Dance News

Boston Conservatory is reinventing conservatory education, and its graduates are the proof. Here is a look at just a few of the diverse global adventures in store for the class of 2019.

Dancer and choreographer Ebony Williams (B.F.A. '05, contemporary dance), noted for her work with Beyoncé, was a recipient of the 2019 Alumni Achievement Award. Listen as Williams discusses her path to a career in dance, and how she uses stories to inform her choreography.

Each spring, the Boston Conservatory at Berklee Dance Division teams up with award-winning guest choreographers to stage world premieres and masterwork reconstructions in the school’s annual spring dance concert, Limitless. This year, alongside five other works, Associate Professor of Dance Kurt Douglas shares a treasured piece of dance history with his students—a reconstruction of José Limón’s A Choreographic Offering, originally performed by the Limón Dance Company in 1964.

Bands ranging from Americana and jazz to Berklee’s Balkan Choir and Indian Ensemble reimagined Metallica songs for Boston Conservatory at Berklee's Center Stage dance concert, Limitless, running April 11, 2019 through April 14, 2019.

Boston Conservatory at Berklee Executive Director Cathy Young will present an honorary doctorate to Tony Award–winning actress, singer, and dancer Sutton Foster at Boston Conservatory’s commencement ceremony on May 11. She will deliver commencement remarks for the Boston Conservatory at Berklee class of 2019 at the ceremony. Legendary American soprano Leontyne Price will be honored at the ceremony, where Dr. Laura Kafka-Price, a close relative, will accept an honorary doctorate on Price’s behalf.

Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s 2018–2019 Center Stage programming concludes this April with the spring dance concert, Limitless. Performances will take place at Boston Conservatory Theater from Thursday, April 11 through Sunday, April 14.

Accolades are hardly new for Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s B.F.A. contemporary dance program. Having already been named a top 10 program by Backstage and a top 25 program by OnStage, Boston Conservatory can claim yet another distinction as one of College Magazine’s 2019 10 best colleges for aspiring choreographers.

From “Top 10” school rankings to “Best Performance” accolades, Boston Conservatory at Berklee is at the top of its game.

Over the past 25 years, there has arguably been more change in the way we experience life than at any other time in history. Our art forms are not immune to these changes. In fact, technology has not only radically impacted how performances are disseminated and experienced by audiences, but it has also transformed the art forms themselves and the very ways art is created. How do we, as a performing arts conservatory, respond to this new world?

Boston Conservatory at Berklee recently announced that select courses in its ballet curriculum will be renamed in support of an ongoing institutional effort to ensure inclusivity in the classroom. A bold first step in creating dialogue around gender constructs in traditional dance forms such as ballet, Executive Director Cathy Young sat down with Dance Magazine to talk about Boston Conservatory’s focus on inclusivity and how its Dance Division curriculum—and the renaming of these courses—reflect this.