Sarah Jean Wildes is a choreographer, performer, and educator. She is freelance choreographer and performer for musical theatre, entertainment, and contemporary dance. Currently, she is Assistant Professor of Dance at West Virginia University and was previously Professor of Dance at Valdosta State University. She earned a Master of Fine Arts in Dance Choreography at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies (emphasis in ethnomusicology and sociology) from Vanderbilt University. Sarah is a proud Associate Member of the Stage Directors & Choreographers Society (SDC).

Storytelling and connection is at the heart of Sarah’s work - she regularly dives into research as an artist, ensuring the people who are at the heart of any story are represented properly, and with care. The human condition and connections with community are recurring themes of her original work. Sarah’s interests are interdisciplinary as she enjoys integrating her talents in film-making, photography, music composition, and physical fitness into her choreography and performance while also expanding boundaries of genre and style.

A member of the board of directors for the American College Dance Association from 2021-2026, she was the social media committee chair for the organization and has worked closely with the ACDA National Office to assist in organizing ACDA’s 50th Anniversary celebration and National College Dance Festival. She is a certified Aerial Teacher through Born To Fly Curriculum and wrote the aerial dance arts curriculum at VSU adding this new area to the Dance Major. http://www.borntoflyaerial.com/

She continues to perform, choreograph, and teach professionally with various companies and artists in the region, including her former company SWADanceCo, Flatlands Dance Theatre, and Jacksonville Dance Theatre. She has performed in and presented work in NYC and was a company member of Terranova Dance Theatre, Peach State Summer Theatre, and has worked with a number of nationally renowned choreographers and artists.