Jeffrey Lorenzo Perillo

Associate Professor, Theatre & Dance

Dr. Jeffrey Lorenzo Perillo, Associate Professor of Theatre & Dance, is a scholar-practitioner whose work reimagines performance as a powerful form of knowledge, one that carries history, identity, and cultural meaning through the body. Drawing from expertise in hip-hop, Philippine dance, ʻOri Tahiti, and Indigenous performance, Perillo’s teaching blends creative practice with critical inquiry, inviting students to explore how movement both reflects and shapes the world around them.

Dr. Perillo’s classrooms and studios function as collaborative, inquiry-driven spaces where theory and practice intersect. By integrating critical race and ethnic studies, Indigenous epistemologies, and dance scholarship with hands-on methods such as choreography, oral history, and performance analysis, students develop both intellectual depth and embodied understanding. Complex ideas are made tangible through lived experience, encouraging students to see themselves as active participants in knowledge-making.

With a strong emphasis on relational learning, Dr. Perillo models values of reciprocity, respect, and accountability through co-teaching, community partnerships, and research initiatives. Perillo’s leadership in Indigenous performance research and curriculum development has created pathways for students to engage in advanced scholarship, including conference presentations and published work.

Innovative and interdisciplinary, Perillo’s teaching connects classroom learning to global and local contexts, from mainstage productions to international study programs. Students are consistently challenged to think critically, create boldly, and engage ethically. Through a balance of rigor, creativity, and care, he cultivates artists and scholars who are not only technically skilled, but also deeply attuned to culture, community, and the responsibilities of storytelling through performance.

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“The professor was always very quick to respond to my emails. If I had any questions or concerns, he would always respond in a very clear and professional manner that helped me feel that I was fully being supported. The professor always created a space for us to feel safe to exchange ideas, thoughts, and opinions with him and the other students in the class.”

“The readings that were provided for us to analyze has not only challenged my process of thinking about the way I view dance as an art form, but has also been an immense inspiration for me to utilize my artistic voice in ways I have never been able to do before.”

“The amount of knowledge I gained during the process of writing my final research paper, has truly expanded my mind in ways that has carried over to the choreographic work I have been creating for the stage.”

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