Dance Program
Sarah Wilbur, assistant professor of the practice of dance, was teaching seminars on collaborative performance and valuing labor in the arts—just as the arts world entered a period of unforeseen challenges. Teaching as the Arts World Changes Forever It was profoundly impactful to confront the unforeseen shift to distance learning this semester, given the topic of my seminar: “Art as Work: Valuing Labor in the Arts” (Dance561S). Once we returned from our two-week spring break, via Zoom, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic… read more about Sarah Wilbur: “It is Hard to Stay Optimistic” »
Congratulations to the following student award winners from Duke University units in 2020. African & African American Studies John Hope Franklin Award for Academic Excellence: Elizabeth DuBard Grantland Karla FC Holloway Award for University Service: Beza Gebremariam Mary McLeod Bethune Writing Award: Jenna Clayborn Walter C. Burford Award for Community Service: Kayla Lynn Corredera-Wells Art, Art History & Visual Studies… read more about Student Honors and Laurels for 2020 »
Through the completion of the spring semester, students attended Courtney Liu’s Dance 121 "Advanced Beginning Ballet" every Monday and Wednesday without fail. They moved from their traditional, open dance studio at the Rubenstein Arts Center into modified personal spaces: pushing the dining room table and chairs against the wall or re-arranging the sofa and coffee table to yield a few more feet of space, setting up in the basement recreation room, moving to the bedroom, or sharing space with the family dog—but they… read more about Garage Ballet: Teaching Dance When Parked at Home »
The Dance Program at Duke University recently presented three undergraduates with awards celebrating ongoing achievements in the discipline. “Congratulations to our awardees, dance major Cordelia Hogan and minors SarahAnne Perel and Connie Zhou, who have been most actively involved with the Program,” says Chair Purnima Shah. “They have excelled in their academic and artistic pursuits at Duke, advised prospective students, and served on the Dance Program Student Advisory Board. With their advanced level of… read more about Dance Program Awards Three Undergraduates »
The upcoming Afro-Feminist Performance Routes symposium and the Collegium for African Diasporic Dance highlight the contributions of Black dance, allowing artists, dancers, students, faculty, and the wider Durham community to share in critical inquiry and inspiration. Rujeko Dumbutshena is a dancer, choreographer and teacher of what she terms “neo traditional” Zimbabwean dance technique, Rujeko Dumbutshena teaches and performs throughout the U.S. and recently received her MFA from the University of New Mexico. The… read more about Two Events Making Duke the Center of Black Dance »
Duke dance alumna Anne Talkington discusses how her research in biology, mathematics, and her training as a dancer came together to film a dance representing her graduate thesis work for the "Dance Your Ph.D." competition. Anne Talkington is an alum of the Duke dance program, having studied with the program between 2012 and 2016 in addition to her majors in biology and mathematics. She is currently pursuing her PhD at the Department of Mathematics, UNC-CH in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, and paid a… read more about Dance Your PhD with Anne Talkington »
“A Drug’s Journey” - View the video: https://youtu.be/gI6qdPOZY5Y. Based on thesis work: “A physiologically-based pharmacokinetic model for clearance and targeting of nanomedicines” When we take medication, where does it end up in the body? Many drugs are coated with polyethylene glycol (PEG) to help extend their circulation time. However, some people produce antibodies against this coat. These antibodies clear the drugs from circulation, making them ineffective. We can add extra PEG molecules to the system as a… read more about Anne Talkington: "A Drug's Journey" - Dance Your PhD 2019/2020 »
The next Collegium for African Diaspora Dance (CADD) conference will be held at Duke University, February 21-23, 2020. Click here to go to the CADD website. ABOUT THE COLLEGIUM FOR AFRICAN DIASPORA DANCE (CADD) The Collegium for African Diaspora Dance (CADD) is an egalitarian community of scholars and artists committed to exploring, promoting, and engaging African diaspora dance as a resource and method of aesthetic identity. Through conferences, roundtables, publications and public events… read more about 2020 Collegium for African Diaspora Dance Registration Now Open »
Exhibition organized by Dance professor Thomas F. DeFrantz runs through January at Seattle's Frye Art Museum. The show traces the evolution, over 40 years, of choreographer Donald Byrd’s commitment to dance as a catalyst for social justice. Read more about the exhibition in the New York Times. read more about Can Dance Make a More Just America? Donald Byrd Is Working on It »
Now a few months into the inaugural year of the MFA in Dance: Embodied Interdisciplinary Praxis, the program has begun to build exciting momentum. An inspiring first cohort of students are combining group coursework with more individualized research, studying the intersection of a variety of disciplines. Michael Klien, Director of the MFA in Dance, shares some insight on how together the faculty and cohort are redefining the studio -- and the classroom -- to make this a one-of-a-kind MFA program. … read more about Taking Shape: The MFA in Dance at Duke »
Central to Duke’s new MFA in Dance: Embodied Interdisciplinary Praxis is the integration of intensive dance and movement research with study across disciplines. Read the DukeArts article: https://artscenter.duke.edu/news/meet-the-inaugural-cohort-of-dukes-mfa-in-dance/ read more about Meet the Inaugural Cohort of Duke’s MFA in Dance »
Prof. Thomas F DeFrantz' “Dancing Revelations: Alvin Ailey’s Embodiment of African American Culture” included in this list from Linda Murray, The New York Public Library’s curator of its dance division. READ ARTICLE. read more about 9 books about dance that will change how you see the art form »
Position:Assistant Professor of the Practice in Ballet (regular rank) Start date:July/August 1, 2020 Position description:The Duke University Program in Dance seeks an outstanding professional with expertise in traditional and contemporary approaches to ballet technique and choreography, actively engaged in a combination of movement practice, creative process, and theoretical inquiry. We seek a candidate who embraces 21st-century approaches and interdisciplinary perspectives in ballet … read more about Position Announcement for Assistant Professor of the Practice in Ballet »
The first class of the new Dance MFA: Embodied Interdisciplinary Praxis is here! L/R: Ife M. Presswood, Ayan Felix, Susan Webb, Naomi Washington Roque, Courtney Liu, Alyah Baker, Juliet Irving, Courtney Crumpler. https://danceprogram.duke.edu/people/graduate-students read more about Welcome, MFA Students! »
For the first time ever, ANTI – Contemporary Art Festival is proud to present the shortlisted artists of The ANTI Festival International Prize for Live Art during the 2019 Festival in Kuopio, Finland, where each shortlisted artist/collective performs their work. Shortlist LIVE! is a completely new and unique entity of events around the prize in which the shortlisted artists are performed live during ANTI Festival, and the winner of the prize is decided by the jury after the performances. Full info: https://www.… read more about Thomas F. DeFrantz to be one of three international judges for the newly-minted LIVE ARTS prize »
Sarah Wilbur recently returned from guest teaching graduate arts curators this summer at Wesleyan University’s Institute for Curatorial Practice and Performance (ICPP), a center for the academic study of the presentation and contextualization of contemporary performance. Her course introduced students to a variety of creative strategies that artists and curators draw on to successfully navigate the ever-changing conditions of the global cultural economy. Wilbur and co-investigators Dr. Paul Bonin… read more about News from Prof. Sarah Wilbur »
For more information please follow this link: https://careers.duke.edu/job/Durham-PROGRAM-COORD%2C-DANCE-PROGRAM-NC-27710/579811700/ read more about Employment Opportunity: Program Coordinator for the MFA in Dance »
Prof. Sarah Wilbur has been advising dance minor Connie Zhou’s distinction project, which has involved field placement and interning in Brooklyn, New York, with the Dance for Parkinson’s Disease program. Connie wrote a blog post for her DukeEngage position and you can read it here: https://dukeengage.duke.edu/out-of-sight-out-of-mind/ read more about Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Connie Zhou writes about her experience in the Dance for Parkinson's Disease program »
The former English major and Woman’s College graduate recalls her experience as a student dancer at a time when campus life looked quite different than it does now. Read the article in Duke Libraries Magazine. read more about Barbara Figge Fox (WC’61) Honors Dance Mentor, Julia Wray, with Library Gift »
Guest Instructor, Kristin Clotfelter, is scheduled to teach Beginning Ballet and Intermediate Ballet, Fall 2019. DANCE 120/Beginning Ballet/MW 03:05 PM-04:20 PM/Rubenstein Arts Center 224 DANCE 122/Intermediate Ballet/TuTh 10:05 AM-11:20 AM/Rubenstein Arts Center 224 Kristin Clotfelter is interested in exploring the complexities of the temporal human condition through the metaphysics of dance and performance. She co-directs Studio C Projects, a Durham based collaborative that investigates live intersections of … read more about Kristin Clotfelter to teach Beginning Ballet and Intermediate Ballet in the Fall »
L/R: Onastasia Ebright (dance minor), Julia Kemper (dance major), Emma Crossman (dance minor). read more about Congratulations to Our 2019 Graduating Students! »
Keval Kaur Khalsa's Mindfulness in Human Development research team presented at the 2019 Bass Connections EHDx talks on April 9 in Gross Hall on Duke’s West Campus. In a 5-minute Ted-type talk, team members Alejandra Gomez and Alizeh Sheik shared findings from this year’s work ― a statistically significant improvement in emotional regulation for middle school students that participated in the Y.O.G.A. for Youth program at public middle schools in Chapel Hill. Alejandra and Alizeh led the audience in a… read more about Keval Kaur Khalsa's "Mindfulness in Human Development" Research Team Present at the 2019 Bass Connections EHDx Talks »
Congratulations to Sarah Wilbur for being awarded a Faculty Book Manuscript Workshops award by the Franklin Humanities Institute! https://fhi.duke.edu/news/faculty-book-manuscript-workshop-awards-2019-2020 Photo credit: Troy Blendell (2018) read more about Sarah Wilbur Receives Faculty Book Manuscript Workshops Award »
Thomas DeFrantz teaches students to explore historical topics by merging dance and technology. https://today.duke.edu/2019/04/blue-devil-week-dancing-through-past-and-future Photo by Jared Lazarus read more about Blue Devil of the Week: Dancing Through Past and Future »
Julia Wray Memorial Dance Award: Julia Kemper. Julia Wray Memorial Dance Award celebrates the memory of a much beloved Julia Wray who for many years was the leader and passionate protagonist for dance at Duke and in North Carolina. It is awarded to a senior who has shown outstanding leadership in our program. Clay Taliaferro Dance Award: Megan Mauro. Clay Taliaferro Dance Award, instituted in 2006 to honor this extraordinary performing artist, choreographer and teacher,… read more about Congratulations Dance Award Winners for 2019! »
Please view the official job description here: https://sjobs.brassring.com/TGnewUI/Search/Home/Home?partnerid=25017&siteid=5172#jobDetails=1358263_5172 In addition, and to ensure we know about your application, please email your resume to Christina Price, Business Manager for the Dance Program: christina.price@duke.edu. read more about Wanted: Part-Time Publicist »
A Feb. 15 writing retreat taught scholars how to get their writing moving. The retreat, a collaboration between Duke Arts and the Duke Faculty Write program mixed traditional writing tricks with embodied movement tools. It was co-taught by Jennifer Ahern-Dodson from the Thompson Writing Program and Sarah Wilbur from the Duke Dance program. Read the full article in Duke Today: https://today.duke.edu/2019/02/need-get-past-writers-block-get-and-dance read more about A Faculty Retreat Incorporates Body Movement into the Writing Experience »
A group of Duke faculty members received a new tool last week in the fight against writer’s block: dance. A Feb. 15 writing retreat taught scholars how to get their writing moving. The retreat, a collaboration between Duke Arts and the Duke Faculty Write program mixed traditional writing tricks with embodied movement tools. It was co-taught by Jennifer Ahern-Dodson from the Thompson Writing Program and Sarah Wilbur from the Duke Dance program. The retreat approached the act of… read more about Need to Get Past That Writer's Block? Get Up and Dance »
Dr. Thomas DeFrantz will deliver the William Hammond Lecture on the American Tradition entitled, "American Traditions in Dance and Its Study." Tuesday, February 5, 2019 - 5:00pm Schulz Lecture Hall, Sullivant Hall 220, 1813 N. High Street, Columbus OH, 43210 More information: https://dance.osu.edu/events/william-hammond-lecture-american-tradition read more about Prof. Thomas F. DeFrantz to present lecture at Ohio State University »