Jodie Gates to Lead the New School of Dance at the University of Southern California

Jodie Gates has been named vice dean and director of the Glorya Kaufman School of Dance at the University of Southern California. She will also hold the academic rank of professor at the university. She is currently a professor of dance at the University of California at Irvine. Professor Gates will begin her new job on August 1.

The dance school at USC was established last November by a gift from Glorya Kaufman, a philanthropist and patron of dance. Part of the gift will be used to construct a building to house the new school that will bear the name of its benefactor. The school is expected to admit its first students in the fall of 2015.

Gates is an internationally recognized dancer, educator, and choreographer. She is a former lead dancer of the Joffrey Ballet and is the founder of the Laguna Dance Festival.