Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism at LMU Dance
LMU Dance acknowledges that the preeminent figures, forms, ideologies, teaching methods, and canons of dance in the United States have historically centered Western European aesthetics and narratives and effectively marginalized and/or erased the many cultures and peoples across the globe who have shaped the American dance tradition. Thus, LMU Dance considers that the most meaningful, sustainable, and transformative contributions that our students can make to the professional dance world are ones that increase diversity, inclusivity, equity, interculturality, and perspectives, AND that dance, itself - an art form in which the body is the medium - is a unique and effective technology for communicating the human condition and the power of collective identities. We strive to foreground anti-racist pedagogy, to foster a sense of belonging, and to define our program by our unwavering dedication to the work. It is always ongoing.
SHIFT Speaker Series: Moving (Beyond) Oppressive Systems in the Dance World
In 2020, after the murder of George Floyd and the renewed call for racial justice, LMU Dance took a more critical examination of our curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular programming in an effort to further dismantle systemic racism, implicit bias, and cultural erasure.
We invited members of our community – dance students, faculty, and alumni - to make their voices heard about DEIA at LMU Dance. What began as a series of “town hall” meetings within our department expanded to become our artist-lecturer series, SHIFT: Moving (Beyond) Oppressive Systems in the Dance World.
SHIFT guests are artists working at the intersection of dance and social justice:
- Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Choreographer/Educator/Activist/Artistic Director of Urban Bush Women, 2020
- Gerald Casel, Choreographer/Educator/Program leader of Dancing around Race, 2022
- Suchi Branfman, Choreographer/Artist Director of Dancing through Prison Walls, 2023-24
- Misty Copeland, Dancer/Activist/First Black principal dancer of American Ballet, Theater 2024
