Lyn Wiltshire was touched by dance at a very young age growing up in New York City, and her career fits the model of passion and fervor surpassing credentials. She has trained and performed with many notable teachers and dance companies, including the Dance Theatre of Harlem and toured nationally and internationally with The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. To her credit she has performed in film, television and with symphony orchestras around the country. Her path to academia has been by way of “the school without walls”, choreographing and teaching until finally her reputation preceded her. As an Associate Professor of Dance at the University of Texas she is a dance educator, administrator and artistic director.
Beyond her work at UT, Lyn has presented workshops, master classes and lectures in London, Portugal, Taiwan and Cyprus and all over the U.S. and Hawaii. Her choreography has been commissioned by companies in Texas, Indiana, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, New York and California and through this network presented to Canadian and European audiences. During her time at the University, Lyn has directed and choreographed for the UT performing ensemble Dance Repertory Theatre and for the third time in four years (2004, 2006, 2008) the ensemble has premiered her work in Austria at the Tanzsommer International Dance Festival. The dancers travel and performance experience is made possible by the generous support of the College of Fine Arts, the Department of Theatre and Dance supplementing their expenses.
Since 2004, she has been the Artistic Director of L'A.R.T Dance Project, which provides an opportunity for community engagement and to share her expertise. She is the recipient of Awards and Masters Fellowships for Choreography and Dance and is on the registry of the National Choreography Plan. In 2009, her award winning choreography “Hora Tango” was selected to represent the Mid-States region of Regional Dance America at the 2010 USA International Ballet Competition, the Olympic-style competition held every four years in Jackson, MS.
She synchronized a five year affiliation between the Department of Theatre and Dance, the Craft of Choreography Conference and later the Glenda Brown Choreography Project as one of the departments Summer Programs.
Through her efforts, the first M.F.A. in Dance at UT was inaugurated in the department. In addition, she has served on the Dance Advisory Panel for the Indiana Art's Commission, Louisiana Division of the Arts, Texas Commission on the Arts and has adjudicated regional companies throughout the United States. She was an adjudicator for Regional Dance America's National Festival held in Pittsburgh, PA in 2007 and in 2010 will serve as adjudicator for the American College Dance Festival Association. Lyn is on the International faculty of the European Dance Arts of Salzburg, teaching for the Salzburg International Ballet Academy and Workshop, in addition to conducting master classes in workshops held in Cyprus and Israel. In 2008, she was the Artistic Director, along with New York conductor/composer David Eaton and vocalist David D'or, presenting music and dance to the cantata “Halelu” dedicated to the efforts of the Middle East Peace Initiative and all Ambassadors for Peace, in Cyprus.
