Faculty Spotlight: J. Lorenzo Perillo, Ph.D.
This spotlight focuses on one of our newest faculty members – J. Lorenzo Perillo, Ph.D. who is an Assistant Professor of Theatre and Dance.
Q: When did you start working at UHM?
JLP: I’ll be starting in August 2020
Q: What are your teaching areas of focus?
JLP: My teaching areas of focus include but are not limited to Hip-hop studies and dance technique, Dance and Performance theory, Movement Analysis, Kinesiology and Anatomy for dancers.
Q: Have you ever taught overseas/outside of Hawai’i?
JLP: Yes, at the University of Illinois at Chicago I taught Intro to Asian American Studies, Asian Diasporas and Global Hip-Hop, Intro to Filipino American Studies, and Asian American LGBT Studies. At Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, I taught a mixed undergrad and grad seminar on Choreographing Race and also an Asian American Hip-Hop class.
Q: Do you have a favorite academic achievement?
JLP: Publishing my book this coming fall will be my favorite academic achievement, but until then, it is a tie between completing a particularly challenging year of ethnographic fieldwork in Manila and doing a short improvisational dance on stage while being awarded my Ph.D. in Culture and Performance/Dance at UCLA.
Q: Do you have a favorite performance achievement?
JLP: Performing and touring with Henry Kapono and other musicians across the islands. It was both challenging and exciting to work with such a wonderful community of artists.
Q: Do you have a unique hobby or interest?
JLP: I’m a board game enthusiast.
Q: Has your work and/or research been published?
JLP: Yes, and links to my work are available on my profile page.
Q: Is there anything that you would like us to know?
JLP: Yes, I’m an alum of the graduate program in American Studies at UH Mānoa. I know first-hand about the challenges of balancing academic, artistic, work, and family responsibilities while navigating the intersecting struggles related to race, gender, sexuality, and colonialism as a UH student. Thus, I’m happy to chat with prospective and current students in need of support.
Visit his website for more: www.choreographingincolor.com
Dept. of Theatre + Dance
1770 East-West Rd Honolulu HI 96822
Main Office: (808) 956-7677
Box Office: (808) 956-7655
