Dance Semester in London

Reynolds Whalen

Founder and Executive Director

Reynolds graduated summa cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis in 2008 with a degree in Theater and African and African American Studies. For an honors thesis Reynolds filmed, edited, and produced a full-length documentary in Kenya with Haba na Haba, a group using performance for education and social change in the slums of Nairobi. This project earned him the Forum on Education Abroad Undergraduate Research Award. A year later, Reynolds organized a trip to bring Haba na Haba to the United States for a tour of St. Louis and Washington University. Immediately after graduation, Reynolds worked in Rwanda as a filmmaker for Millennium Congregations, an interfaith organization connecting communities of faith in the United States with development projects in Rwanda’s Bugesera District. Reynolds then served two years with Teach for America, teaching in the South Bronx and receiving a Masters Degree in Education from Hunter College. He completed a second graduate degree in African Studies from Indiana University in Bloomington, and his Masters thesis focused on the impact of donors on the creative process of Theatre for Development (TfD) groups in Kenya.

Reynolds has traveled extensively in Africa, spending time in Ghana, Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He also studied acting, voice, and movement at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London. Reynolds is a two-time Rhodes Scholarship finalist, the inaugural recipient of the Dred and Harriet Scott Award for the Advancement of Human Rights, and the winner of two research fellowships. He was also a Dialogue Fellow for the Xenia Institute, has twice served as the co-director for the Roosevelt Institution’s International Diplomacy Center (Washington University branch), and was president of the Graduate Students of African Studies (GSAS) at Indiana University.

Most recently, Reynolds was named a winner of the 40 under Forty award honoring business leaders in Western Massachusetts.

Reynolds lives in Greenfield, MA with his wife Julia who is a professional costume designer and his daughters, Lily and Georgia. In his free time Reynolds likes to play his guitar, go hiking, act in local productions, hit the karaoke bars, sing with his dog Captain (the best doggy singer in the universe), and play various yard games such as KanJam, cornhole, “cups”, and Kubb.

Anna Bermani

London Site Director

Anna supports all participants on our programs in London, acting as the main point of contact throughout their stay in the United Kingdom. She coordinates airport pickup, arranges housing, leads cultural excursions, and manages the 24-hour onsite emergency phone.

Anna holds a B.A. in English and German from Ca’Foscari University of Venice. The Italian village where she was born was never enough for her and from a young age she decided she wanted to see the world and meet a lot of people from different cultures. Fascinated by foreign languages and traveling she first studied abroad in London when she was in high school and then at Humboldt Universität in Berlin a few years after. New York City holds a special place in her heart, ever since she was an intern at the Italian Cultural Institute there.

After volunteering and working for the not-for-profit association AFS Intercultural Program helping hundreds of high school students enroll and prepare for their experience abroad, she moved to London and focused on working with university students. She loves West End musicals, fashion, drinking green tea, spending time at the V&A museum, studying Korean and backpacking throughout Southeast Asia.

Chloe Green

London Program Director, Roehampton

Chloe acts as the university contact for PAA students studying at Roehampton on semester or summer programmes. She finalizes course schedules, coordinates university orientation events, provides academic advising and acts as a liaison between PAA and Roehampton’s academic departments of dance, theatre, and film.

Chloe is the Study Abroad Manager at the University of Roehampton. Chloe graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in English Language and Linguistics and holds an MA in International Education from the University of Leicester, having studied abroad herself in Brisbane, Australia. Chloe has also lived and worked in Germany, can speak Spanish and French and is currently learning Dutch in her free time. Chloe and her team work closely with Performing Arts Abroad throughout a student’s time in London to ensure they return home having had a transformative experience.

Once an avid dancer, Chloe hung up her dancing shoes at 18 due to injury, but not before in true Harry Potter style, leading her House to victory with a Great Gatsby inspired routine in her school House Arts Cup. Chloe also has a background in theatre, having worked as an elf for 6 years over the Christmas period at an immersive experience based just outside of London. Nowadays, Chloe enjoys watching performances and trying to get the best deals for cheap theatre tickets in London, so be sure to stop by the office for some hot tips!

Chloe believes there is no university quite like Roehampton, from the extra curricula opportunities you can get involved with, to the friendly campus community. She looks forward to seeing you on campus very soon!