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Steve Vaughn has danced his whole life, spending years following his curiosity for movement in both university and professional settings. He was a full-time dancer for Parsons Dance Company (NYC), in which he toured nationally and internationally until deciding to earn his Masters in Dance at Hollins University (VA). After earning his MFA, he worked as a physical therapist trainer in NYC, and later earned his certification to teach Pilates. Recently, the Covid- 19 pandemic swayed Vaughn to move back to New England, where he and his partner now co-run a Pilates studio based in New Bedford, MA.

For this interview, Professor Vaughn expressed how much he has enjoyed teaching at RWU:

I enjoy working with a range of people to try to introduce them to something new about how their bodies work. Teaching in a liberal arts university is exciting since students bring everything they’re studying into the studio with them – bringing multiple viewpoints to our experiential lab, and proving how we can ALL contribute to what happens in class as the semester progresses.

As a performer, Vaughn has worked both live and for the camera. In addition to his touring career as a dancer, his screen credits include notable television programs such as Law & Order and Good Morning America. When asked to compare performing live to performing for camera, Vaughn expressed:

For me, performing live is about getting into a zone where I’m experiencing something that people happen to be viewing. Live performance is special because the audience and performers feel each other’s energy, sharing the same space and time. Performing for camera is more about giving a performance that looks like I’m experiencing something in its fullest – the aim here, is to make something read distinctively for a specific frame, rather than allowing myself to be witnessed from multiple points of view as each individual chooses.

Most professional dancers train in various mind-body practices. They do so not only to enrich their physical research, but also to increase their professional skill sets as teachers and performers. When asked if Pilates ever directly affects his dance practice, or if his dance practice ever directly affects his Pilates work, Vaughn’s response was, “Simple answer: Yes!” Elaborating, he expressed that the critical bridge that connects his interest in Pilates to his interests in dance is his innate fascination for movement in general.

We are happy to welcome Professor Vaughn’s professional experience and deep fascination for movement into our studio!