In Memoriam: Kim Elliott

Elliott teaching her Movement Practices class on October 27, 2021.

Amanda Brown

“Kim’s incomparable energy had the power to re-excite us about learning during a pandemic.”

Kim Elliott carried the rhythms of New York City with her wherever she went.

Elliott, who joined the Dance Department faculty in 2020, grew up in the South Bronx and Harlem, immersed in hip-hop and street dance. Her body absorbed salsa, modern, jazz, and other dance idioms from friends and family, and in classes taught through the New York City public school system. She died on March 23.

“We always learned in an environment that didn’t include a dance studio, wood floors, mirrors,” Elliott said when she spoke to us in October 2020. “In the beginning of my training… watching music videos, dance movies, and learning from friends in the community was how I learned. I have used that advantage in my remote instruction.”

Madison Meredith is a 2022 BFA Dance grad who is set to complete her EdM in Dance Education in 2023. Here, she shares her tribute to Elliott.

There are teachers that do their job and there are teachers that live their job. Those teachers that live through their work are often the ones who tend to leave their students with the most meaningful lessons. Kimberly Elliott is a teacher who taught her students dance and education, but through those teachings shared so much more. I say “is” because although she died in March, the knowledge and wisdom that she shared will continue to live on through her students everywhere.

One of the first times I met Kim was through a Zoom screen, and her incomparable energy had the power to re-excite us about learning during a pandemic. She always created a space that allowed us to challenge and express ourselves without judgment, knowing that for most of us, hip-hop is not our forte.

Kim’s teachings always went far beyond technique, however, giving validity to our movement practices–pushing us to recognize where dances originate from, credit those who create them, and understand their importance throughout various time periods, cultures, and communities.

Her passion always spoke volumes to me because she was an advocate for what she loved and expected nothing less from her students. The same was true when I stepped into her classroom as a future educator: Kim’s encouragement regarding our individual goals as teachers let us know she was one of our biggest supporters. Within those goals Kim had extremely high expectations of us, constantly challenging us to consider alternate perspectives, questioning why systems are put into place, and what purposes they serve.

Her lessons did not end there. With every encounter Kim modeled how to be an educator that showed compassion, dedication, and unbounded joy and positivity, because she was that teacher for us. I hope to be able to share with others even a fraction of the fiery energy and passion she radiated.

Listen to a 2020 interview with Elliott at go.rutgers.edu/mgsamag22