Assistant Professor in West African Dance 116 views

University of Florida is looking for an Assistant Professor in West African Dance

Location: Florida

Job Type: Full-time

Job Description:

The School of Theatre and Dance and Center for African Studies seek an Assistant Professor in West African Dance. The successful candidate will have expertise in West African Dance and a secondary expertise in one or more of the following: other contemporary dance practices stemming from African and African Diasporic experiences; improvisation; drumming; interdisciplinary approaches to teaching composition, technology, pedagogy, anatomy, dancer wellness, dance studies, and/or others. The candidate will maintain an active research profile, demonstrate a commitment to teaching excellence and creative collaboration, and show evidence of effective student guidance and mentoring. Responsibilities include contributing to the BA and BFA Dance curricula and the development of a future graduate program in Dance; offering curricular and programmatic events sponsored by the Center for African Studies; and other responsibilities as assigned.

The University of Florida College of the Arts intends to be a transformative community, responding to and generating paradigmatic shifts in the arts and beyond. As artists and scholars, we embrace the complexity of our evolving human experience and seek to empower our students and faculty to shape that experience fearlessly through critical study, creative practice, and provocation. We seek a colleague who identifies as a change-maker. We seek a colleague who will prepare students to access and unsettle centres of power in a radically changing world. We seek a colleague who will position emerging artists and researchers as catalysts for equity on local and global levels.

The University of Florida is an equal opportunity institution dedicated to building a broadly diverse and inclusive faculty, seeking faculty of all races, ethnicities, genders, backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

Responsibilities:

• Primary responsibilities will be to develop, revise, and deliver curriculum that is currently delivered in “West African Dance” and “World Dance and Intercultural Performance” in the School of Theatre + Dance. Additional contemporary dance practices stemming from African and African Diasporic experiences are also welcome.
• Maintain creative and/or scholarly research agenda that leads to publication and/or performance via appropriate platforms. Scholarly research may also be practice-as-research and/or community-engaged research.
• Contribute to the Center for African Studies mission through service activities that include substantial, public-facing events or engagements (on average of one per semester) that could include artistic direction of a public dance concert that prioritizes West African dance and African Diasporic dance, choreography and or mentorship of student performances in a community setting, and/or K-12 or Community College teaching residencies and teacher training.
• Contribute to annual production calendar, which may include setting an original composition as part of the annual faculty dance concert, student ensemble performances, and/or guest artist/student showcases.
• Participate in audition and recruitment activities.
• Mentor senior projects and foster the agency and rigor of choreographic / interdisciplinary thought.
• Contribute to shared governance and the advancement of the vision and mission of the College of the Arts.
• Serve on School, College, and University committees as assigned.
• Other specific service and outreach assignments would be based on the needs of the School of Theatre + Dance, the Colleges of the Arts and Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the Center for African Studies.

Minimum Qualifications:

• MFA, PhD, DED, DA, MA or an undergraduate degree with equivalent professional experience in dance and/or a related field, a record of creative and/or scholarly activities, and a minimum of two years prior teaching experience (part-time acceptable) at the college or university level.
• Evidence of success in promoting an environment that advances access, equity, and inclusion.
• Active research agenda to grow a national/international profile in creative and/or scholarly research, leading to tenure and promotion.
• Two years teaching experience in higher education or professional dance setting beyond Graduate School with evidence of commitment to collaboration, diversity, and excellence in the arts and higher education.
• Engagement in the field consistent with the expectations of a research-focused institution.
• Demonstrated aptitude for working toward structural and strategic change in relationship to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Strong organizational, management, and communication skills.
• Capacity for effective engagement in recruitment.
• Knowledge of West African languages sufficient to support the cultural and contextual integrity of the dance practices.
• Evidence of a commitment to innovative and cross-disciplinary curricula.

Interested candidates please apply