Mary-Jean Cowell, Coordinator of Washington University’s Dance program, is bringing professional dancer Lynn Needle to campus in hopes that students will learn from her versatile talents. Needle will be a guest professor in the Dance department starting Oct. 22.

Throughout her dance career, Needle has performed on six continents as a principal soloist with the Nikolais Dance Theatre. She is currently the founder and artistic director of Art of Motion, a nonprofit performing arts organization in Ridgewood, N.J.

Her husband, Mark Needle, and son, sophomore Max Needle, are former and current students of Wash. U. Needle has also performed once at Edison Theatre and taught as a guest lecturer during Parents and Family Weekend last year. Her presence promises to be rewarding for both students and faculty of the Dance department.

“[Needle’s] enthusiasm is boundless,” Cowell said. “Dancers can be sure to expect a high-energy class.”

Needle will be teaching a variety of levels of modern classes and a Luigi Jazz class.

Needle entered the dance scene with a bang—a London-punk-infused modern dance, to be exact. At just 20-years old, Needle had her choreography performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. Her carefully choreographed piece started with dancers smoking on stage, and soon the dancers, who were wearing black leather jackets, were putting what looked like an album cover into motion. Needle said that her choreography was selected for the performance because it captured the essence of her generation.

Needle’s enthusiasm for teaching is apparent.

“I love the range of teaching—from the 3-year-olds to the 80-year-olds,” Needle said. But teaching in the arts—especially dance—can be an uphill batter.

Needle expressed frustration at the lack of funding given to dance programs across the country. Her hope is that philanthropists will turn their attention to the arts, and to dance in particular. In order to raise awareness about the importance of dance, Needle has committed herself to promoting the value of artistic expression through movement, hoping that eventually programs will be awarded more funding.

Although Needle started her dancing career as a ballerina at four years old, she fell in love with modern dance during her undergraduate years at Connecticut College. To Needle, modern dance is about “the freedom of choice and expression—the search for unique expression,” which is exactly what appealed to her. While somewhat wild and free-spirited in her youth, Needle worked diligently at developing her technique and mastering the art of dance.

This diligence is what has enabled Needle to stay optimistic and to continue actively dancing and performing.

“I credit my health to my commitment to technique,” Needle said.While working with Nikolais, Needle developed a sense of resilience, a virtue that has proven useful in every endeavor she has taken on.