Davies Awarded Virginia Center for the Creative Arts Fellowship Jenefer Davies, associate professor of dance and theater, will be among approximately 25 fellows focusing on their own creative projects at the working retreat.

By Erica Turman
May 11, 2018

Jenefer Davies, associate professor of dance and theater at Washington and Lee University, has received a Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA) fellowship. Davies will be among approximately 25 fellows focusing on their own creative projects at this working retreat for visual artists, writers and composers.

Davies came to W&L in 2006, and in addition to her professorship she is also director of the Dance Program and artistic director of the W&L Repertory Dance Company

A typical VCCA residency ranges from two weeks to two months. Each artist is provided with a room, studio and meals. Beyond the breakfast and dinner hours, there are no schedules or obligations. This distraction-free atmosphere, as well as the energy that results from having some 25 visual artists, writers, and composers gathered in one place, enables artists to be highly productive.

“I’m very excited to live and work in a community of artists this summer and to have the opportunity and the time to recharge creatively and exchange ideas with my fellow artists,” said Davies. “VCCA doesn’t regularly invite choreographers, so I am especially honored to have been chosen for this fellowship. While in residence I will begin the creation phase for a new piece of choreography that I plan to include in a performance at Washington and Lee next year.”

In 2018 Davies published her book, “Aerial Dance: A Guide to Dance with Rope and Harness,” which she calls a culmination of 16 years of experimentation and research.

“In some ways, it is really a love letter to W&L,” said Davies. “The majority of the research happened during my tenure here. The photos in the book are all of W&L students who have been in my classes over the past 10 years. I love so much that my students are part of the book.”

A nonprofit organization founded in 1971, the VCCA is supported in large part by grants and private donations.

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