Since 1996, Dr. Crawford has served as Director of the School of Theatre & Dance at Kent State University and Producing Director of Porthouse Theatre, a professional URTA theatre in Summit County, OH that is in affiliation with Kent State University. He has taught as part of the dance and theatre faculty at Kent since 1988 and became a full Professor in 2001. Within the School of Theatre & Dance, he also has served as Artistic Director of the Kent Dance Ensemble and as Dance Coordinator. Prior to his appointment at KSU, Dr. Crawford was musical director in Dance at James Madison University in VA and served as adjunct faculty at Temple University in Philadelphia. Crawford has performed professionally as a dancer and actor with such companies as the Richmond Ballet, VCU Dance Company, Kings Productions, Busch Entertainment Corporation, Ann Vachon/Dance Conduit and Porthouse Theatre. He performed for eleven years with Leaven Dance Company, a professional sacred dance company. Crawford’s specific interest includes musical theatre choreography and he has choreographed numerous musicals including Bye Bye Birdie and Damn Yankees at Cain Park Theatre and Cabaret at the Halle Theatre. Crawford choreographed Brigadoon, Oklahoma! and Guys & Dolls at Porthouse Theatre, receiving a Cleveland Times Tribute award for his 2003 choreography of Oklahoma! While at Kent State, Dr. Crawford has continued to nationally teach master classes, set commissioned choreography and present dance research. He is a published author in dance journals and presenter of historical dance research. Dr. Crawford has coordinated the Choreography Evaluation Project of the National Dance Association and served on the board of directors of Ohio Dance from 1995-2000. Dr. Crawford’s current creative and scholarly work centers on the symbiotic connections between dance and theatre.