Performance Studies

- “I chose Performance Studies because I initially wanted to balance academics and performance in my major. I pulled from my passion for teaching and sharing the arts, observing and examining how they affect and alter individuals in many ways. The interdisciplinary nature of performance studies allows for flexibility and inclusion in your studies, the ability to stretch across fields, research the intersection of performance and law, and any imaginable field. I aim to delve into the depths of performance, politics and law, dance studies, social justice, and societal impact, and the department has been all I had hoped for and made it possible for me to achieve more. Not only has the department allowed me to branch out to all my interests and define my performance craft, but it has also given me the diverse skill sets to go into journalism, law, and performance,” Addison Alvarado, B.A. Student. Learn more about Addison and our other B.A. students are working on at PS using the students link in our bio!

to some highlights from our Lecture Series events from this past academic year! We look forward to offering more events this Fall. Our Lectures Series is always open to the public, and is a great way to get to know our PS community as a prospective student or as someone looking to engage with an academic and artistic community! We look forward to welcoming you back to events in just a few months!

- On May 28 PITCH will present performances by Sol Cabrini (PS BA ‘20, MA ‘21, PhD Candidate) and Angel Zinovieff as the inaugural event for the series, curated by Isabella Thorpe-Woods (PA MA ‘22) and Nora Raine Thompson (PS MA ‘22, PhD Candidate), who will be programming the next three months of performances.

PITCH is a monthly program showcasing performances by early career dance & performance makers, curated by emerging dance & performance curators and makers.

Curators work solo or in teams to produce and present a season of three performances. Curators are encouraged to use the opportunity to work with emerging artists they would like to build long-term collaborative partnerships with and to develop their own curatorial approach to presenting dance. The philosophy behind the program is to create a way for emerging artists to support and invest in each other by building meaningful relationships in a field that often promotes competition over community.

Learn more about the performance and how to get tickets at the newslink in our bio!

Calling all PS alumni who are currently serving as faculty, teachers, instructors, or mentors to high school or undergraduate college students. We would appreciate it if you could take a moment to complete the form linked in our bio if you are interested in receiving information on our B.A. or M.A. programs to share with your students who may be interested in one of our programs! Our alumni representatives are a huge help in our efforts to find future members of the PS community!

- Yes! We have several info sessions coming up this summer where you can learn all about our B.A. and M.A. programs! Join a session to learn about our information about our curriculum, student services, events, and our incredible community. We have virtual info sessions for the B.A. program at 11:00 AM on June 17th and for our M.A. program at 1:00 PM on June 17th. Register to attend one of these info sessions on zoom at the link in our bio! We look forward to seeing you there! We hope to add additional sessions later this summer too!

The classes offered in the M.A. in Performance Studies can be combined to support your research, practice, and academic goals in such unique ways. Students come in with backgrounds in theater studies, curatorial studies, new media/technology and performance and so many other disciplines and all find a home here at PS! Learn how our M.A. students collect an archive of information and experiences throughout their course work and turn those archives into an incredible M.A. Projects Symposium each year! Learn more about our M.A. program on our website linked in our bio and sign up to attend our virtual info session on June 17th!

- Raven Malouf-Renning (PS M.A. ‘25) recently published an article titled “It’s Never Too Late: Tales of a Midlife Dancer and Scholar in the Big Apple” in the Spring 2026 issue of Stance On Dance Magazine. Read the full article linked in the news section of our bio!

Congratulations to the PS Class of 2026! 🌟🌟🎓🎓

Our incoming M.A. cohort is preparing to register for their Fall classes and one of their required courses they will be taking with their cohort is Introduction to Performance Studies with Professor Fred Moten!
This course will introduce incoming Master’s students to some of the concepts, terms, and theoretical genealogies that they can expect to encounter in Performance Studies. What makes performance studies performance studies, and why do it? In considering this question we will consider the specificity of performance as an object of study, a mode of inquiry, a practice of self-hood and sociality, and as an aesthetic practice; we will also focus on the specific challenges and potentialities in writing about/as performance.
Learn about the other courses offered in our M.A. program as the link in our bio! Join us for our next virtual info session on June17th to learn more about the curriculum of our M.A. program!