Teaching Practice & Research

I believe the body holds profound wisdom and that performance is both rigorous and joyous. My classroom functions as playground and laboratory—a space where structured ensemble play helps students overcome self-consciousness and achieve bold, embodied performances.

I guide students to observe their world—objects, landscapes, people—and translate these observations into physical compositions. We work with quality, rhythm, and spatial relationship to understand human behavior and character. This process bridges acting practice with broader artistic forms, connecting technical training to personal expression and cultural context.

Drawing from my varied teaching experience—from youth development programs to graduate training—I create environments where everyone feels seen, celebrated, and challenged across varied neurological, social, and cultural identities. Students and teacher learn from one another. Through this collaborative approach, students emerge not only as skilled performers but as thoughtful, engaged artists ready to push boundaries and innovate within constraints.

Equity, diversity, and inclusion are foundational to my teaching. I prioritize creating a classroom that is as inclusive and equitable as it is rigorous. This means attending to access needs, inviting students to draw upon their cultural practices and personal histories as sources of artistic inspiration, and challenging traditional hierarchies of knowledge.

I employ multiple modalities to meet diverse learning styles: Lecoq physical theater, Laban Movement Analysis, Meisner, mindfulness, and embodied presence practices. Play and ensemble work are central, as they invite vulnerability and collaboration. I use exercises that celebrate failure as integral to learning, helping to dismantle fear and self-consciousness.

I continually examine my own positionality and biases, actively seek out professional development in restorative practices and intimacy direction, and prioritize mentorship for students from historically marginalized backgrounds. At its core, my practice cultivates spaces where individuals feel empowered to take creative risks, engage critically, and connect authentically with one another.

LILLIAN MAE RANSIJN (she/they)

Philadelphia, PA
lillian.ransijn@gmail.com | www.lillianransijn.com

EDUCATION

M.F.A., Devised Performance Practice
University of the Arts / Pig Iron Theatre Company, Philadelphia, PA—2016
Thesis: Fourth Quarter, a 50-minute devised performance on climate change, grief, and motherhood.

B.A., Dance & Movement Studies, magna cum laude
Emory University, Atlanta, GA — 2005
Thesis: Reviving Ophelia- a dance-theater solo exploring adolescence.

ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS

Visiting Assistant Professor of Movement
University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT — 2023–present

• Teach Movement for the Actor I–IV and Stage Movement I–II

• Serve as Intimacy Director for Connecticut Repertory Theater

• Coach physical storytelling and character development

• Collaborate on MFA/BFA curricular re-designs audtions, recruitment, and DEI initiatives

Intimacy Director and Movement Specialist
The Hartt School, University of Hartford — 2025–present

Adjunct Associate/Senior Lecturer, Movement for the Actor
University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA 2018, 2021-2023

• Designed and taught Movement for the Actor curriculum

• Integrated Lecoq pedagogy, Laban Movement Analysis and ensemble-based practice

CERTIFICATIONS & Professional Trainings

Certified Intimacy Coordinator — IDC Professionals
(SAG-AFTRA Accredited Program; trained by Alicia Rodis, Claire Warden, Marcus Watson, Lauren Kiele DeLeon)

Advanced Yoga Teacher Certification — Magu Yoga
Restorative Arts Teaching Certification — BuildaBridge International
Special Education Certification (K–12), Middle Grades, Elementary P–4 — State of Georgia

Selected Professional Study & Intensives:
African Diaspora Dance Summit (Evidence/Ron K. Brown), Embodied Voice (Lessac), Pedagogy of Clown (Giovanni Fusetti), Lecoq 20 Movements, Performance for Camera, Mindfulness & Self-Compassion, Meisner Technique, Viewpoints, Suzuki, Roy Hart, American Dance Festival, Bates Dance Festival.

INTIMACY DIRECTION & COORDINATION (PROFESSIONAL)

The Moors — Connecticut Repertory Theatre
Young Frankenstein — Berkshire Theatre Group
4,000 Miles — Berkshire Theatre Group
War of the Worlds — Connecticut Repertory Theatre
A Doctor’s Dilemma — Connecticut Repertory Theatre
Femininity — Samantha Nye (Guggenheim Fellowship Project)
Lazy Bones — Rabbit Rabbit Film Co.
Jigsaw — Tristan Writes

INTIMACY DIRECTION & COORDINATION (EDUCATIONAL)

A True Love Story — UConn D-Series
Guitarrrón — UConn Senior Showcase
Hazel’s Hands — ROJO Fest, UConn
Taurus — MFA Capstone Project, UConn Puppetry Arts
Horsegirls — ROJO Festival, UConn
A Servant of Two Masters — UConn Sophomore Project

SELECTED DIRECTION & CHOREOGRAPHY

Make Bank — Rough & Tumble Productions / FringeArts
Magic Trash Day — Cannonball Festival
Pickled Peaches and Herring — Cannonball Festival
Umami — Urban Movement Arts
Good Grief! — Urban Movement Arts
Per(four)mance — Oxford College of Emory University
Rough & Tumble — Circadium; UC San Diego; Urban Movement Arts
Fourth Quarter — Christ Church Neighborhood House

SELECTED PERFORMANCE

Make Bank — Creator/Performer
Being/With — Nichole Canuso Dance Company
The Garden — Nichole Canuso Dance Company
A Grief Cabaret — Werks Barehouse
Fourth Quarter — First Person Arts Festival
Bolero — Urban Movement Arts
American Muscle — The Lucky Penny
Underground — David Dorfman Dance Theater

GRANTS & AWARDS

UConn Faculty DEI Project Initiative Award
UArts Faculty Academic Development Award
Cannonball Festival Production & Fringe Grants
Network of Ensemble Theaters Travel Grant
FringeArts Summer Artist-in-Residence
City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs Individual Artist Grant
Fulton County Arts Council Grant Awards

COMMUNITY & YOUTH EDUCATION (SELECTED)

Teaching Artist — Wilma Theater (Portable Studio, Wilmagination)
Teaching Artist — BuildaBridge International
Teaching Artist — Dancing Classrooms Philly
Teaching Artist — Lantern Theater
Lead Teacher, Special Education — Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School
Teaching Artist — Moving in the Spirit, Fly-By Theatre, Spectrum Arts

SERVICE & LEADERSHIP

Co-Director — Rough & Tumble Productions
Member — UConn BFA Recruitment & CRT Season Planning Committees
Founding Director — Ground Delivery Dance Theater
Board President — Emory Friends of Dance

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

IDC Professionals
Stage Directors and Choreographers Society
Network of Ensemble Theaters
American Association of University Professors
Unified Academics of Philadelphia

University of Connecticut:

• Stage Movement I–IV (undergraduate)

• Movement for the Actor I–III (graduate)

• Independent Study in Intimacy Coordination (graduate)

• Dance Technique (graduate and undergraduate)

• Practicum in Devising Performance (graduate)

University of the Arts:

• Movement for the Actor I & II