Eileen E. McDonnell recently graduated Summa Cum Laude with Honors from Mercyhurst University earning herself a Bachelors of Arts in Dance and Bachelors of Science in Biology. She is currently a professional dancer with Columbus Dance Theatre in Columbus, OH.

Eileen was born and raised in Albany, NY where she began her dance training in ballet, modern, and jazz at The Albany Berkshire Ballet under the direction of Madeline Cantarella Culpo.  She continued her dance training at ABB performing in works such as Alice in Wonderland, Rockwell Suites, Hansel & Gretel and Aurora’s Wedding and has attended summer intensives such as The New York Summer School of the Arts and Boston Ballet.  She also toured extensively throughout the Northeast with The Albany Berkshire Ballet Company in their annual production of The Nutcracker performing roles such as Kissy Doll, Marzipan, and Dew Drop. 

Continuing her dance training throughout her collegiate years, Eileen joined the Mercyhurst Dancers and performed in works such as Pulcinella Suites, Suite Romantique, Arpino’s Viva Vivaldi with personal mentorship from Cameron Basden, and various student choreographed works.  Eileen demonstrated adeptness in both classical and contemporary dance throughout her collegiate years. Along with performing classical ballet repertoire such as the Summer Fairy in Cinderella, Eileen was a member of the modern/contemporary company in-residence at Mercyhurst, SoMar Dance Works.  Under the direction of Mark Santillano of Pilobolus and Solveig Santillano of MOMIX, Eileen performed with SoMar for three seasons.

In addition to Eileen’s dance accomplishments, she simultaneously pursued opportunities to supplement her Pre-med Biology degree.  She has had the opportunity to work as a Biomedical Research Intern at the Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute in Buffalo, NY, and also obtained primary medical shadowing experiences interning for orthopedic surgeons and physical therapists. Eileen's Senior Thesis research focused on the study of kinesiology for dancers focusing on identifying dancers’ particular areas of weakness, instability, and imbalance through kinesthetic assessment addressing specific sites for prevention from further injuries.  Eileen continues to pursue her medical aspirations and is currently a student at Ross University School of Medicine.