faculty spotlight

 An internationally acclaimed and much sought after educator/ choreographer/ performer, Josette Wiggan has dedicated her life to the perpetuation of African American Vernacular Jazz Dance.

She began her dance adventure with Paul and Arlene Kennedy at the Universal Dance Designs Studio in Los Angeles. Her love for performing was fostered by the Kennedys and then refined as an adult while dancing with Jazz Tap Ensemble until 2007. A graduate of UCLA, Josette's career highlights include, the 2001 Spotlight Award winner in non-classical dance category, the first National Broadway Tour of 42nd Street, 2008

Bessie Award Nominee for Outstanding Performance in the Baker/Tarpaga Project, movies Idlewild and Princess and the Frog, and studying with Germaine Acogny at L'ecole les Sables in Senegal. 

Alongside her brother, Joseph Wiggan, she was part of two original casts of Cirque du Soleil's Banana Shpeel and Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour from 2009-2013. The duo performed in Tireless, a curated

show by Michelle Dorrance that had its debut at Jacob's Pillow in 2017. n 2021, Josette created her first evening length work, Praise: The Inevitable Fruit of Gratitude, in collaboration with Grammy nominated, jazz trumpeter Keyon Harrold and the cast of Dorrance Dance. Josette is a co-creator with Michelle Dorrance and Hannah Heller for their Christmas work entitled, ...The Nutcracker Suite... that had its tour debut at the Kennedy Center in 2023 and was invited to perform at The White House under the invitation of First Lady Jill Biden in 2023. It had its debut at Jacob's Pillow and the Queens Theatre in the Park. 

Most currently, Josette began her own tap company, Josette Wiggan Presents... and developed new works entitled, On Solid Ground: A Celebration of Black Joy and Freedom In Our America, featuring improvisation by the dancers and musicians, and her first solo work, Threshing Floor: A Place of Meditation and Melody for the American Dance Platform 2024 at the Joyce Theater. In addition, Josette is currently on faculty at USC, teaching Vernacular Jazz and Tap Dance at the Glorya Kaufman School of Dance.