Dr. Kikora Franklin

Biography

Aquila Kikora Franklin is the Director of the Penn State School of Theatre and a Professor of Theatre/Dance. As an award-winning dance-theatre educator, choreographer, and director, Franklin has a career that spans decades in creative performance, choreography, teaching, and administration across local, national, and international contexts. At Penn State, she teaches courses including West African Dance, Hip Hop Theatre, and jazz. Her artistry and pedagogy have taken her around the globe, performing and teaching in places such as Linz, Austria; Grahamstown, South Africa; Dakar, Senegal; Minas Gerais, Brazil; and various locations in China and the United States. Franklin has created work for the Atlanta Hawks Dance Team, collaborated with Grammy Award-winning group Arrested Development, and worked with renowned poet Sonia Sanchez. She has served as a collaborator and choreographer for Dominique Morisseau's Blood Root. A dedicated advocate for community-based arts education, Franklin co-founded and serves as the artistic director of Roots Life, a program launched in 2006 that provides workshops, performances, and service opportunities for youth in Centre County, Pennsylvania, in partnership with the State College Area School District. Franklin holds a JD/MPA from Georgia State University's College of Law and the Andrew Young School of Public Administration.

Research Interests

Courses