Job Description

Minimum Qualifications
A terminal degree (MFA) in Dance or related field (must be completed by 7/31/27)
University/college level dance studies teaching experience

Areas of Interest (No Minimum Level Required)
Documented success in and passion for teaching and mentoring undergraduate students, majors and non-majors
Emerging creative activity/scholarship in Dance Studies

License/Certification Required
N/A
Description of the Department or Unit
The Department of Theatre and Dance is both NAST and NASD accredited and offers B.A. degrees in Theatre Arts and Dance Studies. It is one of seven departments housed in the College of Fine and Applied Arts at Appalachian State University. The mission of the department is to provide a liberal arts curriculum for the BA degrees in Dance Studies, and in Theatre Arts (including concentrations in Performance, Design/Technology, Theatre Education and General Theatre). The department offers both Dance Studies and Theatre Arts Honors programs; minors in theatre arts, dance studies, and somatic sustainability; and courses to meet General Education requirements in several themes, the fine arts, and wellness literacy. The department values the opportunity to offer coursework for integrated learning through the arts to the overall student population. The Department has a strong co-curricular production program with six main-stage productions/dance concerts each year. For more information, visit www.theatreanddance.appstate.edu.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The Department of Theatre and Dance offers a BA in Dance Studies with a minor in Dance and a minor in Somatic Sustainability. Our Dance Studies program values an integrative and cross-disciplinary approach to education in dance designed to develop creative problem solvers and skilled, disciplined dancers, choreographers, writers, and theorists who can thrive in a variety of vocations. We prioritize candidates who will effectively support all aspects of the dance program and work well as a collaborative faculty member. Ideal applicants will thoughtfully contribute to program growth through meaningful engagement and explorations that fosters dialogue across fields and communities.

Teaching will include guiding students in embodied investigations that explore the evolution and reimaging of contemporary/modern dance practices. The candidate will also demonstrate fluency in one or more of the following: African diasporic movement and/or ballet practices. Additionally, the course load may include creative practice/theory courses such as Dance History, Dance Pedagogy, somatic practice courses, survey courses that serve the General Education program and other courses as needed.

Scholarship and/or creative activities include maintaining an active creative research profile in areas of specialization, consistent with the expectations for tenure and promotion. This includes choreographing for departmental dance and/or theater productions, as well as engaging in research, creative inquiry, publication and/or production appropriate to the candidate’s areas of expertise.

Service load includes active engagement with: faculty governance, committee participation, recruitment, community facing projects, facilitation of interdisciplinary opportunities, student mentoring, program assessment, concert coordination, development of curriculum and course content; as consistent with the expectations for tenure and promotion.

Type of Position Full Time Position
Appointment Type 1.0
Number Of Months Per Year 9
Physical Demands of Position
The position requires typical physical demands of classroom and educational environments in a professional position at a university, and the candidate should be able to demonstrate movement techniques to students in a studio setting.

Posting Details Information
Proposed Date of Hire 08/09/2027
Suggested Salary Range Salary is competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience.
ABD Consideration: N/A - ABD is not applicable for this position. See Minimum Qualifications.
ABD Description
ABD with reduction in rank and salary: ABD will be considered for this position. Evidence of successful defense of the dissertation must be received by July 31 for a fall hire or November 30 for a spring hire. If confirmation of defense is not provided by the deadline, the candidate will receive a new one-year fixed-term contract and be hired at the rank of Instructor. The candidate’s salary will also be reduced to a lower rate commensurate with other full-time instructors in the same department. However, if degree verification is provided before the end of the one-year fixed-term contract, the candidate will be returned to the rank of assistant professor with commensurate compensation beginning July 1 of the following academic year.

No ABD consideration: Only candidates with an earned doctorate or terminal degree from an accredited institution will be considered for the position. Since ABD will not meet the minimum requirements, ABD will not be considered.
Special Instructions to Applicants
For a complete application, please apply and submit all below-required documents electronically in PDF format through Appalachian State University’s job board:
Cover Letter
Curriculum Vitae
A list of at least three professional references with contact information
Copy of all unofficial collegiate transcripts
1 page teaching philosophy