Christy McNeil Chand is an Associate Professor at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, CA where she directs the Orchesis Dance Company. She received her M.F.A. in Dance from the University of Washington in June of 2012 and was honored with the full-tuition Kreielsheimer Scholarship from Cornish College of the Arts where she earned her B.F.A. in Dance and the Outstanding Dance Major Award. She has been on the faculty of the internationally-known Boulder Jazz Dance Workshop since 2000, and has served as a guest artist for U of Idaho, U of Texas Pan American, Riverside College, Hancock College, Grand Canyon University, Bellevue College, Dance THIS, and the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, among others. Her choreography has been commissioned by several universities, theatre companies, pageants, and the Seattle Seahawks NFL cheerleaders. For two years, Christy performed with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines as Dance Captain and Company Manager and is currently a dancer and choreographer with Interweave Dance Theatre in Boulder, CO. In May of 2019, Christy will travel to Lebanon as a guest artist with the International Dance Day Festival for the third year in a row, and is honored to share the dance space with all who want to move to sweet tunes.