Bio
A practicing educator and artist, Susan has worked with the Arizona Commission on the Arts, the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture, and as a Wolf Trap artist in early childhood education.
Dr. Susan Bendix is a professional modern dancer, choreographer, improvisational movement artist, and dance scholar who has performed nationally and internationally. She is also a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner™ and founder-director of Think-Motion, a therapeutic arts organization.
A master teaching artist, she works with local arts agencies, healing centers, hospice organizations, schools, and businesses. She has designed original curriculum for seniors to create “choreographic narratives” and has worked with Marin Shakespeare and the Los Angeles–based TheatreWorkers Project in prisons in California and Arizona. Her focus also includes Arts in Healthcare, Dance for Parkinson’s, and Dance for Seniors.
Her work explores the human, cultural, social, and political experiences that live in the body and are expressed through motion. She has published articles and presented numerous papers nationally and internationally on social and pedagogical topics related to dance, aesthetics, and community.
Dr. Bendix was the recipient of an Arizona Commission on the Arts Project Grant to design a movement-based program for people experiencing grief and loss, and was honored with the Outstanding Narrative Dissertation Award from the American Educational Research Association for her groundbreaking work in dance education.
She holds an MFA and BA in dance and choreography and conducts professional development training in creativity for staff and faculty at the Maricopa Community College District, where she also teaches dance humanities and improvisation. A trained mindfulness instructor, she has developed a movement-based curriculum for teaching mindfulness.
EDUCATION & ACCOLADES:
-
Somatic Experiencing™ Certification, Trauma Institute
-
Faculty Professional Development Trainer for Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction (community colleges)
-
PhD in Education, Curriculum and Instruction — Arizona State University
-
Outstanding Narrative Dissertation Award recipient (American Education Research Association)
-
MFA in Dance & Choreography, Arizona State University
-
BA in Dance —, University of California – Riverside
-
Arizona Teaching Certificate (current)
-
2015 Project Grant Recipient, Arizona Commission of the Arts
-
Mindfulness in Schools training
-
Mikro Xoretico Teatro – (dance company) Athens, Greece
-
Independent choreographer
-
Dance for Parkinson’s™ teacher
Offerings
Workshops and programs designed for diverse communities, rooted in a shared practice of movement, creativity, and connection.
Moving Through Loss
A vibrant, supportive program that helps people move through grief, loss, and life transitions—through expression, connection, and the body.
Workshops for Seniors
An invitation into creativity, storytelling, and play—where life experience takes artistic form and connection deepens through shared expression.
Mindfulness in Business
Practical, grounding experiences that help individuals and teams sharpen focus, manage stress, and respond with clarity in a fast-paced world.
Retreats & Residencies
Traveling to education and retreat spaces around the world, these workshops offer immersive experiences that deepen reflection, creativity, and connection.
Humans Moving
A playful invitation into movement, where curiosity leads and connection unfolds—no experience needed, just a willingness to begin.
Mindfulness in Schools
Active, imaginative practices that help students regulate stress, build awareness, and find focus by working with the body, and the mind.