photo: Josiah Kennedy
Artistic Director
His work as a choreographer, performer, and director spans ballet, classic modern, post-Judson, street jazz, dance theatre/performance art, opera, classical and contemporary theatre, and musical theatre. Joshua has enjoyed dance roles in masterworks by Balanchine, de Mille, Petipa, and Robbins, and a diverse range of contemporary works as well. Joshua is presently directing the low-residency MFA in Choreography and Visual Arts at Wilson College.
His book, Introduction to Modern Dance Techniques, (October 2011: Princeton Book Company), is available in French and Italian translations (Gremese Editore). Additional dance writing has appeared in DanceTeacher and DanceSpirit magazines, covering a breadth of topics from ballet and contemporary techniques to choreography pedagogy, grantsmanship, and dance in rural America. Joshua has interviewed major artists and educators in ballet and contemporary dance including: Ruth Andrien, Keith Lee, Mary Lisa Burns, Judith Jamison, Albirda Rose, Elizabeth Auclaire, Karin von Aroldingen, Robby Barnett, Sara Rudner, Sara Neece, Sally Fitt, Jennifer Scanlon, and Robert Swinston. As a scholar, he considers race, gender/sexual identity, economics, and the appearance of liminal ritual in concert dance.
Recognized as a master teacher, Joshua has been a guest teacher or speaker for the American Dance Festival’s Paul Taylor Project, the DanceTeacher Summit, the American College Dance Festival, various universities, private and pre-professional studios, and high school dance programs. His academic appointments include the dance or theatre programs at Northwestern State University of Louisiana, Harvard University (where he received a Certificate of Distinction in Teaching), Suffolk University, Lake Superior State University, and Shenandoah University. Working alongside some of dance’s greatest artists, Joshua has served as a rehearsal director/dance captain for concert dance and musicals. For instance, at Harvard University, he worked with Trey McIntyre on a new ballet, with Heather Watts on her stagings of Balanchine’s Apollo and Serenade, and Christine Dakin on her staging of Graham’s Night Journey.
Joshua’s political experience includes serving as a White House staff member for the Clinton Administration, and board member service with statewide social justice/civil rights organizations.
He holds a BFA and MFA in dance choreography and performance (Shenandoah Conservatory), and a BS in mass communications (Shenandoah University). Joshua is a proud recipient of the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Foundation’s service award (Shenandoah), is a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa leadership honor society, and is an associate member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.