Dr. Jessica Friedman is a Lecturer in Theater and Dance at UC Santa Barbara and a dance curator. Her research examines how modern dance and dance theatre respond to global crisis. Jessica’s book project, Modern Dance in Crisis: Women’s Re-Makings in 1940s American Modern Dance, focuses on women choreographers’ negotiations of transnational crisis in modern dance during the mid-twentieth century. Her curation bridges dance and the public humanities. She is the author of articles, book chapters, and public scholarship. Jessica’s research has been recognized by awards from the Dance Studies Association, American Society for Theatre Research, and International Federation for Theatre Research.