Composition Professor Jobs in Michigan (NOW HIRING)

Position Details
Posting Summary
College
College Of Fine Arts
Executive Area
Provost & VP Academic Affairs
Department
School of Theatre and Dance
Posting Detail Information
Posting Number
F290P
Job Type
Tenure Track
Pay Type
Exempt/Salaried
Pay Grade
I30
Campus Location
WMU-Kalamazoo - Main Campus
Salary Range
Pay is commensurate with qualifications and experience, combined with an excellent benefits package.
Number of Vacancies
1
General Summary
Western Michigan University School of Theatre and Dance seeks a tenure track Assistant Professor of Dance.
The Dance Program in the School of Theatre and Dance at WMU provides high quality, undergraduate education that prepares students for professional careers in dance and other related fields. It is committed to experiential learning through which students integrate theory and practice to discover, explore, and articulate a sense of themselves as dance artists and leaders; offering comprehensive, tri-focal training in ballet, jazz, and modern dance techniques; and engagement with national and international dance communities through artist residencies and immersive experiences. This commitment requires faculty with extensive professional experience as dance artists and scholars who are actively engaged with the dance profession.
Major Duties

• Teach all levels of jazz dance technique with an emphasis on hip hop, street, commercial, and other contemporary jazz dance forms.
• Teach one or more of the following courses: Race, Gender, and Dance; Roots of Jazz; Music for Dancers; Career Preparation for Dancers; Composition and Technology.
• Participate in on-going scholarly/creative research, mentor student projects and performance and actively contribute to the life of the school, college, and university.
• Maintain an active career in the profession.

Minimum Qualifications

• MFA in Dance from an accredited institution or terminal degree in related field from an accredited institution by contract start date; or bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in Dance or related field with enrollment in MFA program from an accredited institution within 1 year of contract start date.
• Five years of professional performance and/or choreography experience.
• Three years of teaching experience.
• Demonstrated extensive knowledge of jazz dance pedagogy, with experience teaching hip hop and other street dance styles.

Desired Qualifications

• Three years of university teaching experience.
• Demonstrated understanding of hip hop as a global cultural movement, with roots in Black and Latinx communities and grounded in resistance, resilience, and community-building.
• Well-versed in a range of hip hop and street dance styles - including, but not limited to, breaking, popping, locking, waving, vogue, street jazz, and house - and able to contextualize these forms within the broader continuum of African diasporic movement practices and transnational urban dance cultures.
• Utilizes an interdisciplinary approach.
• Demonstrated fluency in one or more movement vocabularies - modern, tap, ballet, jazz, African or improvisation.
• Experience in dance for camera, film or other digital platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to foster a critically engaged and supportive learning environment for students from varied backgrounds.
• Prioritizes holistic and inclusive, student-centered pedagogy that affirms diverse ways of knowing, moving and making.

Special Instructions to Applicants
Required application documents:

• A cover letter describing qualifications for the position.
• A professional CV including accomplishments and professional experiences related to the position.
• The names and contact information of three references.
• A single pdf document that includes online links to teaching and choreographic samples; no reels - submit under "other".

Additional Position Information
The review of complete applications is in progress and will continue until the position is filled. To ensure full consideration, application materials should be received by January 10, 2026.
Go to https://wmich.edu/hr/employees/faculty for benefits and other information.