From University of Wisconsin-Madison's posting. “We” and “our” refer to the employer.
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Job Category:
Faculty
Employment Type:
Regular
Job Profile:
Assistant Professor
Job Summary:
The UW-Madison Dance Department seeks a colleague whose teaching and creative work will engage students across a range of experience levels, from advanced BFA students and MFA dance graduate students to general education students. The successful candidate will be a versatile instructor who will offer courses in their areas of specialization and who can deliver existing courses that bridge theory and practice, will have experience teaching contemporary dance at all levels and at least one other dance form.
The creative work of the preferred candidate demonstrates capacity to teach students through original repertory, choreography courses, and mentor student works.
We are particularly interested in candidates with expertise and experience teaching in one or more of the following areas: Contemporary Dance, Screendance, Composition, Improvisation, Movement Analysis, Repertory, Contemporary Dance practices from the African(ist) lineage/Africanist Diaspora, Hip Hop/urban dance, ballet, percussive dance, jazz, tap, dance and media, and/or other embodied research practices.
We seek a colleague who will contribute to an inclusive learning environment and curricular development and demonstrate the ability to effectively engage students with a wide range of backgrounds, preparation, and experience. The position offers significant opportunities to build connections and collaborate on projects and events across campus and with local, regional, and statewide communities.
Principal Duties:
Teaching : Develop and teach courses in the theory and practice of contemporary dance (beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels) and at least one other dance form that may include contemporary dance practices from the African diaspora, Hip Hop/urban dance, ballet, percussive dance, jazz, and/or tap. Additional teaching in at least one of the following areas: composition, improvisation, repertory, screendance, Movement Analysis, dance and media, somatic practices, and/or other embodied research practices.
Contribute to department curricular and program development around contemporary dance.
Research : Develop and maintain distinctive and focused creative research that demonstrates national and/or international recognition.
Service: Actively participates in faculty governance, community-building, and the academic, administrative, and artistic functions of the department, school, and university. Contribute to the department’s strategic plan and mission.
Departmental Information : The UW-Madison Dance Department is a leader and innovator in the field of dance. Our institution was the first in the nation to establish a dance degree program in higher education. It was here, on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in 1926, under the leadership of dance pioneer Margaret H'Doubler, that dance became a rigorous academic discipline, and the body became the route to scientific inquiry, self-discovery, creativity, and citizenship.
Our department and its world-class faculty and professional staff are committed to excellence through teaching and research, and we strive to impact the world within and outside of the university, through the Wisconsin Idea, with the aim to improve people's lives through dance.
In addition to our MFA (Creative Research, Culture and Practice; and Screendance), BFA, and BS degree programs in dance, the department offers five certificates (Dance, Dance Studies, Dance/Movement Therapy, Dance Education, and Pilates) and brings elective dance courses to hundreds of students each semester. We also produce several concerts and host internationally renowned guest artists each academic year.
Our dedicated dance space--the beautifully renovated historic Lathrop Hall--is located in the heart of UW-Madison, near Lake Mendota, the State Capitol, and downtown Madison. Our facility includes five spacious dance studios, a Pilates equipment lab, and the H’Doubler Performance Space, a 240-seat proscenium theater.
Additional Information: The Department of Dance is housed within the UW-Madison School of Education, the top-ranked school of education in the nation according to the 2025 U.S. News & World Report Best Education Graduate Schools. The School of Education, with departments in Education, Health and the Arts, is proud of the outstanding breadth of its programs and its One School Vision, where we innovate in the arts, education, and health to enrich lives, empower communities, and shape the future.
The School views this broad range of programs as a tremendous strength.
Key Job Responsibilities:
Department:
School of Education / Dance
Compensation
Compensation:
Salary Negotiable - 9 Month Academic Appointment
Commensurate with qualifications and experience. This position offers comprehensive benefits, competitively priced health/dental/vision/life insurance, tax-advantaged savings accounts, and participation in the nationally recognized Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) pension fund.
Required Qualifications:
Well-qualified applicants will show evidence of the following:
Candidates should have earned or completed an MFA or PhD degree in Dance, or related field.
Evidence of established record of creating and presenting contemporary work; along with demonstrated promise in choreographic creative research. Areas of expertise may include dance-making for proscenium stages and/or works for screen, site, community or interdisciplinary settings.
Experience in community-engaged arts practices.
Professional and Academic skills, including the capacity for administrative and curricular work, and effective written communication, as demonstrated in the application materials. Applicants should also demonstrate the ability to impart these and related skills to students in professionalization seminars.
Demonstrated instructional versatility in more than one dance technique or movement practice within the applicant’s areas of expertise.
Preferred Qualifications:
At least two years of university-level teaching experience, including demonstrated ability to design and teach courses that blend theory and practice.
Demonstrated experience developing new courses.
Evidence of applying for external grant funding.
Education: MFA or PhD in Dance, or related field, by August 2027 start date.
How to Apply: Please go to the “Apply Now” area and select your current UW Employment Status. Applications must be received through UW-Madison's online application system. Incomplete application packages that do not include all requested documentation will not be considered.
Applicants should upload the following documents: (a) letter of interest, (b) curriculum vitae, (c) research statement, (d) teaching statement, and (e) a portfolio of recent, innovative artistic work and/or 1-2 samples of scholarly writing.
Please submit as many materials as possible directly through Workday. For any additional materials that cannot be submitted through Workday, please use this link . These files will be manually added to your Workday application.
Applicants who move forward to the interview step of the process will receive an email requesting the names and contact information for three references; each reference will receive an electronic link through which they can upload a signed letter of reference.
Note: To ensure consideration, application materials must be received by 11:59 p.m. on December 31st, 2026. However, this position will remain open, and applications will be accepted until the position is filled.
Contact Information: Chris Hofland
Dance Department Administrator hofland@wisc.edu
Institutional Statement on Diversity: Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website .
To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre-employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you.
Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment.
The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).
The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report contains current campus safety and disciplinary policies, crime statistics for the previous 3 calendar years, and on-campus student housing fire safety policies and fire statistics for the previous 3 calendar years. UW-Madison will provide a paper copy upon request; please contact the University of Wisconsin Police Department .
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