Office Hours With Dell Howlett

Being a great teacher is one thing. Juggling professional projects and a college-oriented pedagogy is another. It’s a balance Dell Howlett—a Broadway-performer-turned-professor at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, who also directs and choreographs musical theater productions at major venues across the states—knows firsthand.

As if his schedule didn’t already deserve an intermission, Howlett also serves as the co-head, with Byron Easley, of dance at NYU’s New Studio on Broadway (NSB), a rigorous program that integrates acting, singing, and dance training to prepare students for a career in musical theater. It’s a busy life, but Howlett revels in the opportunity to bridge his two worlds. “It’s a very rich intersection for me […] as I can be an active voice in evolving best practices in the industry and then deliver those changes directly to my students,” he says. “My work as a director-choreographer in the field has helped me stay at the vanguard of these conversations.”

Dance Teacher spoke with Howlett about how he empowers beginners, how he helps students connect with genuine emotion in their artistry, and how his creative practice doesn’t just inform his teaching but fosters a continuum from student to collaborator. 

What makes a dance class truly successful—for both the students and the teacher?

A dance class is successful if both student and teacher leave the space with new questions and having felt something. I teach Introduction to Technical Dancing to our fresh-people at NSB who have never had formal dance training. It is my favorite class to teach because it never fails that several students stay after class with questions about how the day’s lesson could be used to explore more complicated ideas that [come later] in the syllabus […] [W]hat those emerging dancers are feeling is hunger. They feel inspired from the current lesson to dream about the next one. There is no better feeling for a student or teacher.

It seems that inspiring students is a key part of your teaching. What helped you discover that sense of purpose?

Time. I have been a professor at NYU since 2009. I have seen young artists mature and become extraordinary colleagues. I have seen young people who struggled in school find great acclaim in the field. I believe in process, rich life experience, and the illuminating power of time.

How has your experience as a performer, choreographer, and director shaped your approach to teaching?

As the head of dance for NSB, I teach fundamental dance skills to emerging theater artists. As a director-choreographer working in commercial theater, I create work with leading creatives in the field. It has always been important to me to share my experiences with my students. I talk with them about how my rehearsal practices have evolved and invite them into my processes for creation. I make choreography for them. I workshop choreography with them. And when they graduate, I collaborate with them. I share my professional experiences with my students. 

Is there a specific teaching philosophy that defines your style? 

I always begin jazz dance lessons with an exploration of social dance. The root of jazz is African American social and vernacular dance. I find that when I begin here with students—Lindy, swing, line dances, improvisation—they connect more deeply to those central jazz values like musicality, wit, ease, cool. They can access joy more readily in their dancing. 

How do you stay inspired as a teacher?

This is an interesting question because my answer six months ago would have been “The work inspires me.” But after the last six months—in which I directed and choreographed A Chorus Line for Tisch, choreographed the West Coast premiere of Furlough’s Paradise at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, choreographed the Broadway-bound Millions, and directed and choreographed a new musical, Milo Imagines the World, for the Alliance Theatre—I am feeling tired. Sometimes, you don’t need to seek inspiration. Sometimes, rest is the only remedy. 

What’s the best advice you’ve been given about teaching?

The best advice I have ever been given was from NSB founding director Kent Gash. He said, “Stop trying to get it right or wrong. Instead, work to get it true—whatever ‘it’ is.” I apply this liberally to everything.

Do you have a role model in the dance education field? 

One of my inspirations and heroes is choreographer Darrell Grand Moultrie. [Moultrie] and I began our performance careers together, dancing on Broadway in the musical Aida. I will never forget 25 years ago when we were performing eight grueling shows a week, he still dedicated time to go back to the school in Harlem that he grew up in and teach there on weekends. It was a simple but profound demonstration of a value that grew to be a central part of my impulse as an educator: Give back in proportion to the opportunities you have been given.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve experienced working with today’s generation? 

My biggest challenge is the amount of cynicism that can be in their work. Because social media has asked us to treat human interaction in such a removed, harsh way, I find that it can be a challenge for some young artists to achieve sincerity in their work. For many of them, the first part of their artistic journey is about getting rid of that shield—allowing their artistic work to affect them deeply and honestly. I’ve found that breathwork helps many of them begin to explore the idea of feeling more deeply in their work. 

Do you have a message for fellow dance educators who are working to inspire and empower the next generation?

Tell your students what you know, and then listen to what they think. Make sure you have equal time for both practices.

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