Campus/College information:
Founded in 1856, University of Maryland, College Park is the state’s flagship institution. Our 1,250-acre College Park campus is just minutes away from Washington, D.C., and the nexus of the nation’s legislative, executive, and judicial centers of power. This unique proximity to business and technology leaders, federal departments and agencies, and a myriad of research entities, embassies, think tanks, cultural centers, and non-profit organizations is simply unparalleled. Synergistic opportunities for our faculty and students abound and are virtually limitless in the nation’s capital and surrounding areas. The University is committed to attracting and retaining outstanding and diverse faculty and staff that will enhance our stature of preeminence in our three missions of teaching, scholarship, and full engagement in our community, the state of Maryland, and in the world.

Position Summary/Purpose of Position:
The University of Maryland School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies (TDPS) is searching for a tenure-track assistant or associate professor of ballet and contemporary modern dance to begin August 2020. Candidates for this position are prepared to teach all levels of ballet and contemporary modern dance in a modern dance-based dance program, with attention to rigor, specificity, and discipline. Essential to the position is the ability to demonstrate and articulate the intersections between ballet and modern dance, fostering connections among diverse dance forms, and providing a foundation for excellence in performance and choreography. Candidates understand how to help students situate embodied practice in an academic context. The candidate will teach at the graduate and undergraduate levels for the MFA in dance, BA in dance, and general education students. Required teaching will include ballet, modern, and dance repertory, and additional courses as needed. Other responsibilities will include serving on graduate thesis committees, choreographic mentoring, artistic direction of dance concerts, and other assignments as needed.

The successful candidate will be an active artist/scholar with a strong record of research; a commitment to teaching and mentorship at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, including working with students and groups from underrepresented backgrounds; and, experience with both institutional service and collaboration with dance and other arts professionals. Candidates who have experience working with a diverse range of faculty, staff, and students, and who can contribute to the climate of inclusivity are encouraged to identify their experiences in these areas.

Faculty at TDPS are required to be actively involved in School governance, the intellectual and artistic life of the School, the College of Arts and Humanities, and the University community.

This search is contingent upon funding. Women, under-represented minorities, and international artists are strongly encouraged to apply.

Minimum Qualifications:
Applicants are required to hold the MFA degree (fulltime, 60 credit degree preferred), and to have expertise in ballet and modern dance, and/or other dance forms. They must have a minimum of three years of university or college teaching and mentorship of undergraduate dance majors. Applicants must have an active and substantial research agenda that will contribute to the national and international profile of the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies faculty. Examples of potential research plans might include choreography and creative research, performance, restaging repertory, and/or scholarly publication. (Please go to TDPS.UMD.EDU to see current faculty areas of expertise.) Commitment to participating in a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment is essential.
 

Preferences:
Candidates with a demonstrated ability to incorporate diverse perspectives into teaching and creative research are preferred. Experience teaching and advising graduate students is also preferred. Preference will be given to applicants with additional expertise in African/African-American, Latinx, and/or Asian/Asian-American dance forms and cultures. Additional teaching expertise in choreography, dance technology, dance for the camera, or other area is preferred.

Additional Information:
The School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies is part of the College of Arts and Humanities and has approximately 200 undergraduate and 70 graduate students enrolled in its programs. The School offers: separate BA programs in Dance and in Theatre, an MA in Theatre and Performance Studies, separate MFA programs in Dance and in Design, and a nationally ranked PhD in Theatre and Performance Studies in which students study both fields equally. New initiatives include a ten-year funded program of International Collaboration and Research (IPCCR) that includes School and campus wide collaborations and a seed granting program for international collaborations; classes that combine design, dance, performance and scholarship in devising work that requires cross-disciplinary collaboration, shared language, and expanded boundaries; a dramaturgy program linked to the area’s professional theatres, and yearly symposia. Members of our faculty work with a wide variety of University centers including the Latin American Studies Center; the David C. Driskell Center for the Study of the Visual Arts and Culture of African Americans and the African Diaspora; the Center for the History of the New America; the Center for Research on Latino Educational Success; the Center for East Asian Studies; the Roshan Center for Persian Studies; the Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities; and the Consortium on Race, Gender, and Ethnicity.

The University of Maryland is located along the Baltimore/Washington corridor in College Park, Maryland, a short drive or Metro ride to DC and its cultural riches. We are in the north-west section of Prince George’s County, one of the most diverse counties in the country. The School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies is housed in the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, a state-of-the-art complex with six performance venues, rehearsal rooms, production shops, World Outreach classrooms, the School of Music, and the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library. Located just minutes from the Nation’s Capital, the University is linked by mass transit to the fastest growing theatre and performance market in the country. The region is home to more than 80 professional performance venues, including Dance Place, Dance Exchange, the Kennedy Center, Arena Stage, GALA Hispanic Theatre, the Kennedy Center, the Shakespeare Theatre Company, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Folger Theatre, Studio Theatre, Ford’s Theatre, Signature Theatre, and Synetic Theatre. World-class research facilities of institutions such as the Library of Congress, the National Archives, the Folger Shakespeare Library, the Smithsonian Institutions, and Dumbarton Oaks are all within a very short commute.

Posting Date: 08/23/2019
Closing Date: 10/01/2019
Open Until Filled: No

Diversity Statement:
The University of Maryland, College Park, an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, age, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, creed, marital status, political affiliation, personal appearance, or on the basis of rights secured by the First Amendment, in all aspects of employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

Required Documents:

Cover Letter
Curriculum Vitae
Research (examples: research statement, research programs)
Teaching (examples: teaching philosophy, student evaluations)
Unofficial Transcript
List of References (no emails sent from system)

To apply, visit: https://ejobs.umd.edu/postings/72853