Winter Term Guest Designer: Rujeko Dumbutshena

Winter Term Guest Designer: Rujeko Dumbutshena

Rujeko Dumbutshena: Choreographer

Dumbutshena is a Zimbabwean-born dancer, pedagogue and performer who specializes in neo-traditional and contemporary African dance. She holds an MFA in dance from the University of New Mexico.

She has been on faculty at the University of Washington where she worked as Assistant Professor of Dance. She has taught as dance faculty at the Central New Mexico Community College, the University of New Mexico and Sarah Lawrence College.

At Duke University she is part of the "Afro Feminist Performance Routes" cohort of Black femme dance artists from around the world. She was an original ensemble member in Bill T. Jones' Broadway musical and Lagos, Nigeria Tour production of FELA!

From 1999 to 2007 she conducted cultural tours to Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa and will relaunch cultural tours to Zimbabwe in 2022. Rujeko conducts her scholarly research on the interplay of nature, gender and power in Black Female ritual practices and ritualized performances.

Her work will be seen in W&L Repertory Dance Concert 2023.