Visiting Assistant Professor
School of Dance

Contact

kewilkes@fsu.edu

 

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”11″ gal_title=”Kara Wilkes”]

Areas of Responsibility

Ballet (I, II, III)
Dance theory/history
Choreographer EOD

A Milwaukee native, Kara Wilkes is an educator, choreographer, dancer, visual artist, and filmmaker. Her expertise in classical and contemporary ballet is extensive and supported by her twenty-year career performing with Milwaukee Ballet Company, Ballet Victor Ullate, Charlotte Ballet and Alonzo King LINES Ballet. Kara has danced leading roles, domestically and internationally, in works by Alonzo King, Alvin Ailey, Twyla Tharp, Nacho Duato, Jacqulyn Buglisi, Dwight Rhoden, George Balanchine, Darrell Grand Moultrie, and others. She has been named one of “25 to Watch” by Dance Magazine and one of “12 Standout Performances of 2015” by Pointe magazine; in 2016, she performed in the TEDWomen Conference in San Francisco. Kara has also served as Ballet Master for LINES and was recently on faculty for the LINES Ballet Training Program. She has taught all levels of dance, including master classes for Hollins University, Duke University, University of Iowa, UC Santa Barbara, University of Georgia, Western Michigan University and abroad in Dublin, Ireland. In 2019, Kara earned her MFA in Dance from Hollins University and has since served on dance faculties at Wake Forest University, Mills College, and Santa Clara University.

Kara is currently a Toulmin Choreography Fellow through NYU’s Center for Ballet and the Arts and National Sawdust; her creative process embraces experimentation and collaboration. She most recently choreographed works for Traverse City Dance Project (NuVo Choreography Fellow), Texas Christian University, and the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. Kara’s MFA thesis and subsequent choreographic research investigates inherited trauma, addiction, and healing; it also focuses heavily on the Digital Age’s impacts on society and on issues surrounding climate change. Kara is a movie enthusiast whose creations are often cinematic, offering non-linear narratives; viewers are exposed to various artistic mediums and theatrical elements, such as props, facial expressions, poetry/speech, singing, and gesture-inspired movement.

Education

St. Mary’s College of CA, LEAP Program (2012-14)
Master of Fine Arts in Dance, Hollins University (2019)

Scholarly & Creative Works

NYU Toulmin Choreography Fellow, Center for Ballet and the Arts & National Sawdust (2022-23)
New Voices Choreography Fellow, Traverse City Dance Project (2022 & 2021)
Hollins University, MFA in Dance, thesis solo: “passing the salt” (2019)

Teaching Areas

Ballet (I, II, III)
Dance theory/history

Research Areas

Embodied generational trauma with a focus on addiction
Climate change; the effects of consumer culture on our planet
The Digital Age’s effects on the dance world and society
Dance documentary/filmmaking

 

Videographer/Composer/Musician

School of Dance

Farai Malianga, born and raised in Zimbabwe, began his career in African Dance in Colorado with Leticia Williams’ Harambee and Musical Director Judy “Fatu” Henderson. Upon arriving in New York he began studying dance and drum with pioneers Yousouf Koumbasa, Mbemba Bangoura and Ronald K. Brown. Performing with the Masters; Chuck Davis in BAMs ‘Dance Africa’, Reginald Yates and Heritage O.P. for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre for their 40th Anniversary. He has worked with Companies including; Harambee , Umoja , The New Jersey Chamber Orchestra, Obediah Wrights Balance, BSRC, Def Dance Jam, Juxtapower and Opus With Musicians; Roy Ayers, Wunmi Olaiya,, Manchild Black, Akua Allrich, Melanie Charles, Scott Patterson, Saycon Sengbloh, Amma Whatt!, Nomsa Mazwai and Nakia Henry.

Producing Amma Whatt’s EP “Maybe” and remixes for Saycon Sengblogh’s album “Hottentot” and Nomsa Mazwai’s “Maybe I”. In Theatre; with the Off Broadway production of “Darker Faces of the Earth” directed by Trezana Beverley and on the Broadway Stage in the musical ‘Fela!’ In Film; International Domestic Violence Series produced by Joe Rodman as well as Kasi Lemmon’s film “Black Nativity”. Also Performing for the Public Theater in 2021 for their Shakespeare in the Park reimagining of “Merry Wives of Windsor” set in Harlem and consequently appearing in the HBO documentary “Reopening Night” cataloguing the return to Central Park. Malianga’s composition credits include commissioned works for Camille Brown, Karen Loves’ Umoja, Christal Browns’ Inspirit Dance Companies and “Jenaguru” An African Creation Myth for the Smithsonian. Recently scoring music for the the Dance Documentarys “Black Stains” and Kehinde Ishangi’s “Not My Enemy” produced and edited by Tiffany Rhynard.

As a videographer he produced and directed; Wunmi Olaiya’s music video “Fit Body”, the documentary piece “Kalakuta Broadway!” (During his time in “Fela,”) Summit Academy Charter School in Red Hook (tracking the affects and recovery of a school impacted by hurricane Sandy) for the Play Hush Hush by Aquaila Barnes based on the book of the same name by DeShannon Bowens and for 651 Arts for their workshop series “Home in a Time of Brooklyn” Most recently Editing the archival documentary for “Kumbuka” the longest active New Orleans nased West African Dance troupes in collaboration with Cultural Ties, Kelly White and Sulé-Joel Adams. Malianga has also worked as both Sound and Multimedia Designer for “The Power of the Unknown” a collaborative project under the direction of Dr Darian Parker and Daaimah Taalib-Din. Farai Malianga is honored to be joining FSU as a tenure track Proffesor with a focus on Music for dance and choreography. This year teaching Rhythmic Analysis, Music for Choreography, Digital Audio Recording while also providing music support for African, Dunham and Contemporary classes.