Dance Educator & Performing Artist

G. PILAR WILDER LOWDEN

Georgette Pilar Wilder Lowden founded both Hayiya Dance Theatre (23rd Season) and Hayiya Dance Theatre, Inc. (27th Season) as a student at Wesleyan College.  She is a second-year doctoral student in Texas Woman's University's Dance PhD program. In 2017, she was selected by the International Association of Blacks in Dance and currently serves in the Next Generation Leadership Program as well as the inaugural COHI | MOVE cohort.  Pilar teaches dance at Hayiya Dance Theatre and Cutno Dance in Augusta, GA.  She also teaches West African dance at Wesleyan College as an adjunct professor.

Pilar taught dance as an adjunct professor at Fort Valley State University, continuing education instructor at Macon State College, dance teacher at Tubman African American Museum and Artist-In-Residence for the Macon Arts Alliance. Pilar also served as the first dance instructor and Fine Arts Department Chair for Miller Fine Arts Magnet Middle School from 2004 to 2009. While there she was also awarded the honor of Teacher Of The Year 2008.  Pilar served as the Performance Arts Technology Consultant, Fine Arts Department Chair and dance instructor at West Side High School in Macon, GA until 2018.  

An active member in the community, Pilar is currently the Executive Director of Hayiya Dance Theatre, Inc. and is a member of the Tubman Museum board.  She is a new member of the Theatre Macon Board and Production Committee for Macon Little Theatre.  She has served on the boards of Firehouse Productions and Middle Georgia Food Bank. She is Macon's only representative for Leadership Georgia's class of 2014. Pilar is also a member Macon Magazine's 5 Leaders under 40 (2011) and the I Love Macon Campaign as well as Leadership Macon's class of 2012. Pilar serves on the Bibb County Judicial Citizens Review Board and was a member of the Museum of Arts and Sciences executive board and Pan African Festival Executive Planning Committee. Pilar has volunteered as a docent and environmental science teacher for the Museum of Arts & Sciences and currently serves as ministry leader for Fellowship Bible Baptist Church's Praise and Worship Dance Ministry. Pilar formerly served as a member of the Convention and Visitor's Bureau and Macon Arts Alliance boards as well as Tattnall Square Center for the Arts Programming Advisory and Friends of Historic Tattnall Square Park Boards and Junior League.

She currently holds professional memberships with the National Dance Education Organization and the American Alliance for Health Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. In April 2014, Pilar was honored by Wesleyan College as Young Alumna of the Year and was also awarded Judges Choice Champion of Dancing Stars of Central Georgia that same year. She is a founding member of the Medical Center's Champions for Children and was selected by the Knight Foundation and Dance/USA to serve on a national panel of dance instructors. She holds a Master's Degree in Dance Education from University of North Carolina at Greensboro.  Pilar is the wife of Reverend Tony Lowden. The two reside in Middle Georgia along with their daughter Tabitha.