Joan Woodbury

Women in the Arts » Dance

Notable dance teacher, choreographer, and co-founder (along with Shirley Ririe) of the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company. Over the course of her career, Woodbury has choreographed over ninety-five works for various dance and professional theater companies. She is a retired professor of modern dance from the University of Utah, where she taught for forty-seven years. She was also the first Fulbright Scholar in dance. In addition to over a dozen University of Utah research grants, plus a National Endowment for the Arts choreographic grant, Woodbury has received numerous honors, including the Utah Governor’s Award in the Arts for Arts Education, the Heritage Award from the National Dance Association, and the Salt Lake Mayor’s Award.