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Sarah Wilbur

Associate Professor of the Practice of Dance
Dance Program
Box 90686, Durham, NC 27708-0685
Rubenstein Arts Center 209F, 2020 Campus Drive, Durham, NC 27705

Selected Presentations & Appearances


“Re-Structuring? Policy and Performance Today” - Institutional Theatrics Working Group Symposium - · May 7, 2022 - May 8, 2022 Instructional Course, Workshop, or Symposium NYU Skirball, Zoom
"Gestural Economies and Production Pedagogies in Deaf West's Broadway Revival of Spring Awakening" - Musical Theatre Futures · July 2021 Keynote/Named Lecture University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

Music Theatres Futures.
University of Melbourne, Melbourne Australia, December 7, 2020. “Gestural Economies and Production Pedagogies in Deaf West’s Broadway Revival of Spring Awakening.” Biennial gathering hosted by VCA Music Theatre, Faculty of Fine Arts & Music.

"Bureaucratic Angling, Institutional Activism: Dance's "covert" Culture Wars (1981-1996)" - Columbia University Seminar "Studies in Dance" · February 3, 2020 Invited Talk Columbia University, New York
Bureaucratic Angling: Funding Bodies in Dance at the National Endowment for the Arts - American Society for Theater Research Annual Conference · November 7, 2019 - November 10, 2019 International Meeting or Conference ASTR, Arlington, VA
Funding Bodies: Working Identities in Dance at the National Endowment for the Arts - Dance Studies Association Annual Conference · August 9, 2019 - August 9, 2019 Keynote/Named Lecture Dance Studies Association, Northwestern University
"Funding Bodies: Working Identities in Dance at the National Endowment for the Arts" - Annual Conference "Dance works for the Commons: Actions, Interventions, Innovations" Keynote Plenary · August 9, 2019 Invited Talk Dance Studies Association , Northwestern University
Bureaucratic Angling, Institutional Activism: The NEA Dance Program’s Covert “Culture Wars" - Arts Patronage in Modern America Symposium · June 26, 2019 - June 29, 2019 International Meeting or Conference Rothermere American Institute, Oxford University
“How to Dance in a Crisis: Emergency Maneuvers at the US Department of Veterans Affairs” - American Studies Association Annual Conference · November 10, 2018 International Meeting or Conference ASA, Westin Peachtree, Atlanta Hotel & Conference Center
“NEA Policy and (as) Possibility: Organizing African Disapora Dance" - Collegium of African Diaspora Dance Conference · February 18, 18 International Meeting or Conference Duke University,

Outreach & Engaged Scholarship


Principal Investigator - Public Art as Public Health - Moving Messages of Dementia Inclusion · May 12, 2021 - June 25, 2021 Research Franklin Humanities Institute - Story+ , Virtual flag North Carolina
Arts Sector Lead - Dementia Inclusive, Durham · July 8, 2020 Projects & Field Work Dementia Inclusive Inc., flag United States of America Coordinate and facilitate creative engagement gatherings across six DID site organizations, including storytelling and participatory art making with persons living with Dementia and their care partners.

Service to the Profession


Participant - Faculty Curriculum on Anti-Racism · January 11, 2021 - January 14, 2021 Professional Development Duke Office of Faculty Advancement,
Member - Anti-Racist Dance Studies Pedagogies, Practices, Initiatives · 2020 Committee Service Davidson College, Virtual
Member - Finance and Development Committee · September 1, 2019 Committee Service Dance Studies Association,
Director, Board of Directors - Dance Studies Association · September 2019 - September 1, 2024 Other

Currently entering the start of a second term on the DSA Board.
2019-2021 (term I)
2021-2024 (term II)

Participant - Faculty Success Program · 2019 Professional Development National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD),
Reviewer - Artivate: A Journal of Entrepreneurship in the Arts · 2018 - 2019 Editorial Activities Herberger Institute Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Programs, Arizona State University
Member - Dismantling White Supremacy in Dance Studies Working Group · 2017 Committee Service Dance Studies Association,

Service to Duke


Committee on Interdisciplinary Collaboration (University) · 2021 Committee Service Duke Arts ,
Member . Disability Justice Alliance · September 2019 Other Health Humanities Lab, Franklin Humanities Institute
Trinity Arts & Sciences Council Representative (University) · August 26, 2019 - July 1, 2021 Committee Service Duke University Arts & Sciences,
Rubenstein Arts Center Advisory Committee (University) · 2019 - 2020 Committee Service Duke Arts,
Trinity Arts and Sciences Curriculum Committee (University) · 2019 - 2021 Committee Service Trinity College of Arts and Sciences,

Academic & Administrative Activities


Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
- Trinity Curriculum Development Committee (2022-present)
- Trinity Arts and Sciences Council Representative - Duke Dance Program (2019-2021)
- Trinity Arts and Sciences Council Subcommittee on (undergraduate) Curriculum  (2019-2021)

Duke Arts
- Rubenstein Arts Center Advisory Committee (2019-2021)

Health Humanities Lab - John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute (FHI)
- Disability Justice Alliance (2019-present)

Duke Dance Program
- Director of Graduate Studies - Dance Program (July 2021-present)
- Director of Undergraduate Studies - Dance Program (2020-2021)
- MFA Advisory Committee - Dance Program (2018 - present)
- UG Curriculum Committee - Dance Program (2020 - present)
- Production Coordination - Dance Program Spring CHOREOLAB (2020)