Susannah “Sukie” Keita is a versatile dance artist who has paired her energy with dance companies and public schools as a performer, choreographer, and educator. Growing up as a student of Joffrey Ballet principal dancers, Sukie studied modern dance at the University of Michigan and moved to New York City as a scholarship student at Steps On Broadway. After completing her MFA at the University Of Arizona School Of Dance, she performed with several Arizona-based companies including O-T-O Dance Theatre, New Articulations, Thom Lewis Dance, Mamaxé Dancers, and Zuzi Dance Theatre. Since 2000, she has studied Katherine Dunham’s Technique with master and certified instructors, and in 2012, she became certified to teach through the Institute for Dunham Technique Certification. In 2006, Sukie toured Ecuador with aerial and modern-based O-T-O Dance Theatre for the International Festival for Women in Dance. As director of the Dance Department at Grand Canyon University, Sukie has founded degree programs in dance and dance education. She was honored with the Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award in 2013 and the Distinguished Faculty Scholar Award in 2015, and also served as president of the Arizona Dance Education Organization. A veteran K-12 dance educator, her focus is to increase access to dance education for K-12 grade students and to build cultural competencies among future dance educators through a holistic study of dance and the humanities.