March 26, 2024
Beginning in Fall 2024, the Department of Theatre and Dance will welcome Sinclair Ogaga Emoghene as an assistant professor in the dance area. Sinclair is an acclaimed dancer and researcher whose work explores the body as a site of performance, while deconstructing how historical dance data is organized, presented and preserved. His endeavors span performance creation, localization of place, cultural studies, experimental practice and dance technology through a practice rooted in African and contemporary dance that focuses on generating new scholarly work on African dance in global contexts.
“I decided to join [The University of Texas at Austin] Department of Theatre and Dance primarily because of the extraordinary faculty, students and staff,” shares Emoghene. “The school buzzes with a dynamic, creative energy that greatly inspires me. Reflecting on my days as a theatre student in Nigeria, [faculty emeritus] Oscar G. Brockett played a pivotal role in my education, making my arrival here feel like a serendipitous full-circle moment. I'm genuinely excited to be part of this community. Moreover, Austin's unique vibe and my focus on dance technology seem like a perfect match for the city.”
Emoghene earned his M.F.A. from the University of Maryland, College Park. Before coming to The University of Texas at Austin, he served as an assistant professor of dance at Virginia Commonwealth University's Department of Dance and Choreography. There, he taught a wide range of subjects, including theory, creative research and dance technique. He has produced works for a wide variety of audiences, including the Nollywood audience in Nigeria/Africa, the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and other prestigious institutions, as well as for universities in Nigeria, including the Federal Universities of Benin, Jos and Lagos.
“I couldn’t be more excited to welcome Sinclair Ogaga Emoghene to the Department of Theatre and Dance,” shares department chair Peter Carpenter. “His prolific research profile, which is informed by his classical training in West African dance, extends to a recent book publication and an expansive digital humanities research project. He has experience in curriculum development and is an experienced educator. I have no doubt that he will be an incredible colleague and that our students, staff and faculty will benefit greatly from his presence here.”
Sinclair’s debut book, Dancing in the World: Revealing Cultural Confluences (2023), co-authored with Dr. Kathleen Spanos, is published by Routledge, UK. His ongoing research, The Living Archive: Analysis, Description, and Assemblages of African Dance, is supported by renowned organizations including the United States Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. and The Association for Cultural Equity in New York.
Learn more about Sinclair Ogaga Emoghene's work at www.sinclair.dance