Multi-talented CIM alum returns to Cleveland for CWRU dance reunion

Among the many artists returning to CWRU this month for “With Gratitude,” a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the school’s graduate dance program, one is certain to stand out: Joseph Teeter. 

That’s because, unlike everyone else, Teeter will be carrying – and playing – a cello. He’s the rare artist who both dances and makes music, who not only holds degrees from both CWRU and CIM but also earned them while studying two art forms in earnest.

“There weren’t many places where I could have done what I did, just logistically,” said Teeter (BM ’18, MM ’19, Kraut). “At CIM, though, what I wanted to do wasn’t impossible. They really found a way to support me as a player while also encouraging everything else I was doing.”

Teeter is the living embodiment of connection. He represents the profound links between dance and music, mind and body, and an elite conservatory and a major research university. He could be the poster-child of CIM’s Dual Degree Program. 

Straddling two worlds was not Teeter’s original intention, however. He came to CIM (and still thinks of himself) as a cellist first and foremost. Dance was a secondary interest. At CWRU, he studied psychology. 

“I was one of these try-everything kids,” Teeter said, by phone from his home in Bloomington, Indiana. 

Dance, though, gained ground. During his years at CIM, it became a co-equal, to the point that he sometimes incorporated both in recitals and other performances. 

Similarly, when he returned to CIM for a master’s degree, he also returned to CWRU for one in dance. Afterwards, he then went on to earn a PhD from the University of Roehampton in England, where he explored the emerging field of choreomusicology.

“People are really looking at the links between music and other applications of the brain,” Teeter said. “There’s a lot of room for more study there.”

Fast-forward to this spring, when Teeter, along with all other alumni of CWRU’s graduate dance program, was invited back to Cleveland for “With Gratitude.” 

Included in the offer were invitations not only to join a new dance choreographed for all alumni but also to finally see (and take part in) the long-overdue premiere of his Bach-themed graduate thesis work, “Chasing Unison,” a victim of the pandemic. He’ll also play cello in a dance work by CWRU dance professor Karen Potter. 

“It’s going to be a lot for me,” Teeter said. 

Happily, he won’t be entirely alone on the musical portion of the program. Joining Teeter at times will be his wife and fellow CIM alum, violinist Elizabeth Stewart (BM ’18, Kwuon/Updegraff), whose Erinys Quartet will accompany two performances of “Chasing Unison.” 

Teeter remains active professionally in music and dance. Returning to Cleveland, though, reminds him of everything he didn’t get to do while he was here, the many courses and degrees he would have pursued, if only there’d been time. 

“I wish I could have done more,” he said. 

Photo by Brad Petot

ABOUT THE EVENT

With Gratitude

When: 7:30pm Wednesday-Saturday, April 15-18

Where: Mather Dance Center, 11040 Bellflower Rd., Cleveland

Tickets: $15-$25, at community.case.edu.