Dr. S. Ama Wray is a tenured Professor of Dance at the University of California, Irvine, and an improviser, choreographer, director, teacher, and scholar. Formerly known as Sheron Wray, she began her career as a dancer with the London Contemporary Dance Theatre and later with Rambert Dance Theatre. Dr. Wray has also performed with JazzXchange Music and Dance Company, which she founded and directed, collaborating with artists including Wynton Marsalis, Bobby McFerrin, Mojisola Adebayo and Derek Bermel. Wray received a Ph.D. from the University of Surrey, where she developed her theory and practice of Embodiology®, based on West African principles of human. As its custodian it is now practiced as restorative movement method which leads to human flourishing. Embodiology’s distinctive breath-informed, rhythmic movement and music concepts have shown evidence-based efficacy in elevating vitality, wellbeing and resilience, along with emboldened activation of community cohesion. She has received numerous awards and fellowships for her work, including the UK National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts and an Emerging Scholar Award from the International Comparative & International Education Society in 2018. At UC Irvine, Dr. Wray leads The Africana Institute for Creativity, Recognition, and Elevation, a multidisciplinary concern that focuses on solutions to problems encountered in populations that have been historically and contemporaneously misserved. Emanating from her work with AICRE, she is a lead collaborator on the AI4Afrika initiative that has functioned as a content partner to the United Nations in Geneva to move the globe toward realizing the sustainable development goals. Dr. Wray is also writer, and with her monograph forthcoming, has published work including “Embodiology – Neo-African Knowledge Production” and “A 21st Century Dance Manifesto”, She continues to inspire students and dancers around the world with her innovative approach to movement and her commitment to social justice.
