Assistant Professor of Dance

CSU; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) invites applications for an Assistant Professor of Dance in the College of the Arts, Department of Dance. The position focuses on Latinx/e and Afro-Latinx/e forms, with duties spanning teaching, choreography, and program development.

The successful candidate will teach across undergraduate and graduate levels in modern/contemporary, jazz, African, street, and ballet as appropriate, mentoring students and contributing to curriculum growth.

Qualifications

• Fluency in Spanish and English.
• Ability to teach Latinx/e and Afro-Latinx/e dance forms.
• Commitment to inclusive teaching for diverse student populations.

Responsibilities

• Teach undergraduate/graduate courses in Latinx/e and Afro-Latinx/e dance forms.
• Choreograph for department concerts and direct department events.
• Recruit students and mentor graduate candidates and undergraduates.

Skills

Spanish-English fluency

LatinX/Afro-Latinx teaching

Education

MFA or PhD in Dance/Performance Studies or related field

MA in Dance with professional performance/choreography in Latinx/e contexts

Job description

Position: Assistant Professor of Dance
Effective Date: August 17, 2027 (Fall Semester)
Salary Range: The Assistant Professor (2027-28) classification salary range is $6,221 to $13,224/per month (12 monthly payments per academic year). The anticipated hiring range is $85,000 to $95,000/per year. Salary offered is commensurate with qualifications and experience.
Application Deadline: Review of applications is set to begin on or about October 22, 2026. Position open until filled (or recruitment canceled).

California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI). CSULB earned the prestigious Seal of Excelencia in 2023, joining a distinctive group of colleges and universities who have been recognized for its commitment to Latine/x student success. CSULB is committed to serving diverse students and has established and actively supports the Black Excellence Collegium, dedicated to promoting Black excellence and advancing Black Student Success, and El Concilio for Latinx Success at the Beach, whose mission is to build capacity and promote inclusive servingness across initiatives and efforts for the benefit of all students. The President’s Equity and Change Commission is dedicated to achieving inclusive excellence in our community and culture and throughout the university. CSULB’s Beach 2030 University Action Plans prioritize engaging all students; expanding access to higher education; promoting intellectual achievement; building community; and cultivating resilience.

College of the Arts
Department of Dance

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Professional preparation demonstrated through at least one of the following:
  • MFA or PhD in Dance, Performance Studies, or a related field, with a Dance-based creative/research profile (Transcript or official notification of completion of the master's or doctoral degree by August 1, 2027, if applicable).
  • MA in Dance or a related field with professional performance and/or choreographic experience in Latinx/e and/or Afro-Latinx/e dance forms
  • Professional performance and/or choreographic experience in Latinx/e and/or Afro-Latinx/e dance forms at a regional, national, and/or international level
• Demonstrated ability to teach one or more Latinx/e and/or Afro-Latinx/e dance forms
• Qualification(s) to teach one or more of the following technical praxis courses: modern/contemporary, jazz, African, street dance, and/or ballet
• Demonstrated commitment to working successfully with a diverse student population, including low socioeconomic and first-generation students

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Sustained professional experience in commercial, concert dance, and/or culturally embedded contexts with national or international impact
• Demonstrated college teaching experience
• Demonstrated ability to teach traditional, contemporary, commercial, and/or diasporic dance forms with a focus on Latinx/e and/or Afro-Latinx/e social, political, cultural, and aesthetic practices
• Demonstrated ability to teach and mentor college students from a Latinx/e and/or Afro-Latinx/e culturally relevant and culturally sustaining perspective in one or more of the following: technical praxis courses, dancemaking and/or improvisation, dance studies, dance pedagogy, dance conditioning and/or Pilates, and/or dance technologies (such as screen dance)
• Demonstrated evidence of a body of choreographic work in Latinx/e and/or Afro-Latinx/e traditional, contemporary, and/or diasporic dance forms
• Fluency in Spanish and English
• Experience successfully working with populations demographically and/or socioeconomically similar to the CSULB student body
• Experience mentoring or supporting students using inclusive and culturally relevant teaching strategies in a diverse classroom

DUTIES:

• Teach undergraduate and/or graduate courses in Latinx/e and/or Afro-Latinx/e dance forms and other areas of praxis/theory/production according to expertise. (Mode of instruction may include in-person, hybrid, online, and/or any combination thereof.) Technical praxis courses currently offered include modern/contemporary, jazz, African, street dance, and ballet
• May be assigned to teach other department courses appropriate to training and expertise, including general education courses
• Assist with development of curriculum in area(s) of expertise
• Advise/mentor part-time faculty within the area(s) of expertise
• Choreograph for department concerts. Direct department concerts and/or events
• Participate in student recruitment and mentor graduate candidates and undergraduate dance majors or minors, including engaging in thesis supervision and providing guidance to students interested in further study or career opportunities in performance/choreography and/or pedagogy
• Responsible for producing creative/scholarly work commensurate with the requirements for tenure and expected to contribute to the development and vitality of the department, college, and university, through service and continued engagement in the field
• Participate in service to the department, college, university, and field/community

CSULB seeks to recruit faculty who enthusiastically support the University’s strong commitment to the academic success of all of our students, including students with disabilities, students who are first generation to college, veterans, students with diverse socio-economic backgrounds, and students of diverse sexual orientations and gender expressions. CSULB seeks to recruit and retain a diverse workforce as a reflection of our commitment to serve the People of California, to maintain the excellence of the University, and to offer our students a rich variety of expertise, perspectives, and ways of knowing and learning.

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF DANCE:

CSULB is the state's largest and most comprehensive publicly funded school for the arts, with approximately 40,000 graduate and undergraduate students. CSULB Dance is housed within the College of the Arts (COTA), which includes five additional departments in art, design, film, music, and theater, as well as the Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum, and the Carpenter Performing Arts Center (CPAC). Enrollments in the department are representative of our state's demographics. Many of our majors transfer from California's extensive high-quality community college system.

Our department takes a holistic, student-centered approach to education that integrates dance-making and physical training with coursework in dance history, ethnography, dance science, somatics, pedagogy, design, production, and an array of immersive and challenging creative and research opportunities. Through these experiences, our faculty seeks to equip each of our graduates with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to engage in the dynamic field of dance, and its related studies, and to contribute to its vitality as artists, scholars, educators, and advocates.

The Department of Dance offers the following degree pathways: MA, MFA, BA, BS, BFA, and a dance minor. Additionally, the Department offers a teaching credential in Dance through the College of Education. Recent and ongoing revisions to the undergraduate curriculum work to dismantle the hierarchy of Western dance forms and acknowledge the artistic and cultural contributions and relevance of diasporic dance forms to our communities and the profession. Significant changes include the elevation of Street dance to an area of concentration within the BA/BFA, and the inclusion of contemporary African dance (Umfundalai), Latinx/e and/or Afro-Latinx/e dance forms.

Information on excellent benefits package available to CSULB faculty is located here: CSU Employee Benefits

How to Apply - Required Documentation:

• A Student Success Statement about your teaching or other experiences, successes, and challenges in working with a diverse student population (maximum of two pages, single-spaced). For further information and guidelines, please visit: Student Success Statement
• Letter of application addressing the required and preferred qualifications
• CV
• 2 examples of recent choreographic works. Choreographic works should be in their entirety and posted on Vimeo or YouTube.
• Research statement (providing background on choreographic/scholarly work)
• Candidates are also invited to submit evidence of scholarly work (book chapter and/or articles) that pertains to their teaching or research agenda, if applicable
• Copy of the unofficial transcript from institution awarding highest degree
• Names and contact information for three references to be contacted for verbal references at the finalist stage. Please include name, title, institutional affiliation, relation to candidate, phone, and e-mail
• Finalists should be prepared to submit an official transcript (e-transcript preferred, if available)

Requests for information and process should be addressed to:

Sylvia Rodriguez-Scholz, Administrative Support Coordinator
California State University, Long Beach
Department of Dance
Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

Requests for information about the position should be addressed to:

Professor Rebecca L