about

Deanna Zois (she/her) is a contemporary based mover and maker based in Boston, Massachusetts. She graduated from Connecticut College in 2020 with a BA in Dance, minor in psychology, and specialization in public health. At the College, Deanna had the honor of performing in repertory works by David Dorfman, Merce Cunningham Trust, Kate Weare Company, Shen Wei Dance Arts, Wideman/Davis Dance, Lisa Race, Heidi Henderson, Shakia Johnson, Ellie Goudie-Averill, Shani Collins, and Gabriel “Kwikstep” Dionisio. She was also the recipient of the José Limón award, awarded to a dance major with outstanding accomplishments and dedication to the field of dance.

 

Deanna went on to Drexel University, and in 2023 graduated magna cum laude with her master's degree in Dance/Movement Therapy & Counseling, where her culminating project focused on the intersections, implementation, and implications of polyvagal theory and inpatient psychiatric restraint. She is a Registered Dance/Movement Therapist (R-DMT), and currently works as an inpatient clinician providing trauma informed, gender inclusive treatment to individuals of all ages with eating disorders. She will acquire her licensure to practice as a Licensed Mental Heath Counselor (LMHC) in the fall of 2025.

 

Alongside working full time in the mental health field, Deanna is currently dancing professionally in her first season with Jo-Mé Dance Theatre, performing works by Joe González and Naoko Brown. She has danced in projects by Hannah Brown, RoseWoods Dance Collaborative, and Heidi Latsky Dance, and has guest taught for Urbanity 2. As a choreographer, Deanna's work has been presented at Salem Arts Festival, Mobius Inc., and Novum Dance Collective. Within her dance practice, she utilizes movement as kinesthetic research grounded in improvisation and interoceptive awareness to find rigor, nearness, and perspective.