Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance

Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance and Director of the Helen McGehee Visiting Artist Program in Dance

FLSA Classification

Full-time, Exempt

Reports to

Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Date

August 2025

Job Description 

Summary/objective

The position responsibilities include teaching contemporary and ballet dance technique classes (elementary and combined intermediate/advanced), choreography, and dance history courses serving the broader campus population. The faculty member in this position choreographs and stages repertory for annual performances in the Department of Performing Arts, and carries full production responsibilities for the annual Spring Dance Concert. In addition to a 3-3 teaching load, the faculty member has primary responsibility for curation and administration of the Helen McGehee Visiting Artist Program in Dance, which brings artists to campus to teach, choreograph, and perform for the benefit of the entire community.

Essential functions

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

Must effectively carry out the essential duties and responsibilities of this position in a manner that consistently demonstrates Randolph College’s mission and core values in a positive manner.

• Teach contemporary and ballet dance technique classes
• Teach additional dance styles or genres as congruent with faculty member’s expertise and training (examples: musical theatre dance, jazz, hip-hop, ballroom, dance of non-Western cultures such as African and Afro-diasporic dance traditions, or pilates)
• Teach choreography
• Teach academic courses serving the broader campus population (examples: Introduction to Dance, Dance from Stage to Screen, History of Dance)
• Direct the Helen McGehee Visiting Artist Program in Dance
• Choreograph and stage repertory for annual performances in the Department of Performing Arts, including the annual Spring Dance Concert
• Produce the Spring Dance Concert

Competencies

• Demonstrated or potential excellence in undergraduate instruction.
• Professional activity and/or scholarship in the discipline of dance.
• Professional activity and administrative capabilities relevant to the oversight and direction of the Helen McGehee Visiting Artist Program in Dance
• Professional and administrative capabilities relevant to the production of the Spring Dance Concert

Supervisory responsibilities

Dance program student assistant

Work environment

Position typically works in an office or teaching studio environment; position works in performance spaces (such as a theatre or auditorium) to rehearse and prepare productions.

Physical demands

Requires standing/walking/sitting for extended periods. May occasionally lift up to 40 lbs.

Travel required

May travel infrequently on College business.

Required education and experience

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Required education and experience

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Candidates should have experience teaching contemporary and ballet dance technique from fundamental through advanced levels in a college or university setting, and be able to communicate understanding of the role of dance in a liberal arts curriculum and environment.

Preferred education and experience

• Master of Fine Arts in dance and/or choreography.

Additional eligibility requirements

None.

Work authorization/security clearance requirements

Must be authorized to work in the United States. Pre-employment criminal background checks.

Affirmative Action/EEO statement

Randolph College is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate or allow discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, sex (including pregnancy), gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, political beliefs, or any other classification protected by applicable law. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including but not limited to hiring, promotion, termination, placement, transfer, layoff, recall, compensation, and training.

Other duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

The position responsibilities include teaching contemporary and ballet dance technique classes (elementary and combined intermediate/advanced), choreography, and courses serving the broader campus population including Introduction to Dance, Dance from Stage to Screen, and History of Dance. The faculty member in this position will choreograph and stage repertory for annual performances in the Department of Performing Arts, and carries full production responsibilities for the annual Spring Dance Concert.

In addition to a 3-3 teaching load, the appointee will also have primary responsibility for curation and administration of the Helen McGehee Visiting Artist Program in Dance, which brings artists to campus to teach, choreograph, and perform for the benefit of the entire community.

This faculty member will play an active role in the Department of Performing Arts and work creatively and collaboratively with faculty colleagues to develop cross-disciplinary programming, interdisciplinary opportunities, and recruitment strategies to adapt to the evolving needs of our student population. We seek a candidate with responsive and innovative pedagogical approaches and broad perspective on the role of the arts within a liberal arts institution.

The department welcomes applications from candidates who have experience in areas in addition to contemporary and ballet, such as musical theatre dance, jazz, hip-hop, dance of non-Western cultures such as African and Afro-diasporic dance traditions, and/or pilates.

Qualifications:

MFA preferred. Candidates with BFA/BA and exceptional training and experience in the professional dance world will be considered.

Candidates should have experience teaching contemporary and ballet dance technique from fundamental through advanced levels in a college or university setting, and be able to communicate understanding of the role of dance in a liberal arts curriculum and environment.

Evidence of demonstrated or potential excellence in undergraduate instruction.

Evidence of professional activity and/or scholarship in the discipline of dance.

Evidence of professional activity and administrative competencies relevant to the oversight and direction of the Helen McGehee Visiting Artist Program in Dance

Evidence of professional and administrative competencies relevant to the production of the Spring Dance Concert

The anticipated start date is July 1, 2026.

Application review will begin on October 10, 2025 and continue until the position is filled.  

Candidates chosen to be interviewed will be contacted by email.

To apply, please send the following materials in a single PDF document:

• A cover letter addressing position responsibilities and qualifications
• A current curriculum vitae
• A statement of teaching philosophy
• Links to two videos of candidate choreography
• Names and contact information of three professional references

Materials should be sent to dancesearch@randolphcollege.edu (electronic submissions only).

Note: The search committee will request letters of recommendation from three referees for short-listed candidates. Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a background check and verification of degree.

Randolph College, founded in 1891 as Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, is a traditional small liberal arts college with a longstanding reputation for excellence in teaching located in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Lynchburg, Virginia.  Randolph College was recognized as one of the nation’s “best and most interesting” institutions in the 2025 edition of the Fiske Guide to Colleges, named a College of Distinction for 2025-26, and was included in the 2025 edition of The Best 390 Colleges by The Princeton Review. Randolph College has experienced record growth and increases in enrollment year-over-year in the last three years, in part due to our notable and innovative curriculum model, TAKE2. Students enroll in coursework over four 7-week sessions in an academic year, allowing students to sharpen their focus with immersive learning, gain life balance with a more flexible schedule, and most importantly, thrive within a supportive, student-centered environment.

The dance program at Randolph College has a long and rich history dating back almost a century. Since its founding in 1927 by Eleanor Struppa (class of 1920) and its continued growth under the leadership of Helen McGehee (class of 1942), the dance program is now a member discipline in the Department of Performing Arts, which also houses the music and theatre programs.