Faculty & Staff Directory
View AllZakiya L. CornishVisiting Professor, Dance
Visiting Professor, Dance
Education
MFA, Dance Composition, Temple University
Biography
Zakiya L Cornish is a dance artist, choreographer, and educator whose innovative Contemporary African dance practice is grounded in her wealth of knowledge and experience of West African dance and music, and African American vernacular dance. Zakiya has had the opportunity to work with Tony-award nominee Jeffrey Page, Bessie-award nominee Lela Aisha Jones and Ron K. Brown of Evidence Dance Company. Zakiya also worked with world-renowned, Kulu Mele Traditional African Drum and Dance Company where she performed, often directed rehearsals, served as a production/stage manager and lighting designer, and has set original choreography on the company. She studied with Germain Acogny at the École des Sables in Senegal. Zakiya has continued to serve as a K-12 teaching artist and arts integrationist for over 10 years, including a 5- year residency with Young Audiences of Louisiana, culminating in an invitation for her students to perform in Los Angeles for Adam Shankman and the Dizzy Feet Foundation. Zakiya received her MFA in Dance from Temple University, where she has served as an adjunct professor and taught many master classes. Zakiya is currently a Visiting Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
