Assistant Professor of Dance
University of California, Irvine
sheron [dot] wray [at] uci [dot] edu

Sheron Wray joined the faculty of the University of California, Irvine in January 2009, teaching courses in jazz, pedagogy and improvisation. She is affiliated faculty for the new Computer Games and Virtual Worlds research center in the Bren School of ICS at UCI, headed by Professor Walt Scacchi. For over 10 years Sheron danced with the UK’s leading Contemporary Dance Company’s Rambert and London Contemporary Dance Theatre. In tandem she began choreographing her own work, in 1992 JazzXchange Music and Dance Company was formed to which she is founding Artistic Director collaborating with Wynton Marsalis, Julian Joseph, Byron Wallen and Bobby McFerrin. Awarded her MA in Performing Arts from Middlesex University in 2002, developing the Kaleidoscope Approach an interdisciplinary approach to music and dance improvisation. Theatre director credits include Moj of the Antarctic for The Lyric Theatre and Muhammad Ali and Me for Oval House and Texterritory an American Classic for NYU’s Experimental Theatre Wing. Texterritory is a digital interactive performance format, enabling the audience to participate in a theatrical performance via their mobile phones, initially developed through the Nesta Fellowship award. Texterritory is a multi purpose platform that has been used to address needs of interactivity within business and community settings. Teaching residencies include the University of Surrey, Royal Ballet School, London Studio Center, London Contemporary Dance School, English National Ballet, Middlesex University, Carnegie Mellon and Alvin Ailey. She is the director of Jazz for Dance Arts International in the UK.