Clinical Assistant Professor, Dance and Media Design - School of Music, Dance and Theatre

The School of Music, Dance and Theatre in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University seeks a dedicated dance and media artist committed to developing innovative and forward-thinking practices in dance and dance education. This is a full-time, clinical assistant professor appointment, beginning Fall 2024. The teaching for this position is on the ASU Tempe Campus.

Principal duties for this position include teaching media design for dance, dance filmmaking (including video and audio editing), new media and interdisciplinary practices, video documentation, and mentoring students on culminating dance projects that involve media. The successful candidate will mentor student projects, including senior thesis research and MFA applied projects, train students as videographers for dance productions and events, and will serve as a liaison to Arts, Media and Engineering for the MFA interdisciplinary digital media and performance (IDMP) degree. The candidate will have an opportunity to teach additional courses in their area of expertise. In addition to teaching, active participation in shared faculty governance and service within the School, Institute, and University is expected. We are especially interested in applicants who are dedicated to advancing the ASU Charter and realizing ASU’s Design Aspirations.

About the School of Music, Dance and Theatre
The School of Music, Dance and Theatre is widely recognized for preparing artists, scholars, visionaries and entrepreneurs to become creative leaders who champion their disciplines as essential to the well-being of society. Our internationally recognized faculty artists, scholars and guest artists are motivating and compassionate mentors who work with students to cultivate excellence and personal growth.  We offer a comprehensive range of degrees plus minors and certificates and more than 600 concerts, events, performances, productions and recitals each year. Located in the culturally rich Southwest in one of the most vibrant, expanding urban centers, our programs afford students access to a vibrant environment and engagement in Phoenix’s flourishing arts community. Above all, we value the creativity, personal experience and voice each student brings to the school. For more information on the School of Music, Dance and Theatre, visit musicdancetheatre.asu.edu.

The dance program at ASU offers a rich and vibrant curriculum, grounded in the core values of equity, creativity, embodiment, acknowledgement and humanity. In addition to a focus on dance making, teaching practices and scholarship, the curriculum highlights a range of movement practices, including Hip Hop, Authentic Jazz Dance, African and African Diaspora Movement Practices, Afro-Latin Salsa, Contemporary Modern Dance, Contemporary Ballet, and somatic movement inquiry. With approximately 100 undergraduate dance majors and about 14 MFA students, the dance program is a dynamic teaching and learning environment in which programming, curriculum and social partnership are mutually supportive. Each year we present an extensive season of events that push the boundaries of dance. The dance faculty engage in a wide spectrum of artistic practices and scholarship, emphasizing creative inquiry, somatic perspectives, and transdisciplinary research. Our aim is to advance the field of dance education and to cultivate artists, teachers, leaders and scholars who will move and think critically across diverse careers.

Required Qualifications:

• MFA in Dance or a related field or commensurate experience.
• Demonstrated pedagogical excellence and innovation in the teaching of media design for dance, filmmaking techniques, and interdisciplinary practices for live performance, streaming and online platforms.
• Emerging or established presence in the field as a creative artist, scholar or researcher.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including computer and media/technology skills.

Desired Qualifications

• Demonstrated excellence in teaching at the collegiate level.
• Experience teaching in other contexts (e.g.  professional nonprofits and companies, community organizations, health and wellness, K-12 settings, etc.).
• Demonstrated ability to facilitate student-centered, reflexive, embodied learning experiences.
• Ability to teach courses currently represented in the ASU dance program, including dance and movement practices offered for majors and nonmajors, dance history and theory, somatic practices and creative practices.
• Ability to develop new courses in areas such as website design, film/videography, interactive media, and/or media communications and marketing.
• Familiar with using media/sound software such as Isadora, Max, or other related coding languages, theatrical sound and media systems.
• Ability to design and implement new curriculum and programs for online and in-person courses, in and across the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts and in the School of Music, Dance and Theatre.
• Evidence of service to or leadership in the field.
• An interest in innovative and interdisciplinary practices that broaden current notions of dance.

Application Deadline:

The application deadline is November 23, 2023. Applications will continue to be accepted on a rolling basis for a reserve pool.  Applications in the reserve pool may then be reviewed in the order in which they were received until the position is filled.

About ASU

Arizona State University is a new model for American higher education, an unprecedented combination of academic excellence, entrepreneurial energy and broad access. This New American University is a single, unified institution comprising four differentiated campuses positively impacting the economic, social, cultural and environmental health of the communities it serves. Its research is inspired by real world application blurring the boundaries that traditionally separate academic disciplines. In 2022, ASU was named a Hispanic-Serving Institution and in 2023, ASU joined the prestigious Association of American Universities. ASU is deeply committed to advancing in innovative ways while sustaining a welcoming, supportive, and empowering environment for all members of our community.

Instructions to Apply:

Please submit:

• Letter of interest addressing how the candidate uniquely meets the qualifications for the position.
• Curriculum vitae.
• A separate document with the names and contact information of at least three references.
• A document with a hyperlink to a video and/or work samples (ten minutes in duration) that shows the candidate’s recent (within the past five years) creative work involving media design for dance. For detailed instructions on how to create a document with live hyperlinks, please click here.

All applications must be submitted electronically via http://apply.interfolio.com/130897.

ASU conducts pre-employment screening for all positions, which includes a criminal background check and verification of work history, academic credentials, licenses and certifications.

Arizona State University is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor and an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by law.

(See https://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd401.html and https://www.asu.edu/titleIX/.)

In compliance with federal law, ASU prepares an annual report on campus security and fire safety programs and resources. ASU’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report is available online at https://www.asu.edu/police/PDFs/ASU-Clery-Report.pdf. You may request a hard copy of the report by contacting the ASU Police Department at 480-965-3456.

We acknowledge the 22 tribes who are native to Arizona, and more specifically the Akimel O’odham (Pima) and Piipaash or Pee Posh (Maricopa) tribes on whose ancestral homelands ASU’s Tempe campus resides.