Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream in Contemporary Modern Dance Technique and Choreographic Pract.

Department of Theatre, Dance and Performance, School of the Arts, Media, Performance and Design

The Department of Theatre, Dance and Performance, School of the Arts, Media, Performance and Design at York University invites highly qualified applicants for a Sessional Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream in Contemporary Modern Dance Technique and Choreographic Practices. This is a Contractually Limited Appointment (CLA) to the Teaching Stream for a two-year term to commence on July 1, 2025.

One of North America’s leading schools for the arts and ranked among the top 120 universities in the world for Performing Arts, AMPD offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in Dance, Design, Cinema and Media Arts, Computational Arts, Creative Technologies, Integrative Arts, Music, Theatre and Performance Studies, and Visual Arts and Art History. AMPD’s Dance program is Canada’s largest and most comprehensive university dance program, educating leaders in dance performance, choreography, dance pedagogy, dance studies, and new technologies.

We seek a colleague who will bring a dynamic and innovative artistic and choreographic dance practice to our program. The successful candidate will demonstrate expertise in the areas of contemporary modern dance technique and choreography and have experience in leading or the potential to lead dance ensembles. The ability to contribute to the Department’s focus on the moving body and technology is preferred.

We are particularly interested in a collaborative colleague who will contribute to the Department’s DEDI values by cultivating an equity-focused and healthy approach in all undertakings, including classroom environment, student interactions and curricular performances.

We acknowledge that within higher education in Canada, traditional or conventional academic and artistic pathways can reinforce biases in the filling of faculty posts. We encourage applications that may not fit all of the following qualifications and that challenge our ideas of teaching, scholarship, research, and artistic practice. We are particularly interested in colleagues who bring experience in facilitating equity, diversity, and inclusion practices within their teaching practices, and which may include contexts outside of academia, including artistic praxis and community-based work.

Candidate Qualifications:
Degree: MFA or MFA equivalent in the area of dance or closely related field with a substantial record of creative activities in dance, noting the priorities articulated above.
Professional Practice:
• Experience that includes theatre, live performance, community dance or independent dance production.
• An existing body of works that demonstrates readiness to teach technique classes in contemporary modern dance and choreographic practices.
• An ongoing record of choreographic and performance works of national or international repute.
Teaching:
• A record or evident promise of excellence in teaching and dedication to students (e.g., course evaluations, sample syllabi, pedagogical skills in mentoring emerging dance artists, experience cultivating a healthy and responsive classroom culture, successful student outcomes, examples of successful course and curriculum design).
• Suitability for appointment to the Faculty of Graduate Studies, given that the position may involve graduate teaching and supervision.
• Experience and background in serving as an Artistic Director in curricular showings.
Additional: Skills in choreographic leadership that will result in the following: collaborative performances, establishment of links across AMPD, supervision of undergraduate students, and creation of partnerships, potentially to include national and international academic, community and industry partners.

Hiring Policies:
• Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.
• All York University positions are subject to budgetary approval.
• York is an Affirmative Action (AA) employer and strongly values diversity, including gender and sexual diversity, in its community. Details of the AA Program, which applies to women, members of racialized groups, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities and those who identify as 2SLGBTQ+, can be found here https://www.yorku.ca/vpepc/faculty-affairs/affirmative-action/ or by contacting Christal Chapman, EDI Program Manager (chapman7@yorku.ca).
• York welcomes and employs scholars from all over the world. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.
• York has a policy on Accommodation in Employment for Persons with Disabilities http://secretariat-policies.info.yorku.ca/policies/accommodation-in-employment-for-persons-with-disabilities/ and is committed to working towards a barrier-free workplace and expanding the accessibility of the workplace to persons with disabilities. Applicants who require accommodation are invited to Manpreet Dhinsa, AMPD People Partner (dhin087@yorku.ca).

Application Process:
• Due date for completed applications: December 15, 2024
• Required materials: 1) current CV; 2) cover letter; 3) teaching philosophy; 4) sample of two course outlines/syllabi, one on contemporary modern dance technique and another on choreography;
5) video links to three choreographic works; and 6) names of three references who can provide a letter of recommendations. Letters will only be solicited from finalists.
• Provide required information regarding your Canadian work status and optional self-identification for Affirmative Action purposes as part of the online application.
• Direct questions about the position to Dr. Patrick Alcedo, Chair of the Search Committee, at alcedo@yorku.ca.
• Submit materials: at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AMPD_CLA_Dance

Learn More About York:
• York University generates and shares knowledge through our research, teaching and engagement with communities around the world. The 2023-2028 Strategic Research Plan https://www.yorku.ca/research/strategic-research-plan-2023-2028/ showcases the depth, breadth and ambition of research at York.
• York’s commitments to social justice are laid out in our Decolonizing, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy https://www.yorku.ca/dedi-strategy/, the Framework & Action Plan on Black Inclusion https://www.yorku.ca/abr/ and the Indigenous Framework for York University https://indigenous.yorku.ca/framework/.
• Follow the activities and accomplishments of York’s faculty, students and staff on YFile https://yfile.news.yorku.ca/.

York University acknowledges its presence on the traditional territory of many Indigenous Nations. The area known as Tkaronto has been care taken by the Anishinabek Nation, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and the Huron-Wendat. It is now home to many First Nation, Inuit and Métis communities. We acknowledge the current treaty holders, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. This territory is subject of the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement to peaceably share and care for the Great Lakes region.

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