Professor of Dance Julie Brodie
Since coming to Kenyon in 2002, Julie Brodie has been busy in and out of the classroom. A professor of dance, she teaches courses like modern and ballet technique and is an expert in Labanotation — a way of analyzing and recording movement with symbols — who works closely with students in staging dances from notated scores. Her dedication to her craft has been rewarded with Fulbright grants to teach in Egypt and Latvia, and she was awarded the Trustee Award for Distinguished Teaching for senior faculty in 2022
But Brodie has been equally distinguished in her work around campus and in the community. In 2024, she took over as director of the Office for Community Partnerships, where she strives to establish and maintain mutually beneficial relationships between the College and Knox County. She’s also active as advisor to the Ballet Club and Circle K and through her work with the Bike Barn, Rural Cause and other service-focused student groups.
Hot off of a service event called Habitat on the Hill — decorating playhouses for local families in need as part of a partnership between her office, the Generosity Project and Habitat for Humanity of Knox County — Brodie took some time to talk about her research, her appreciation for Kenyon’s rural setting and her goats.
Besides Gambier, where is your favorite place in the world to be?
Riga, Latvia. I did my second Fulbright there and have been back three times since to stage choreography and teach workshops, to attend the Latvian Song and Dance Festival, and to continue collaborating with my former host on researching and notating Latvian folk dances. There is an amazing appreciation for contemporary and traditional arts there, as well as an appreciation for nature that resonates with me.
Why did you come to Kenyon?
I loved the rural setting with easy access to Columbus and The Ohio State University. (They have the Dance Notation Bureau Extension Center). Also, the creativity of the students was appealing.
Fill in the blank: My experience at Kenyon would not be the same without ______.
My amazing colleagues and students! I have loved building the dance program with my colleagues in dance, including notation and kinesiology classes, and I feel incredibly fortunate to be at an institution that values the arts, interdisciplinarity and collaboration. Kenyon students inspire, and collaborating with them on research projects, nurturing their creativity and staying in contact beyond graduation is a gift.
What is your favorite Kenyon tradition?
Probably the Fall Harvest Festival at the Brown Family Environmental Center. I enjoy being outside on a fall day meeting students and their families.
What Kenyon class would you love to take — again or for the first time?
Arabic. I took it before my first Fulbright in Cairo and absolutely loved the language and how it was taught. Also, any of the ENVS classes to learn more about sustainable farming, in particular.
If there was a soundtrack to your Kenyon experience, what song would be on repeat?
“Let's Dance” by David Bowie.
Where do you find satisfaction outside of your studies?
Running, cross fit, gardening, tending to my goats and other farm animals. And, of course, my (mostly grown) children! I get a lot of satisfaction out of taking food scraps out to the pigs and chickens and bringing in beautiful eggs or milking goats and making cheese.
What is something interesting that you have read recently?
“How to Love a Forest” by Ethan Tapper. He is a forester and a guest speaker we sponsored last year. The book delves into the paradoxical nature of caring for the environment, which is something that we struggle with as small farmers and lovers of nature — that sometimes you have to do things that seem harmful (like culling deer or cutting down invasive trees) for the greater good.
What new skill would you like to learn?
I would like to become an expert on native plants and maybe become an herbalist someday. We have 18 acres, and we made four into a pollinator pasture. I’d love to be better at identifying species and using our natural resources.
What is the best piece of advice that you've ever been given?
Work hard and have fun! That was my father's mantra.
The Kenyon Ten is an occasional question-and-answer feature that highlights students, faculty and staff.