Dance Emeritus Clay Taliaferro Honored by American Dance Festival

Clay Taliaferro, professor of the practice emeritus in the Dance Program, will be honored with the 2025 Balasaraswati/Joy Anne Dewey Beinecke Endowed Chair for Distinguished Teaching award from the American Dance Festival (ADF) on June 29.

A celebrated figure in the world of dance, Taliaferro has built a remarkable sixty-year career as a dancer, choreographer and educator. His professional teaching journey began in 1969 at the American Dance Festival, where his collaborations left a lasting impact on generations of dancers and choreographers.

“By fostering care, curiosity and intellect, Clay Taliaferro has created a space for rediscovery, empowerment and the offering of one’s authentic self,” shares Nile H. Russell, ADF’s director of education. “As an activist in motion, he continues to remind us of the transformative power of movement to reveal and liberate the soul.”

Taliaferro joined Duke in 1987 as an artist-in-residence with the Dance Program and soon became a faculty member, teaching for two decades. A recipient of the Richard K. Lublin Teaching Award, he is also honored through an annual Dance Program award bearing his name. 

 “The Dance Program is thrilled to see Clay Taliaferro’s achievements recognized by the American Dance Festival,” says Andrea E. Woods Valdés, chair and associate professor of the practice of dance. “Clay’s impact as a prolific artist, choreographer and educator has shaped the national and international dance landscape, and to see a Duke faculty member honored alongside such legendary figures is deeply inspiring — this is a milestone moment for our faculty, students, alumni and peers.”