Assistant Professor in Contemporary Dance Practices (55440)

Location:
Gainesville, Florida
Open Date:
Oct 30, 2019
Description:

Position: Full-time, 9 month, tenure accruing faculty position
Date of Expected Hire: August 16, 2020
Salary: Competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience.

The University of Florida, School of Theatre and Dance, College of the Arts, invites applications for the position of an Assistant Professor in Contemporary Dance Practices. The Dance Program’s technique curriculum is under a current revision that aims to balance bodily training practices between three areas of technical inquiry: Contemporary Dance Practices, Contemporary Ballet Practices, and Contemporary African and African Diaspora Practices. We welcome candidates whose technique teaching range and scope may include contemporized perspectives on codified techniques; global hybrid/fusion influences including but not limited to African diaspora, Asian, Southeast Asian, and Latin dance forms; and/or integrated somatic perspectives.

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 centers 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:

• Teach undergraduate curriculum
• Develop, Revise, and Deliver curriculum in Contemporary Dance Practices
• Maintain active national and international creative research profile in areas of specialization, consistent with expectations for tenure and promotion
• Contribute to curricular efforts in other dance-related areas (could include choreography, improvisation, dance studies, cultural studies, dance pedagogy, somatics, dance and technology, and/or production, among others)
• Active participation in our learning community, finding innovative ways to connect the arts to critical discourses in other disciplines
• Participate in the dance season, potentially choreographing or providing artistic leadership for particular performances
• Advise BA and BFA senior projects
• Participate in shared governance through service to School, College, and University committees

SCHOOL OF THEATRE + DANCE: The light-filled, state-of-the-art Nadine McGuire Theatre and Dance Pavilion is home to the School of Theatre + Dance (SoTD). The School’s international full-time faculty of 27 recognized artists and researchers, complemented by adjunct and guest faculty and staff, including full- and part-time professionals. The School offers MFA curricula in acting and in design/technology, which includes scene design, lighting design and costume technology; BFA programs in acting, musical theatre, scene design, lighting design and costume design; and a BA in general theatre. The School features two degree programs in dance designed to develop the individual voice of the dance artist, a BFA and a BA. Approximately 200 students major in the artistically diverse curricula of the School of Theatre + Dance. Through its production program, outreach and innovative programming, the School of Theatre + Dance provides multiple cultural opportunities annually to thousands of members of the University and the greater community. The University of Florida is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Dance and the National Association of Schools of Theatre. For more information, visit www.arts.ufl.edu/theatreanddance.

COLLEGE OF THE ARTS: The College of the Arts fosters creative activity, scholarly and artistic excellence, and innovation across disciplines. We achieve the university’s mission by training professionals and educating students as artists and scholars, while developing their critical thinking and inspiring a culture of curiosity and imagination. The College offers baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral degrees. Approximately 1,500 students are pursuing majors in degrees offered by the College of the Arts under the direction of 120 faculty members in its three accredited schools— the School of Art + Art History, the School of Music and the School of Theatre + Dance, and in the Center for Arts in Medicine and the Digital Worlds Institute. In addition to its schools, the college comprises the Center for Arts in Medicine, the Digital Worlds Institute, the University Galleries, and the University level of the New World School of the Arts in Miami as well as launching the new Center for Arts, Migration and Entrepreneurship.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Distinguished record of achievement in the field
• MFA, PhD or equivalent professional experience in dance or a related field
• Evidence of success in promoting an environment that advances diversity, equity, and inclusion

Preferred Qualifications: The successful candidate will bring to the position:

• 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.

Application Instructions:

Application Deadline: Review of applications will begin December 3, 2019. To ensure full consideration, all application documents must be submitted by December 9, 2019 at 11:59 EST. Applications received after this date may be considered at the discretion of the committee.

Application Process: Applications must be submitted via the University of Florida’s online application system. Online applications must include the following: (1) a letter of application articulating how your qualifications align with the position description, how your work and perspective will contribute to and enhance our transformative community, as well as how you address issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in your pedagogy, making, research and service; (2) a curriculum vita; (3) a one-page statement of teaching philosophy; (4) links to 3 creative works (please only submit videos of full works) on Vimeo or other video sharing site; (5) names and contact information of three professional references. The Search Committee may request additional materials at a later time, including letters of reference.

Nominations and Inquiries may be sent to:
Elizabeth Johnson
Chair, Contemporary Dance Asst Prof Search
Email: ejohnson@arts.ufl.edu

Final candidate will be required to provide official transcript to the hiring department upon hire. A transcript will not be considered “official” if a designation of “Issued to Student” is visible. Degrees earned from an education institution outside of the United States are required to be evaluated by a professional credentialing service provider approved by National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES), which can be found at http://www.naces.org/.

The University of Florida is an equal opportunity institution dedicated to building a broadly diverse and inclusive faculty and staff. If an accommodation due to a disability is needed to apply for this position, please call 352/392-2477 or the Florida Relay System at 800/955-8771 (TDD). Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the US. Searches are conducted in accordance with Florida's Sunshine Law.

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