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Req Id: 42718
Job Title: Lecturer, Dance
City: West Lafayette
Job Summary
Purdue University seeks a highly-motivated individual for a full-time, non-tenure-track Lecturer in Dance to begin August 17, 2026.
The primary responsibilities of this position are to teach a full-time load each semester, participate in departmental service, demonstrate a commitment to professional growth, advise students, and contribute original choreography to the program’s dance concerts. The successful candidate may be asked to develop curricula in her or his area of specialization for undergraduate dance courses within an evolving Dance program.
Duties and Responsibilities
Candidates should be prepared to teach a variety of movement courses which may include beginning to advanced levels of decolonized jazz technique, beginning to advanced levels of hip-hop/street dance including styles such as House, Popping, and Waackin’. Candidates should be knowledgeable of Afro-Diasporic dance forms, street dance lineage, and culture. They should demonstrate scholarly, creative, or professional contributions to hip hop dance and culture; expertise in culturally responsive pedagogy and interdisciplinary teaching; and evidence of curriculum development in dance studies or hip hop-related courses.
The ideal candidate will also have expertise in at least two additional technique areas including but not limited to African Diasporic forms, somatic movement practices, modern, ballet, tap, and/or musical theatre.
A teaching load may include teaching courses from the program curriculum including history, choreography, and improvisation.
The person in this position:
- Works closely with the Dance program faculty assisting with administrative duties and recruitment activities.
- Evaluates instruction and learning by means of written, verbal, practical, and/or performance tests.
- Creates and executes original choreography for selected department productions.
- Mentors students as performers, choreographers, and designers, in assigned productions.
Qualifications
- Minimum of B.F.A. in Dance, but M.F.A. in Dance preferred.
- Three years of experience teaching students in a collegiate/university setting is preferred.
- Expertise and ability to teach all levels of decolonized jazz technique and hip hop.
- Expertise in at least two other areas including but not limited to African Diasporic forms, somatic movement practices, modern, ballet, tap, and/or musical theatre.
Program/Department/School
Our mission in the Dance Program within the Department of Theatre and Dance is to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the art of dance, develop their individual expressive voice within this form, and be prepared to utilize this training to support their future efforts in the field of dance and beyond after graduation. In collaboration with their students, faculty in this program conduct research in choreography, performance and related interdisciplinary and somatic arts. Opportunities to work within theatre contexts is also readily available. Students can major in Interdisciplinary Performance or minor in Dance.
The Dance Program offers courses in multiple dance techniques, choreography, history, dance film making, intermedia technology, improvisation, performance and production. Classes are taught in two 2400 sq. ft. dance studios with sprung wood floors, and all modern technique classes feature live musical accompaniment. One studio converts into a 100-seat black box theater, which houses a variety of performances, including the student-produced XSeries concerts as well as choreography, intermedia technology, and film final projects each semester. The Dance Program presents numerous exhibits and performances, including the Purdue Contemporary Dance Company biannual concerts, as well as periodic experimental dance concerts featuring our faculty's research. https://www.cla.purdue.edu/academic/rueffschool/theatre-and-dance/dance/index.html
The Department of Theatre and Dance offers courses across the performance and technical aspects of theatre and presents multiple main stage theatre performances each semester. Costume design, technical direction, lighting design and sound design are just some of the possible areas of study. Students in the Interdisciplinary Performance major can take courses across the department. Choreographers collaborate with students and faculty in lighting and sound design to create stunning and unique performances. https://www.cla.purdue.edu/academic/rueffschool/theatre-and-dance/index.html
The Patti and Rusty Rueff School of Design, Art, and Performance, one of ten departments/schools in the College of Liberal Arts, includes the Departments of Art and Design, Theatre and Dance, Music, and Film and Video. To learn more, go to: https://www.cla.purdue.edu/academic/rueffschool
Procedure
Candidates should submit application materials electronically via https://careers.purdue.edu/ . The job requisition ID number for this position is 42718.
A complete application includes letter of application, video teaching a full advanced jazz or hip-hop dance technique class, video of three different choreographed group works created in the last three years, resume/CV, and three references including email and contact information.
Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.
Candidates must be able to work in the U.S. without immigration sponsorship from Purdue University.
A background check is required for employment in this position.
Equal Opportunity
Purdue University is an equal opportunity/equal access university.
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Posting Start Date: 6/22/26
