Bekki Price has led Grand Canyon University’s dance program as chair for the past four years, focusing on providing students with opportunities to deepen their skills in ballet, modern, and jazz. She also encourages learning from guest artists and performing in a variety of shows.
Price began dancing at age three and ultimately chose dance over veterinary studies when deciding on her college major. She followed her mentor Jane Baron to Slippery Rock University for a bachelor’s degree in dance and later taught at Baron’s academy. Her interest in teaching led her to pursue a master’s degree in fine arts and dance performance at Arizona State University, followed by a doctorate in higher education from GCU.
“My passion has been in choreography, and I have really enjoyed setting choreography for our faculty concerts. Each semester for several of those, I will typically work with composers to compose original music scores for my work,” Price said.
She recalled being inspired by a song composed by a GCU student after the loss of a friend during a hike on Camelback Mountain. “As soon as I heard that song, I was so inspired. I reached out to the artist, the GCU student, and I had them perform that song live on stage and we choreographed a dance to it,” she said.
Price also shared how her choreography can impact audiences: “Several years ago, I choreographed a solo called ‘Zoe,’ which was about my niece, her being born, learning to walk and so forth. We did a high school matinee series, and a student came up to me to share that the piece brought her to tears because it reminded her of a sibling that she lost.”
She noted that creating meaningful work is one of the most rewarding aspects of her role: “So, one of the best parts is creating work that has not only profound meaning to me and my performers but can impact the audience as well.”
Among memorable moments as a dancer, Price described performing with New Kids on the Block during their 2019 tour. “I love the band New Kids on the Block. I got an incredible opportunity in 2019 where I got to perform on stage with them, and that was definitely one of the highlights of my life… The performance was two days later. That was my highlight.”
On developing new choreography each year, Price explained: “One thing is definitely finding inspiration… To me that was like, oh, maybe I don’t have anything to say right now. I took a break from choreographing one semester to recharge. So, it definitely always begins with inspiration.” She emphasized collaboration with dancers during this process: “We spend a lot of time brainstorming and coming up with different movements and ideas.”
Music selection is another important part of her work. “We have an accompanist who plays for some of our classes, Robin Vining… It’s really great to have a musician that you jive with really well. He knows exactly what I am looking for, and we can communicate easily about tempo, style and mood,” she said.
Community outreach is also central to GCU’s dance program under Price’s leadership. The program participates in volunteer activities such as Habitat for Humanity projects and hosts performances attended by hundreds of high school students each semester. They also organize invitationals where local high school dance programs visit campus for classes alongside GCU students.
“I think it’s just another great thing about our program that aligns with the mission of GCU,” Price said.
When asked about pre-performance meals, Price prefers salad but recently developed an appreciation for Airhead Extremes candy after trying them backstage at a show.
