Career Center

Assistant Professor of Contemporary Dance Forms of the African Diaspora, University of Iowa Department of Dance, Iowa City, Iowa

Appointment begins: August 21, 2024 Salary: Commensurate with qualifications and experience.

We are seeking an artist/scholar whose creative and scholarly research is situated firmly within an Africanist global intercultural paradigm and who can advance the department's goals in the areas of global dance studies, and community-based creative research. Our new colleague will participate in our majors-level dance technique rotation by offering all levels (beginning to advanced) of contemporary dance practices grounded in the dance cultures and aesthetics of the African diaspora including but not limited to: African, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latinx and/or Afro-fusion forms, Hip-Hop, Jazz, Vogueing, Wacking, J-Setting and/or any other African diasporic dance practices determined by their area(s) of specialization. Additionally, our colleague will contribute by teaching and developing courses both within the department's general education curriculum in Diversity and Inclusion and related to the candidate's areas of expertise and departmental needs. Other services to the program could include undergraduate student advising, supervision of graduate student independent projects and theses, and attending to other departmental and university service assignments. We will welcome an individual with established relationships within the professional field and will prioritize candidates: 1) with demonstrated ability to teach contemporary dance in the candidate's area(s) of expertise and theory/practice hybrid courses in African diasporic dance cultural studies; 2) who possess the qualifications and experience for instructional versatility in more than one Africanist contemporary movement practice; 3) with demonstrated capacity to engage students from all backgrounds.

We will look to our new faculty colleague to design and deliver rigorous curricula grounded in the dance cultures and aesthetics of the African diaspora and collaborate with us on innovative curricular and programmatic initiatives that expand the range of our offerings in dance techniques and cultural dance studies. Our new colleague will elevate faculty research and student involvement in the creative process, as spaces for teaching and learning. We welcome candidates of diverse cultural and social identities to join our faculty and contribute to our department's heterogeneous and multi-perspective culture.

Review of applications will begin October 15, 2023 and continue until filled.

Successful candidates will be required to self-disclose any misconduct history or pending research misconduct investigation including but not limited to sexual misconduct in prior employment and provide a related release and will be subject to a criminal background and credential check.

The University of Iowa prohibits discrimination in employment, educational programs, and activities on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth and related conditions), disability, genetic information, status as a U.S. veteran, service in the U.S. military, sexual orientation, gender identity, or associational preferences. The university also affirms its commitment to providing equal opportunities and equal access to university facilities.

Application: Supporting materials and contact information for three references can be attached during the online application process.

Supporting materials should include:

1.Curriculum vitae;

2.a letter of interest including a discussion of your preparation for and interest in this role;

3. a research statement addressing the nature and significance of your creative and/or scholarly research in the area of Contemporary Dance Forms of the African Diaspora;

4. a statement of teaching philosophy including for Africanist diasporic dance technique(s) and African diasporic dance cultural studies;

5.three letters of recommendation;

6. links to samples of body-based creative research samples (completed works of any length may be submitted, no excerpts) and/or research samples of scholarship in dance studies;

7. 30-minute video excerpt of instruction of a movement practices (dance technique) course;

8. names, affiliations, and contact information of at least three additional references.

General Information: The University of Iowa, Department of Dance offers BA, BFA and MFA degrees with a major emphasis on performance and choreography. The Dance Department produces eight to ten concerts each academic year, along with The University of Iowa Dance Company (UIDC), the UI student repertory ensemble, which tours Iowa and the surrounding states. The Dance Department currently has a nine-member faculty serving approximately 90 undergraduate dance majors and 12 graduate students.

The Dance Department is an integral component of The Performing Arts at Iowa and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The University of Iowa is known for its thriving arts units and an active community arts scene. Located 60 miles west of the Mississippi River, the University of Iowa is an international campus with over 30,000 students from around the world.

For more information about the University of Iowa Department of Dance please visit our website at https://dance.uiowa.edu/.

Questions should be directed to Search Committee Chair, Professor Rebekah Kowal at rebekah- kowal@uiowa.edu.

Why Iowa?

Quality of life. Iowa City prides itself on being "The Greatest Small City for the Arts," is a UNESCO City of Literature, and has been consistently ranked as one of the top 100 places to live in the US and one of the top 25 best places to live in the Midwest. The Iowa City area has over 300 restaurants providing cuisine from around the world. The area has a beautiful natural landscape that includes parks, woods, prairie, rivers, and lakes.

Department Reputation. The University of Iowa is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD). College Factual rates UI Dance at #13 (#6 in public colleges and universities) for bachelor's degree programs and #5 (#2 in public universities) for master's degree programs. Our students have gone on to notable careers in the arts as performers, choreographers, instructors, studio owners, and arts administrators, and in other fields, such as law, medicine, and business.

Opportunities for Research. The University of Iowa is an R1 institution. Our faculty disseminate our research to a variety of venues, including theatrical spaces and concert halls, art galleries and museums, scholarly journals, monographs, textbooks, conferences, art exhibitions, cinemas, dance and performing arts festivals, internet-based platforms, site-based work, and in the public square. Faculty frequently collaborate with scholars in other university departments on their research.

Dance. The UI Department of Dance encourages students and faculty to think interdisciplinarily and to explore opportunities to connect dance with any other field of knowledge. A majority of our undergraduate students are double majors and are encouraged to consider ways dance is a framework for understanding the world. Three of our faculty members hold joint appointments, one in Dance/Theatre Arts, one in Dance/Gender, Women's and Sexuality Studies, and one in Dance/School of Art and Art History. And members of our faculty produce interdisciplinary creative and scholarly research within their areas of training and expertise.