Full Biography
Elizabeth Archer is a mover, performer, choreographer, and collaborator nestled in the mountains of Missoula, MT. Passionate about the multifaceted complexities of dance, Archer finds value in maintaining thoughtful skepticism of what dance is. This skepticism leads her towards searching for and curating meaningful communities of inclusivity for all bodies, ages, and abilities.
Archer was born and raised on the plains of the midwest in Sioux Falls, SD. There she trained under Jackie Pederson-Kriens and Jessica Adam-Rooney at Dance Gallery of SD. For fifteen years Dance Gallery served as her second home. She religiously took technique classes with the Cecchetti ballet method as the foundation of her continued training. Pederson- Kriens encouraged Archer to further engage in the Cecchetti ballet method and pursue the examination processes. By the time she was 18 years old she had passed teacher grade level I, in addition to grade levels I-VII.
Her time at Dance Gallery was well rounded; she thrived as a student in addition to teaching little ones. Outside of the bunhead arena, Archer connected with Flutter Productions, an all ability dance theatre based in Rapid City, SD. Under the wings of Andrea Schaefer and Heather Pickering she engaged with the community in the most meaningful way: Flutter Productions paired up with the local Children’s Hospital to showcase a dance performance including movers of all ages and abilities. Archer performed in two different productions and has since viewed performance art and dance through a completely different lens.
Post high school graduation, Archer took a gap year instead of feeding right into college. Burnt out from school and convinced her “dance chapter” in life was complete, Archer felt eager to experience something new. While living in Costa Rica, she discovered another form of dance that soon re-kindled her love for movement. Right down the street from where Archer lived, Jerusa Alvarado, gave belly dancing lessons to a small class of women twice a week. She will forever cherish Jerusa and the community she made there.
After her gap year Archer moved to Missoula, MT where she currently attends the University. Her dual pursuits of a BA in Choreography and Performance and a BA in Environmental Studies make for an enriching college experience. Archer feels deeply appreciative of the modern dance community and the individuals she has worked with so far, specifically the UM dance faculty. In addition to forever tackling her technique, her relationship with dance has evolved and shifted, making room for choreographic development and the articulation of her own artistic voice. She has attended the Northwest Region’s ACDA conference twice, fully embracing dance in academia and experimental performance art. Post graduation, Archer intends to cultivate dance movement experiences for non-traditional movers with all abilities. She finds value in constantly questioning the definition of dance and what dance looks like; she aspires to keep creating work that challenges societal perceptions of dance.