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Wilkins, Helanius J.

Associate Professor

Positions

Research Areas research areas

Research

research overview

  • Mr. Wilkins’s research is rooted in the interconnections of American contemporary performance, cultural history, and identities of Black men. His projects examine the raced dancing body and the ways that ritual can access forms of knowledge. Intrigued by ideas about indeterminacy in creative process and performance, he approaches performance and pedagogy as means of re-framing perspectives, creative practices, and technical training. In his intermedia collaborations he works with artists from a wide range of disciplines, including film, video, and design. His primary research is unfolding as a multi-year, multi-outcome inter- and multidisciplinary work: The Conversation Series: Stitching the Geopolitical Quilt to Re-Body Belonging. The work will yield new choreographies, a documentary film, a digital archive, and toykit for expanding the sense of connectedness and belonging. He is also continuing the development of FRAMEWORK, a practice for both contemporary dance technique and choreographic process and presentation.

Teaching

courses taught

  • DNCE 1013 - Dance Improvisation
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2018
    An opportunity for students to develop skills of dance improvisation through the exploration of structured movement problems. Students study selected contemporary dance artists whose work stresses improvisation in performance and/or as a training vehicle. Department consent required for dance minors.
  • DNCE 4037 - Contemporary Concert Dance: Shifting Perspectives in Performance
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2018 / Spring 2019 / Spring 2021 / Spring 2023
    Focuses on the development of perceptual, descriptive, and analytical skills as well as the ability to apply cultural and critical theory to 20th and 21st century concert dance. Specific pieces of choreography are looked at from a broad range of perspectives. Recommended prerequisite or corequisite: a Human Diversity core requirement course.
  • DNCE 4038 - Dance Repertory
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2019 / Spring 2022 / Fall 2024
    Learning and performing dances from the repertory of current faculty members, artists-in-residence and upon occasion from the repertory of historic modern dancers. Dance majors may repeat up to 9 total credit hours with different instructors. Enrollment by audition only. Same as DNCE 5038.
  • DNCE 4061 - Major Technique
    Primary Instructor - Fall 2019 / Fall 2020 / Spring 2022
    Designed for dance majors. Enrollment by audition only. May be repeated up to 16 total credit hours.
  • DNCE 4939 - Dance Internship
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2018 / Spring 2021 / Summer 2022
    Provides an opportunity for upper-division dance majors to serve apprenticeships in the community in work areas related to their major interests and career goals. Internships are available in areas such as arts administration, dance therapy, and technical production. May be repeated up to 3 total credit hours. Instructor consent rquired.
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Background

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