VALERIE
IFILL
FELLOWS PROJECT LEAD
Valerie Ifill is an active dance artist, educator and researcher interested in the intersection of dance and community, making dance education more accessible to communities of color and embodied storytelling. Valerie is a collaborative dance artist and Assistant Professor of Dance at Drexel University.
Valerie is invested in university-community dance education initiatives and using Africanist perspectives to support university dance curriculum. Her written research is centered on university-community partnerships; race and power in education; and making dance accessible to all. Invested in making dance more accessible to communities of color, Valerie has founded and directed university-community dance programs at Drexel University through Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships in Philadelphia, PA, and at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, NC. Certified to teach Inside-Out Prison Exchange courses, Valerie also teaches classes for groups of university students and incarcerated citizens. Black Girls STEAMing through Dance is a collaborative project making Dance, Code, and Making with electronic textiles accessible to 7-12-year-old Black girls. This research has been presented nationally and internationally, as well as being highlighted in TED-X Philadelphia (2019) as innovative work making STEAM accessible to people of color.
STUDIO MOOD
“I have a grounding practice of dance improvisation when I need to clear my mind, reset, and remember how to listen through my body. I love Jamila Woods’ sound textures to play around in the studio – inspiring powerful sweeping movements and spirals. I love to dance to “Bubbles” because of the composition itself, although it also has lyrics that reflect so much of my current work, which is about centering Black women’s experiences.”