Leah Wilks (she/they)

Leah is a dancer, choreographer, and teacher based out of Brooklyn, NY (Munsee Lenape and Canarsie land) and Durham, NC (Eno, Lumbee, Shakori, Sissapahaw, and the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation land). At times, she is also a gardener, an elder-care companion, a musician, and a writer. Her research revolves around embodied memory, death and dying practices, ritual, and endurance. Most recently, Leah has been a performer/collaborator in projects with Okwui Okpokwasili, Kendra Portier|BAND, Nicola Bullock, Anna Barker/Real Live People, and Tommy DeFrantz/SLIPPAGE. She has taught at Gibney, MOtiVE, ADF, Ponderosa, the Hemispheric Institute, and universities including Elon, Lawrence, NC State, UNC-G, UNC-CH, UIUC, UMich, and Montclair State. Leah holds an MFA in Dance from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where she received the Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, and the Wanda M. Nettl Prize for Choreography with collaborator Mauriah Kraker (https://www.bestlastdances.com/). https://www.leahwilks.com/