NEXT STEPS

Academics NEXT STEPS Tommy Neblett, recently appointed dean of dance, shares his vision for Boston Conservatory's dance program

Over the past few months, Boston Conservatory at Berklee made two big announcements: Tommy Neblett was appointed dean of dance and Mila Thigpen was named chair of dance. The appointments came nearly a year after both Neblett and Thigpen assumed interim roles while previous Dean of Dance Cathy Young transitioned into the new position of executive director of Boston Conservatory at Berklee and national searches for the dance positions were conducted.

Both Neblett and Thigpen bring deep knowledge and expertise to their new roles. Prior to becoming dean, Neblett served as assistant director of the Conservatory’s Dance Division, where he had been a faculty member for 24 years. Thigpen, a Boston Conservatory alumna, also served as a faculty member and director of the Conservatory’s successful summer youth dance program, Day Sessions: Dance.

With the Dance Division’s leadership cemented and Young’s strategic vision unveiled, STAGES sat down with Neblett to learn more about his plans for the Conservatory’s Dance Division.

WHAT MAKES BOSTON CONSERVATORY’S DANCE DIVISION SO UNIQUE? The Dance Division’s strengths lie in the many ways it is diverse: the curriculum, the types of pieces students get to perform, our faculty—who are diverse not only in background and areas of expertise, but also in the personal experiences they bring to the table— and of course, diversity in our student population. I worked closely with Cathy Young on building a strong foundation of diversity and want to continue that trajectory.

WHAT GOALS DO YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH? First off, Mila and I would like to bring new areas of concentration to the B.F.A. in contemporary dance program: dance on film, circus arts, and entrepreneurship for dancers. We currently have a dance on film course, but I’d like to expand that into a curriculum that enables students to learn choreography, filmmaking, and how to get their work seen through film. Secondly, I’ve always had a fascination with Cirque du Soleil (which, by the way, Conservatory musical theater alumnus Tim Bennett, B.F.A. '85, is now artistic directing!), because circus arts are so multidisciplinary and such a major part of the dance industry. While this is an admittedly ambitious area of study to bring to the Conservatory, Berklee College of Music has a partnership with Cirque du Soleil, so we’re exploring how our dancers can get involved. The third thing is entrepreneurship—this is particularly challenging when it comes to dance, so I’d love to work with experts across the greater Berklee community on finding effective ways to channel that into our thinking and our curriculum.

HOW DO YOU ENVISION THE DANCE DIVISION INTERACTING WITH THE BROADER BERKLEE COMMUNITY? I would love to see dance interwoven into Berklee’s global network—at Valencia, Spain, and in our international partner schools—so that we can create new pathways for international students to study both in their home country and at the Conservatory. We’ve already begun to explore a number of these partnerships, and hope to roll out some exciting opportunities in the next year.

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU’RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT FOR 2018–2019? Where do I begin? Our recent fall dance concert, From the Ground Up, featured six international choreographers—five from Europe and one from Turkey. This was a huge coup for our students, and it supports our goal of helping students build global perspectives and networks outside of the United States.

I’m also excited about our 2019 spring concert, Limitless, which was selected for the Conservatory’s new Center Stage curated performance collection. That concert features an incredibly unique collaboration with Berklee College of Music’s Mirek Vana and the Metallica Project. About a year ago, Mirek approached me with this concept of having Metallica’s “The Unforgiven” transposed by the East India, Balkan, and American Roots ensembles into their own styles, and then combine those interpretations with dance on stage. Otis Sallid, who is the Kunkemueller Artist in Residence this year for both theater and dance, will direct and choreograph the Metallica Project. My hope is that this collaboration can continue into future iterations and we can watch it progress. I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention a special José Limón reconstruction by faculty member Kurt Douglas, and Kate Weare’s brilliant “Night Light,” both for Limitless. It will be a spectacular year for performance not to be missed. Introducing Musical Theater Acting Intensive JULY 22–AUGUST 9

This summer, Boston Conservatory at Berklee unveils a new summer intensive for emerging theater artists, ages 15 to 25: Musical Theater Acting Intensive, July 22 to August 9, 2019.

Led by Broadway veteran Laura Marie Duncan, Musical Theater Acting Intensive (MTAI) is a rigorous, three-week program that delves deep into the complex art of character development, with intensive studies in acting, singing, and movement. Students will explore classical and contemporary repertoire, with daily classes in subjects ranging from Shakespeare to clowning to pop and rock vocal techniques. MTAI also focuses on audition preparation so that students leave the program with the skills and confidence needed to nail their next audition.

MTAI is modeled after Boston Conservatory’s topranking musical theater B.F.A. degree program and gives students who are considering a degree in theater an opportunity to experience Boston Conservatory’s signature training. The program is designed to complement the Conservatory’s related summer intensives—the popular Musical Theater Dance Intensive, which develops strong theater dance technique, and the revered Vocal/ Choral Intensive, which is designed for advanced singers interested in musical theater or classical music.

Learn more about MTAI and how to apply: bostonconservatory.berklee.edu/mtai

Read more about Tommy Neblett, Mila Thigpen, and Boston Conservatory’s leading B.F.A. in contemporary dance program: bostonconservatory.berklee.edu/dance