and resource development while maintaining responsibility for facility safety, production logistics, and risk management. Her leadership includes producing large-scale concerts and festivals, contracting guest artists, coordinating master classes, and directing operational timelines from concept to performance.

Hillman approaches dance company management as both an artistic and entrepreneurial endeavor. She cultivates partnerships with community organizations, professional companies, and arts institutions to expand performance opportunities, audience development, and student career pathways. Through marketing, outreach, and brand positioning efforts, she advances the visibility and financial viability of dance programming while reinforcing its role within the broader cultural economy.

Her work bridges higher education and the professional dance industry, facilitating student access to conferences, auditions, and professional networks. She maintains active memberships in national dance and education organizations and engages in ongoing professional development to ensure that both curriculum and company practices reflect evolving industry standards.

Through this integrated model of curricular stewardship and business-informed company leadership, Hillman sustains dance programs that are artistically vibrant, operationally sound, and positioned for long-term institutional and community impact.

Casandra Hillman