Meet The Dance Faculty  

James R. Atkinson, Jr. is a native of New Haven, Connecticut, and currently serves as an Associate Professor and Director of Dance at Alabama State University. He is one of the founding faculty members of the BFA Program in the Fall of 2013. Mr. Atkinson earned his Master of Fine Arts degree from the Tisch School of Arts at New York University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Purchase College, State University of New York (SUNY), within the School of Arts' Conservatory of Dance. As a performing artist, Mr. Atkinson has worked with notable dance companies including New England Ballet and Sonya Plum Dance Company in Connecticut. He made his debut with the Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble during his junior year of college, and as a senior, he was selected to perform with Ballet Preljocaj during their American tour at Purchase College. Throughout his career, he has been a company member of Gleich Dances Contemporary Ballet, Compania de Danza Contemporanea de Burgos, Sacramento Ballet, Ballet British Columbia, Oakland Ballet, Capacitor, and Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre. He has also appeared as a soloist with the Columbia City Ballet for two seasons.

Morgan A. Jackson is a dynamic dance educator, accomplished choreographer, dedicated researcher, and captivating performing artist. Her unwavering passion lies in effecting change through dance education. She earned both her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees in Dance from The University of Alabama, where she was part of their inaugural MFA program.

Morgan's specialization encompasses both traditional and vernacular jazz forms. Her research is a testament to her commitment to infusing Africanist aesthetics into jazz dance pedagogy. She tirelessly works to deconstruct the Eurocentric structures traditionally ingrained in higher education dance programs. Presently, she holds the position of Assistant Professor of Dance at Alabama State University.

Rodni Williams is a native of Miami, Florida, and a distinguished figure in the world of dance. He holds a Master’s of Fine Arts degree from The University of Arizona, Tucson, which he earned in 2013.  Mr. Williams completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance at Adelphi University.  He  honed his skills under the tutelage of prestigious institutions, including the Dance Theater of Harlem and The Ailey School. His impressive professional career spans across renowned dance companies such as the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Wylliams / Henry Danse Theater (from its inception), The MAFATA Dance Co, NY, Rod Rogers Dance Co., Garth Fagan Dance, The Clive Thompson Dance Company, The Joseph Holmes Chicago Dance Theater, and Deeply Rooted, among others.

Eryn Cade, a native of Fairfield, Alabama, and an alumna of the Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA), is an interdisciplinary dance artist, choreographer, and educator. She holds both a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Master of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Alabama. Her creative research, which earned an Artistic Achievement Award from the UA Dance and Theatre Department, investigates the portrayal of the Black female body in dance, specifically focusing on the hyper-sexualization within colonialist perspectives and its implications in contemporary society. 

Coming Soon.

Adrienne Wilson is a dancer and musician who has been actively pursuing a life in the arts for many years. As a professor of theatre at Auburn University, she teaches dance courses based in modern/contemporary technique, rhythm tap, and movement analysis by conceptually blending in elements of dance history, composition, improvisation, anatomy and kinesiology. She also choreographs and directs the annual student dance concert, coaches movement for actors, choreographs for theatre productions, and teaches music theory fundamentals and piano skills for the music theatre performance major. Wilson created the dance minor, and advises and mentors students involved in dance.

Wilson earned an MFA in choreography and performance from SUNY Brockport, studied music and movement at Boston University, and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in piano performance from Ithaca College. She is also a certified teacher in The Bill Evans Method of Laban/Bartenieff Based Modern Dance Technique. She was awarded the 2008-2009 College of Liberal Arts Instructional Excellence Award.

Faculty 

Faculty 

Faculty