Monthly Archives: March 2022

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KY – Tawanda Chabikwa, guest artist-in-residence at Northern Kentucky University’s School of the Arts (SOTA), presents a community engagement event considering the intersectionality of Africana dance and human ecology within the performing arts. In collaboration with NKU’s Scripps Howard Center for Civic Engagement, the interactive lecture and demonstration will take place on Wednesday, March 23 at 7:30 p.m. in NKU’s Greaves Concert Hall. The event is free and open to the public. 

Tawanda Chabikwa is an interdisciplinary artist-scholar whose work revolves around Black and Africana dance practices, practice-based research, and creative collaboration. Current research and creative practice investigate choreographic practices of transnational African artists, contemporary African theatrical dance, Africana religions/spiritualties and philosophy, decolonial pedagogies, and embodied research methodologies. Tawanda’s interdisciplinary scholarly and creative endeavors have led to collaborative encounters, including think-tank initiatives, educational practice, performances installations, visual art exhibitions, and presentations.

Mr. Tawanda holds an M.F.A. in Dance from Southern Methodist University and a doctorate in Africana Studies from the Department of African American and African Studies at The Ohio State University. He works with storytelling, performance art, visual art (2017 exhibition at the William H. Thomas Gallery in Columbus, OH), and creative writing (first novel Baobabs in Heaven published in 2010). Currently, he is an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at El Paso, working in both the Theater & Dance department and the African American Studies program.

About NKU: Founded in 1968, we are a growing metropolitan university of more than 15,000 students served by more than 2,000 faculty and staff on a thriving suburban campus near Cincinnati. Located in the quiet suburb of Highland Heights, Kentucky—just seven miles southeast of Cincinnati—we have become a leader in Greater Cincinnati and Kentucky by providing a private school education for a fraction of the cost. While we are one of the fastest growing universities in Kentucky, our professors still know our students’ names. For more information, visit nku.edu. 

About SOTA: The Art & Design, Music, and Theatre & Dance programs make up the School of the Arts, housed within the College of Arts and Sciences at Northern Kentucky University. Through quality interdisciplinary education, scholarship, and civic engagement, SOTA provides high-quality education for students interested in developing creatively. In addition to advancing creative skills through small class sizes with innovative curriculum and award-winning instructors, students develop expertise in the qualities most in-demand for today’s changing career landscape. For more information, visit sota.nku.edu.

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