Thomas F. DeFrantz, Research Professor of African and African American Studies

Thomas F. DeFrantz

Please note: Thomas has left the "African & African American Studies" group at Duke University; some info here might not be up to date.

Office Location:  1316 Campus Dr, Rm 243C, Durham, NC 27708
Email Address: send me a message
Web Page:  https://danceprogram.duke.edu/faculty/thomas-f-defrantz

Education:

Ph.D.New York University1997
Research Interests:

Born a Hoosier, my work focuses on theories of African diaspora aesthetics, intersections of dance and technology, and dance historiography. I write articles and essays about black dance in the United States, as they are practiced in the US and in global contexts. My research group, SLIPPAGE, is in residence at Duke, and we work to create innovate interfaces that help us tell alternative histories.

Keywords:

African Americans • Dance • Dancers • Gay rights • History • Performing arts • Sexuality

Recent Publications

  1. DeFrantz, TF, Black dance and technologies of wellness, Theatre, Dance and Performance Training, vol. 13 no. 2 (January, 2022), pp. 212-213 [doi]
  2. Defrantz, TF, Intermediality and queer African American improvisation: Dianne mcintyre, sounds in motion, Theatre Research International, vol. 46 no. 2 (July, 2021), pp. 115-127 [doi]  [abs]
  3. DeFrantz, TF, The race of contemporary ballet: Interpellations of africanist aesthetics, in The Oxford Handbook of Contemporary Ballet (January, 2021), pp. 562-580, ISBN 9780190871499 [doi]  [abs]
  4. DeFrantz, TF, The talking, Theater, vol. 50 no. 3 (November, 2020), pp. 63-67 [doi]
  5. DeFrantz, TF, Soundz at the back of my head, Theater, vol. 50 no. 3 (November, 2020), pp. 69-85 [doi]