Gerard M Samuel

Assoc Prof Gerard M Samuel is an Associate Professor at the University of Cape Town and former Director of the School of Dance. A former ballet dancer and choreographer, he explores intersections of Contemporary Dance, Postcolonial Theory, and Disability Arts in South Africa.

• PhD, MA, and Ballet Diploma from UCT/University of Natal
• Editor of South African Dance Journal
• Chair of Confluences international dance conference

His research examines Dance Archives as sites of contested history, focusing on:

• Ballet pedagogy in post-apartheid contexts
• Choreoactivism and social healing
• Interculturality in global performance

Recent publications address Contemporary Ballet (2021), African Somaesthetics (2021), and forthcoming works on ballet pedagogy (2025). He received the Creative Arts Award for his film Place of Grace.

Assoc Prof Samuel teaches postgraduate courses in Performance Studies and chairs the PhD Dance Programme. His current monograph Dancing Copper Bodies investigates brown dancing bodies in South Africa.