W&L’s Jenefer Davies Receives Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award The professor of dance and theater will use the award to conduct research in London.

By Brian Laubscher
May 7, 2026

Jenefer Davies, professor of dance and theater at Washington and Lee University, has been selected as a 2026-27 Fulbright U.S. Scholar for the United Kingdom.

Davies has received the University of Roehampton Scholar Award, which fully funds her sabbatical to teach and conduct research at the University of Roehampton in London during the 2026-27 academic year. Her award includes membership in the U.K. Fulbright alumni network and access to Fulbrighter, a networking platform that enables grantees to connect, engage and collaborate with Fulbright alumni and grantees around the world. As part of her award, Davies will deliver a public lecture or other event at an outside institution at the completion of her experience.

“I’d like to thank [Dean of the College] Paul Youngman, a former Fulbright recipient himself, for advice on navigating the Fulbright process and [Provost] Lena Hill for writing me a recommendation,” said Davies. “This meaningful support reaffirms W&L’s commitment to the arts and its support for a flourishing arts environment on campus.”

Davies’ teaching and research during her time in the U.K. are expected to culminate in the completion of her third book, “Beautiful Risk: Unharnessing Bodies and Pedagogy.” Her research and the resulting book seek to explore and address risk — the physical risk within a specific dance form and the employment risk that artists experience when they are required to adapt and draw on other skill sets to maintain their presence in the industry.

“The University of Roehampton is the United Kingdom’s foremost university for dance research and is affiliated with the world-leading multidisciplinary hub — the Centre for Research in Arts and Creative Exchange (CRACE),” said Davies. “Roehampton’s programs offer an innovative and broad curriculum taught by artists and researchers who are leading specialists in their fields. Having the opportunity to work with these academics and teach their students is a wonderful opportunity to continue my research in embodied practice and bring new pedagogical tools back to W&L.”

Davies has been a member of the W&L faculty since 2006. She currently serves as chair of the Department of Theater, Dance and Film Studies and artistic director of the W&L Repertory Dance Company. Her choreography has been commissioned by dance, opera and theater companies in several countries, and her research is centered on modern dance, including the use of technology in dance composition and in-depth research and experimentation exploring aerial dance forms. She has served on the Reviewers’ Board of the Athens Journal of Humanities and Arts and reviewed dance proposals for the Oxford University Press. She has also authored two books: “Aerial Dance: A Guide to Dance with Rope and Harness” (2017) and “Writing the Body: The Art of Dance Composition” (2023).

Davies earned a Bachelor of Arts in theatre arts/dance from Hollins College, a Master of Liberal Arts and Sciences in performance from Hollins University and a Master of Fine Arts in choreography/dance from The George Washington University.

Fulbright Scholar Awards are prestigious and competitive fellowships that provide unique opportunities for scholars to teach and conduct research abroad. Fulbright scholars also play a critical role in U.S. public diplomacy, establishing long-term relationships between people and nations. Alumni of the Fulbright Program include 63 Nobel Laureates, 98 Pulitzer Prize winners, 83 MacArthur Fellows and thousands of leaders and world-renowned experts in academia and other fields across the private, public and nonprofit sectors.

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