Assoc Professor
tel: +27 (0)21 650 3745
email: lisa.wilson@uct.ac.za
Lisa Wilson teaches in the areas of dance education & applied pedagogy, dance performance and critical dance studies. She convenes the Postgraduate Certificate in Education in dance, Year 3 applied pedagogy studio and Year 4 dance performance studio. Lisa completed her Master’s in creative arts education at the University of Exeter, England, and obtained her Bachelor of Creative Arts at Wesley Institute, Australia and her Bachelor of Social Sciences in Management and Economics from the University of the West Indies, Jamaica.
Her research interests intersect her multiple identities as creative practitioner, academic and pedagogue, bringing them into both fiery and nuanced conversations with each other. Her current research curiosity includes feminist decolonial dance pedagogies in higher education in Africa and its transatlantic Diaspora. Her research has been published in reputable journals and books such as Caribbean Journal of Education, Research in Dance Education, Journal of Dance Education, Dance Current Research volumes and International Journal of Education and the Arts. Her expertise in the area of dance studies and pedagogy is internationally acknowledged as she serves as a peer reviewer for multiple reputable, international dance journals. Her creative dance works, which often give visibility to the stories and lived experiences of Black/ women, have been performed on local and international dance platforms, festivals and conferences throughout the Caribbean, South Africa, North America, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Malaysia, Australia and Europe. Lisa is also extensively engaged in socially responsive/community dance practice through a combination of her work with dance and the Child International (daCi), International Christian Dance Fellowship (ICDF), wildFlower dance project, Sharing our Legacy Dance Theatre (US-based), Theatre in the Backyard (SA-based) and UCT Youth dance Community Program, which she started in 2014 in collaboration with New World Dance Theatre.
Selected Publications
Wilson, L., Vedel, K.A., Samuel, G.M. & Svendler Nielsen, C. (2021). Example of Best Practice: Getting to the core of Red Apples-Green Apples: A dance and visual arts learning project between South Africa and Denmark. Intercultural Education. 32(6):682-690. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2021.1987689
Svendler Nielsen, C., Samuel, G.M., Wilson, L., & Vedel, K.A. (2020). ‘Seeing’ and ‘being seen’: An embodied and culturally sensitive arts-integrated pedagogy creating enriched conditions for learning in multi-cultural schools. International Journal of Education & the Arts, 21(2). http://doi.org/10.26209/ijea21n2.
Young Overby, L., Wilson, L., and Ruberto, D. (2020). Women of Consequence: A cross-border arts-based research project between South Africa and USA. In C. Svendler Nielsen & S. Burridge (Eds.), Dancing Across Borders: Perspectives on Dance Education, Young people and Change. Abingdon, UK: Routledge. 87-96.
Wilson, L. (2018). Weaving Rastafari principles in the contemporary dance course: A culturally responsive pedagogy. In L. Overby & B. Lepczyk (Eds.) Dance: Current Selected Research Volume 9. Delaware: University of Delaware Library Open Access Publishing. ISBN: 0-404-63850-3. https://udspace.udel.edu/handle/19716/28724.
Wilson, L. & Moffett, A.T. (2017). Building Bridges for dance through arts-based research. Research in Dance education. 18(2): 135-149. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14647893.2017.1330328
Wilson, L. (2017). Extending the reach of the Caribbean Bele: Connecting African dance students with African Diaspora dance culture. Jonkonnu Academic Arts Journal. 3(1): 65-76.
Wilson, L. (2016). Dance Pedagogy: Back up plan or branch into the future? Journal of Dance Education. 16(1): 20-26. DOI: 10.1080/15290824.2015.1045513
Wilson, L. and K. Kernochan (2015). Mining the body’s wisdom: Somatic practice in the training of South African student dancers. South African Dance Journal 3 (1): 43-64.
Wilson, L. (2014). Balancing the tide of globalisation: Maintaining Afro-Caribbean cultural power and indigenous identity in the dance studio. Congress on Research in Dance (CORD) Conference Proceedings. Volume 2014/Fall 2014. 163-170. Dance Studies: Moving in New Global Orders dance. 14-17 November. Riverside, California. ISSN 2049-1255. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/cor.2014.23.
Wilson, L. (2013). Fostering students’ embodiment of diverse forms and techniques in higher education. South African Dance Journal. 2(1): 20-35.
Wilson, L. (2012). Through the window or the doorway: Challenges faced by student teachers in developing pupils’ creativity in dance in Jamaica. Caribbean Journal of Education, 33(2): 259-275.
Selected Creative Work
2021 35th miner. L. Wilson & Maxwell Xolani Rani. Choreographers. Mhlanguli George. Director. Theatre in the Backyard. Gugulethu: Cape Town. 4-6 June.
2019 Chronicles L. Wilson. Choreographer. Stephen Scott. Poet and musician. International Christian Dance Fellowship Dance and Culture Study Tour. YMCA: Kanyakamuri, India. 5-12 May.
2019 Chronicles. L. Wilson. Choreographer. Director. Performer. Producer. Theatre Arts Admin Collective: Cape Town. 6-7 December.
2018 Sharing our Legacy: Women of Consequence L. Wilson, Co-Choreographer. Lynnette Young-Overby. Artistic Director. World Dance Alliance/Dance and the Child International Conference in collaboration with Adelaide Dance Festival, Adelaide: Australia. 8-13 July.
2018 Bearing Witness to the Struggle. L. Wilson. Choreographer. Robben Island Night Vigil celebrating the centennial anniversary of Nelson Mandela and Albertina Sisulu. Robben Island: Cape Town. 5-6 December.
2017 Spirit of Fire. Same Story Different Countries Production. L. Wilson. Collaborator. Lynnette Young-Overby. Artistic Director. Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, Johannesburg; Holy Cross Anglican Church, Soweto; Baxter Theatre. Cape Town. 22 January- February 3.
2016 Spirit of Fire. Same Story Different Countries Production. L. Wilson. Collaborator. Lynnette Young-Overby. Artistic Director. Grand Opera House, Wilmington, Delaware; Schwartz Centre for the Arts, Dover, Delaware; Mitchell Hall Theatre, Newark, Delaware. 4-13 March.
2016 Thula Du. L. Wilson. Performer. Maxwell Xolani Rani. Choreographer. 9th International Christian Dance Fellowship Conference. University of Ghana: Accra. 11-17 July.
2016 Hair Revealed. L. Wilson. Choreographer & Performer. Fragile Spaces Production: Baxter Concert Hall. 14 September.
2015 Dolls of Hope. L. Wilson. Choreographer. Born Frees Production. New World Dance Theatre. Artscape Theatre: Cape Town.
2014 UPRISING. L. Wilson and J. Booysens. Choreographers. Baxter Dance Festival Main Programme. Baxter Theatre: Cape Town. 9-18 October.
2012 Ancestral Whisperings. L. Wilson. Choreographer. William Constable. Performer. Jomba Fringe! 14TH Contemporary Dance Experience. Durban: Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre: Durban. 3 September.