Ann Woodruff
she/her
Senior Instructor – Dance Trapeze, Slings
Repertory Company Member
Executive Director
Ann Woodruff assumed the role of Executive Director of Canopy in September 2021. Prior to that, she was the Children’s Programming and Outreach Director. She is an honor graduate from the University of Georgia in the field of Special Education and a former self-contained middle school teacher. She is a life-long learner, having received additional aerial training from the New England Center for Circus Arts (Necca), Ecole Nationale de Cirque (ENC) in Montreal, Victor Fromine’s Ecole Leotard in Montreal and Cirque School LA (Los Angeles).
Under her guidance, Canopy’s Outreach and Children’s Program has reached many levels of excellence. One highlight in particular was being selected to present Canopy’s inclusive outreach program and the exciting results of aerial instruction for children with disabilities at the American Circus Educators (ACE) conference in Montreal. She also works with UGA’s Psychology of Movement students to build research-based understanding of inclusion programming.
Ann has served on the Board of Directors of Extra Special People and Canopy Studio. She is a current member of Chase Street Elementary School’s Local School Governance Team. Ann is a founding member of Canopy Studio’s Repertory Company, having begun aerial dance instruction under Canopy’s founder, Susan Murphy, at UGA prior to Canopy’s inception. She teaches all levels of students at Canopy, from beginning three and four year olds through advanced teens; many of her students remain at Canopy until their graduation from high school. Ann also trains all Jr. level teachers in the Canopy kids program, focusing on research-backed teaching methods for students of all abilities.