History of the Dance Division
When Boston Conservatory’s Dance Division was established in 1943 by Austrian-born dancer Jan Veen, it was the first complete college-level department of dance in the country. Over the decades, this legacy of innovation evolved and expanded through the visionary work of the division’s three subsequent leaders: celebrated ballerina Ruth Sandholm Ambrose, respected Juilliard-trained dancer Yasuko Tokunaga, and esteemed choreographer and arts administrator Cathy Young. These teachers and their talented students built what is today an internationally renowned program at the forefront of contemporary dance training.