Jeri Deckard Gatch

Jeri Deckard Gatch is a Modern Dance teacher, choreographer, and performer and has lived in Cincinnati since 1997. She earned her BS: Kinesiology from Indiana University, and her MFA: Performance and Choreography from Temple University in Philadelphia where she also taught for 2 years. Jeri was adjunct faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University in the Dance and Theater Departments. Since moving back to the Mid-West, Jeri has worked through the Contemporary Dance Theater since 1999, Growth In Motion, and performed with several local choreographers, as well as guest teaching. Jeri choreographed for a workshop at the Playhouse In the Park, lead pre-school Creative Movement, was a Modern Dance faculty teacher at the Ohio Dance Festival, and in recent years was commissioned by Miami University, Berea College, College of Lake County, and Northern Kentucky University to set new works on their companies. Jeri is in her 3rd term serving on the Executive Board of Trustees of OhioDance, and is a Founding and Board member of Greater Cincinnati Dance Alliance, where she is the Board Secretary and Membership Chair. She was President of the Mariemont School District’s Arts Association and after almost a decade of service, earned the 2019 “Friend of the Arts” award. For years Jeri was a residency teacher for Mutual Dance Theater (formerly Mam-Luft & Company, ML&Co) where she taught children in their schools, Pre-K through 6th grade, and choreographed for their recitals. Jeri worked through Mutual Dance and the Kennedy Heights Arts Center to do Spring Arts Residencies and choreograph musicals and original programs. Jeri teaches in the Cincinnati Ballet’s "Cincy Dance!" Program and is Co-Developer of the “Story Choreography Project” that premiered in Spring of 2019. Currently, Jeri is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at University of Cincinnati-CCM where she has taught Modern Dance Technique to the Ballet and Musical Theater majors, as well as elective Modern Dance classes since 2013. Jeri teaches Adult Modern Dance classes for the Cincinnati Ballet and is a guest teacher in the CB Academy. In Fall of 2022, Jeri became the full time head of the Dance area at Northern Kentucky University where she teaches, choreographs, is the Artistic Director of the Spring Dance concert, and Faculty advisor to multiple projects including the Emerging Choreographers Showcase.
Jeri has a heart for arts advocacy and is honored to be an active part of the Ohio and Northern Kentucky dance community.

BS: Indiana Univerity Bloomington, IN, (Kinesiology)

MFA: Temple University Philadelphia, PA, (Performance and Choreography)