Who I am:

I am a PhD candidate in Slavonic Studies at the University of Cambridge. My doctoral research, titled 'Moscow, Warsaw, Kyiv – Bronislava Nijinska in Interwar Eastern Europe’, focuses on the career of Bronislava Nijinska (1891–1972) in those cities between WWI and WWII. I previously danced at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow, Russia and Les Grands Ballets de Canadiens in Montreal, Canada. I completed my BA (Hons) in International Relations and Russian Studies at New York University magna cum laude. I then read my MPhil in Modern Languages, with distinction, at the University of Oxford. My research interests include studies of transnational exchanges, dance history, and cultural history of East-Central Europe.

My Fulbright grant focuses on:

In collaboration with the Polish Academy of Sciences, I will build a Digital Humanities project that collates visual, literary, and material evidence of folk dance’s social significance in the Second Polish Republic, the independent Polish state between WWI and WWII. My proposed Fulbright research project enrichens my dissertation by examining how folk dance was utilized as an important component in identity construction in interwar Poland, a time known for its creative exploration of nationhood.

I decided to apply for a Fulbright grant because:

As a former ballerina and current scholar of dance history in Eastern Europe, I am both enamored of, and fascinated by, the richness of Polish folk dance to this day. Rooted in ten centuries of history and popular custom, Poland’s folk-dance tradition has played a significant role in Polish identity and maintains a strong cultural bond between Poland and its émigré communities. Therefore, Poland was  my ideal Fulbright destination, because the nation continues to celebrate its dance heritage in contemporary Polish culture.

After completing my Fulbright grant I would like to:

I consider my current research on Polish dance as the foundation for my future work at the intersection of dance in world history, particularly as it relates to what insights dance can reveal about lesser-studied cultures and historical narratives. I look forward to the opportunity to research in Poland more permanently, when I can draw upon the connections and communities I built as a Fulbright student scholar whilst continuing to learn from Poland and its communities. Longer term, I am committed to a research career centered on Polish history that will shape US discourse in research and foreign policy regarding Eastern Europe.