Miami Dade College A.I.R. Dance Conference honors Jawole Willa Jo Zollar

Miami Dade College Kendall Campus A.I.R. Dance 2021 invites artists, students, scholars, dancers and cultural institutions and foundations to join us in celebrating, and honoring Jawole Willa Jo Zollar. Jawole's impact within the arts is profound and continues to live, thrive, shift and MOVE over three generations of cutting edge dancers, scholars, cultural keepers, and art theorists. We recognize Jawole's work and legacy that is deeply rooted within community. We know we cannot celebrate, and honor her without it. We are calling upon community far and wide to contribute oral stories, testimonies, theory, and practice of how Jawole has impacted your life, the field of dance and beyond.

Honoree, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar is from Kansas City, Missouri. Jawole Willa Jo Zollar trained with Joseph Stevenson, a student of the legendary Katherine Dunham. After earning her B.A. in dance from the University of Missouri at Kansas City, she received her M.F.A. in dance from Florida State University. In 1980 Jawole moved to New York City to study with Dianne McIntyre at Sounds in Motion.

In 1984, Jawole founded Urban Bush Women (UBW) as a performance ensemble dedicated to exploring the use of cultural expression as a catalyst for social change. In addition to 34 works for UBW, she has created works for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Philadanco, University of Maryland, Virginia Commonwealth University and others; and with collaborators including Compagnie Jant-Bi from Senegal and Nora Chipaumire. In 2006 Jawole received a New York Dance and Performance Award (Bessie) for her work as choreographer/creator of Walking With Pearl…Southern Diaries. Featured in the PBS documentary, Free to Dance, which chronicles the African-American influence on modern dance, Jawole was designated a Master of Choreography by the John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center in 2005.

Jawole developed a unique approach to enable artists to strengthen effective involvement in cultural organizing and civic engagement, which evolved into UBW’s acclaimed Summer Leadership Institute. She serves as director of the Institute, founder/visioning partner of UBW and currently holds the position of the Nancy Smith Fichter Professor of Dance and Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor at Florida State University.

A former board member of Dance/USA, Jawole received a 2008 United States Artists Wynn fellowship and a 2009 fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial. Still dancing, she recently toured in a sold-out national tour presented by 651 ARTS as a leading influential dancer/choreographer on a program that included her early mentor Dianne McIntyre, her collaborator Germaine Acogny, Carmen de Lavallade and Bebe Miller. As an artist whose work is geared towards building equity and diversity in the arts Jawole was awarded the 2013 Arthur L. Johnson Memorial award by Sphinx Music at their inaugural conference on diversity in the arts. In 2013, Jawole received the Doris Duke Performing Artist Award and honorary degrees from Columbia College, Chicago, Tufts University, Rutgers University, and the Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA. Jawole received the 2015 Dance Magazine Award, 2016 Dance/USA Honor Award and the 2017 Bessies Lifetime Achievement Award.

*By submitting materials, you are confirming Miami Dade College can use submitted material to honor Jawole Willa Jo Zollar at A.I.R Dance Conference 20221, this includes all digital and written promotions. All materials will be gifted to Jawole, and UBW to archive, and use for future endeavors.

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Community request: We are collecting oral stories from community to share personal, and professional stories of how Jawole Willa Jo Zollar has impacted your life, artistic journey, and the field of dance. To contribute, please record yourself, then upload it here. If you are using your phone, make sure to turn your phone horizontally to record. Feel free to be as creative as you would like.

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