Dance Educators in Arts Organizations Share Their Impactful Career Journeys

Oftentimes, people may think of dance education in the context of a studio, classroom, or university. However, there are considerable numbers of dance educators who work in-house at performing arts organizations or companies that are tasked with the impactful work of promoting the institutions’ programming and community outreach. 

Dance Teacher chatted with three leading education and community managers to learn more about the work they do (often wearing multiple hats on any given day); what led to their current role; and the advice they have for others looking to step into their shoes one day.  

Giving Back to the Community

Heather McCartney’s relationship with The Joyce Theater is somewhat full-circle. “My particular connection with The Joyce started when I was a dance educator for New York City Public Schools for 19 years and I would bring my students to The Joyce,” she explains. “I also took advantage of having their teaching artists work with my students.” For the past decade, McCartney has served as The Joyce’s director of Dance Education and Family Programs.

McCartney’s role encompasses various projects. Her main program is managing the theater’s relationship with schools throughout the New York metro area and bringing their students into the theater, just as she did herself many years ago. She also coordinates internships, oversees the family matinee program, and holds higher education symposiums, among other tasks. For the last eight years, the theater has also been collaborating with local companies to offer sensory-friendly performances for neurodivergent students and those on the autism spectrum. “I guesstimate that there must be about 5,000 kids in the radius of The Joyce from grades K through 12 that pass by our theater at some point during their education,” says McCartney. “It’s my goal to have them come in at least once.”  

As the community programs manager for Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Marquis Engle’s large project is overseeing the company’s in-school residencies for kindergarten through eighth-graders at 19 school sites across San Francisco. “It’s a lot of scheduling; [planning] a 12-week residency that works for San Francisco Unified School District and also for our teaching artists,” says Engle. But Engle was drawn to the purpose-driven work of the job. “Art for art’s sake is beautiful, but who is better off having witnessed the art?” says Engle. “That is what makes me tick, and at LINES Ballet I can see firsthand the benefit that it offers youth. We’ve held several field trips with school sites at our dance center. To see the children leave with this appreciation of movement is what keeps me doing it.”  

Eboné Harden, director of education for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, says her day-to-day role consists of three E’s: engagement, exhorting, and envisioning. “I’m constantly engaging with current and potential partners, funders, schoolteachers, parents, and families,” she says. “I provide encouragement for students and peers, and I’m always envisioning better pathways for others to engage with dance, so I do a lot of curriculum planning.” For Harden, there is a large advocacy component to the job that fuels her work. “I get to design programs for all people, be they youth or adults. I’m building programs for adults right now who are in wheelchairs but love to dance. You get to create these opportunities.”  

McCartney, Engle, and Harden know the importance of being nimble since their teams are small, but mighty. “It’s myself and my program manager, and we have a roster of six teaching artists,” says McCartney. Engle works with five instructors while Harden, the only full-time employee in her role, oversees 11 associate teaching artists and learning specialists.  

Pathways to Success

As with many artists, the career path in dance education isn’t always linear. Engle worked in youth development for a decade prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. “I became burnt out and had a dialogue with myself about where I ultimately want to be, and I found myself shifting into arts administration.” He learned the ins and outs at Malonga Arts Collective before becoming managing director for a small contemporary dance company, RAWdance. He then joined LINES Ballet last August as its community manager.  

Harden grew up around educators and knew she wanted to be connected to teaching, but not in the traditional classroom. “I wanted something that could embrace my gift of creativity, big vision, leadership, and service because that’s what I saw growing up,” she says. “Now I’m able to take all those experiences and apply them.” Prior to arriving at Hubbard Street, Harden served as program manager for After School Matters, one of the nation’s largest providers of after-school and summer program opportunities for high school teens. “That was my crash course in administration; from there, I took away the value of collaboration and being data-informed so you can make decisions to stay ahead of the next bounce of the ball.” 

Skill Building

For dance teachers curious about pursuing a similar career, McCartney advises that networking, interning, and volunteering your time and expertise to emerging and established organizations can offer a good foot in the door. “That’s how I met [choreographer] Camille A. Brown,” she says. “I knew her when I worked at Alvin Ailey, but when I was laid off, I needed something to do. I could write, so I asked her if she’d like me to write some education materials for her, and she said yes. Now guess who I’m interviewing for a roundtable later this month? Camille A. Brown. It’s not only what you know, it’s who you know.” In addition to volunteering, Harden and Engle also emphasize seeking out mentors who have a skill set you’re interested in learning more about.  

While it’s a lot of work, one can’t underestimate the impact these dance educators and community managers do for their institutions and young and old alike. “You’re literally leading communities, and those young people or adults will go back into their homes and disseminate the information,” explains Harden. “It may seem like it’s a small layer of impact, but understand the scale of impact in your role.”

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