Faculty in Contemporary Dance

The Sharon Disney Lund School of Dance at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) invites applications for a full-time faculty position as a Regular Faculty member in Contemporary Dance. The successful candidate’s practice and research will focus on contemporary dance technique/s from a progressive approach, with additional expertise in choreography, repertory, or improvisation. We are open to artist-educators working within a range of techniques and forms, as we adopt a broad definition of “contemporary.” We will consider candidates working in one or more dance techniques, styles, or forms. Candidates should have several years of experience or evidence ability in teaching dance to undergraduate and graduate students. The successful candidate will become core faculty in the School of Dance, responsible for delivering and revising the curriculum. Responsibilities will also include choreographing or restaging works for student performances at CalArts and REDCAT (The Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater, our downtown performance and exhibition space), and teaching the craft of choreography, improvisation methods, or somatic practices. In addition to teaching and the development of performance projects, the successful candidate will also mentor students, attend the School of Dance’s public events, attend faculty meetings, and participate in the daily governance of the BFA and MFA programs, the School, and the Institute. Experience in dance work in the film, television, online, and commercial industries is preferred, but not required. There is potential for this position to oversee the BFA Program in Dance; relevant experience in program administration is of interest. Reflecting its experimental mission, CalArts does not follow the hierarchy of a conventional tenure-rank system but offers renewable multi-year contracts and a faculty salary advancement plan (FSAP) and merit program. 

The Sharon Disney Lund School of Dance houses two of the nation’s premiere programs for the professional training of contemporary dance artists: the BFA Program in Dance and the MFA Program in Choreography. Technical excellence and innovative artistry are the hallmarks of the undergraduate and graduate programs. Our curriculum is grounded in one-on-one mentoring by a diverse faculty of distinguished, practicing artists and scholars. Through coursework, choreographic residencies, and study abroad, our students work closely with each other, our faculty, and internationally renowned guest artists in dance and performance working to expand the notion of dance itself. In dialogue with all the arts métiers across campus, the School of Dance is committed to interdisciplinary collaboration and inclusive, antiracist pedagogy. Professionally motivated students thrive in concentrated production seasons of aesthetically diverse work and an atmosphere of creative exchange. Our students graduate with a sense of personal creativity, a command of a range of techniques and styles, and fluency in current debates in dance and performance studies, continuing onto meaningful, versatile careers in and beyond the field of dance.

California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) seeks to employ faculty who can engage our diverse communities of learners at the highest levels of artistic endeavor and critical thinking. Across the range of practitioners from artists to scholars and librarians, we welcome candidates who possess a demonstrated worldview and cultural competency to support teaching and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students of varied backgrounds, capabilities, perspectives, social identities, and gender expressions. CalArts is an equal opportunity employer. 

Requirements

  • The successful candidate will contribute to both the undergraduate and graduate teaching and curricula.

  • Teaching courses in contemporary dance technique (broadly defined), as well as choreography, improvisation, or somatics. 

  • Choreographing, creating, and/or restaging work for selected student concerts.

  • Class preparation and feedback on student progress.
    Mentoring BFA and MFA students each semester, including serving on MFA thesis committees.

  • School and Institute committee work (service), including attending faculty meetings. 

  • A 3/3-course load.

  • Maintaining an active and visible artistic/performance profile and practice, demonstrating excellence in the field.

  • Participating in assessment, program review, and recruitment.

  • Attending and participating in public events at CalArts, in Los Angeles, and in the broader Los Angeles area, including REDCAT. 

Qualifications 

We seek an artist-educator with a BA, BFA, or MFA degree or relevant experience in the field, and a demonstrated record of professional choreography/dance performance projects and pedagogical experience. The successful candidate will evidence several of the following: 

  • Active career engaged in the practice of dance as evidenced by CV (this includes dancing, performing, choreographing, restaging, and/or collaborating).

  • Development of innovative approaches to teaching contemporary dance technique/s, form/s, or style/s, as evidenced by syllabus, teaching philosophy, and/or teaching demonstration sample. 

  • At least three years teaching at the college level or comparable experience through activist community engagement, workshop facilitation, or other forms of instruction. 

  • Programmed or curated projects in institutional or public contexts.

Candidates for this position must legally be able to work in the U.S. or be eligible for a VISA to do so. 

How to Apply 

This position has a starting date on or after July 1st, 2022, and in time for the start of the Fall semester. Review of applications begins December 30th, 2021; for full consideration, apply by that date. Please follow the Interfolio link to apply (http://apply.interfolio.com/98360) and submit the following:

 

  • Cover letter describing your interest in the position, relevant qualifications, choreography/work/research, approach to teaching, and a reflection on your past and potential contributions to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice through antiracist teaching, choreography/research, and/or service (750-1000 words).

  • CV.

  • Link/s to 1-3 choreography/restaging/work samples.

  • Statement of Teaching Philosophy (500-750 words).

  • Sample course syllabus or course proposal.

  • Contact info for three recommenders.

 

  • Optional: Link to a teaching demonstration sample.

 

All submissions are confidential. 

Further Information 

CalArts has a multidisciplinary approach to its studies of the arts through six schools: Art, Critical Studies, Dance, Film/Video, Music, and Theater. CalArts encourages students to explore and recognize the complexity of the many aspects of the arts. It is supported by a distinguished faculty of practicing artists and provides its Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts students with the hands-on training and exposure necessary for an artist’s growth. CalArts was founded in 1961 and opened in 1969 as the first institution of higher learning in the United States specifically for students interested in the pursuit of degrees in all areas of visual and performing arts.