{"id":171391914,"date":"2026-02-09T06:52:35","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T11:52:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mediamax.design\/gia\/?p=171391914"},"modified":"2026-02-12T04:31:36","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T09:31:36","slug":"dance-in-real-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mediamax.design\/gia\/dance-in-real-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Dance in Real Life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In this conversation, Global Indian Artist<\/em> speaks with Mattie Fenton<\/strong>, Executive Director of the American College Dance Association<\/strong> (ACDA), at a moment when dance in higher education is undergoing sustained re-examination. Founded in 1971, ACDA has long functioned as a national platform for collegiate dance, offering students opportunities to perform, receive feedback, and encounter practices beyond the confines of their home institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our dialogue moves across ACDA\u2019s evolving mandate, touching on questions of access, curriculum design, adjudication, and the changing needs of students entering an increasingly complex dance ecology. The conversation also reflects on the significance of hosting the 2026 New England Conference at The Dance Complex<\/strong>in Cambridge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the first time in its history, ACDA brings the conference off campus and into the city, positioning an active civic and community-based dance ecosystem as a site of learning. Taken together, these reflections offer a window into how one national organization is asking what it truly means to support dancers both within and beyond the university.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conversation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q:<\/strong>\u00a0ACDA was founded in 1971, at a time when dance in higher education was still finding its footing. What do you think the organization was responding to then\u2014and what does it need to address now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mattie:<\/strong>\u00a0That\u2019s such a good question, because it has shifted so much. I\u2019d actually want to speak directly with people who were close to the original founders. But essentially, it began when dance faculty members came together and said: we need a national platform to recognize the excellence happening in performance and choreography in higher education. It was an opportunity for students and faculty to share their work outside our own academic setting and experience the diversity of what was happening in the national collegiate dance world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the dance field evolved over the years, the scope of the conference and festivals expanded to include a wide range of dance forms. These now encompass, but are not limited to, hip-hop, Irish dance, salsa, Caribbean and West African dance, stepping, and the integration of technology in dance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q:<\/strong>\u00a0I\u2019m particularly interested in why South Asian dancers often don\u2019t access spaces like ACDA. Many of us form our own clusters and don\u2019t always know how, or where, to enter broader national platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mattie:<\/strong>\u00a0Over the last two years, that\u2019s actually been a major initiative for us. I\u2019ve been working closely with Kaustavi Sarkar, who is on our board of directors, to engage the South Asian and Indian dance community. Over the past two years, we invited artists from across the country to teach and perform at ACDA conferences, and it really took off.
The challenge is that ACDA is deeply student-focused with an emphasis on Institutional membership. Many of these professional artists didn\u2019t come with students, and most of the South Asian student groups we engaged with weren\u2019t tied to dance departments or dance majors. The question we\u2019re still working on is how to create pathways for those students to join ACDA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q:<\/strong>\u00a0ACDA has a long history, and The Dance Complex has its own strong legacy as a site of learning and community. What feels especially alive or relevant to you about bringing the New England conference here?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mattie:<\/strong>\u00a0This is a historic moment for ACDA. I took a risk on this conference because I loved everything about The Dance Complex\u2014the artists, the teachers, the civic engagement. To be honest, ACDA had been operating in a bit of a bubble, and that\u2019s not how the arts work.The Dance Complex tells the story ACDA wants to tell: that dance is part of a larger community. This conference is unlike anything we\u2019ve done before. There are daily community discussions and civic engagement across the city, not just movement classes and performances inside the building. It aligns with where ACDA is headed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q:<\/strong>\u00a0College dance curricula today sit at the intersection of technique, theory, identity, and social context. From ACDA\u2019s vantage point, what shifts are you seeing\u2014or encouraging\u2014in how institutions design dance curricula for this moment?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From ACDA\u2019s perspective, we\u2019re seeing several institutions move beyond a one-size-fits-all model of dance training. Many programs are rethinking what \u201ccore\u201d means, expanding technique requirements to better reflect the diversity of forms shaping the field today, while also placing greater emphasis on context, history, and lived experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a growing recognition that students need tools not only to move well, but to think critically about why they move, whose traditions they\u2019re engaging with, and how dance functions within social, cultural, and political frameworks. We\u2019re also seeing more programs integrate creative research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and technology as essential parts of the curriculum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, the shift is toward preparing students to be adaptable<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q:<\/strong>\u00a0Feedback can be both affirming and destabilizing for young dancers. How does ACDA frame adjudication and response so that feedback becomes a learning tool rather than a measure of approval or ranking?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mattie:<\/strong>\u00a0Feedback is one of the main reasons people attend an ACDA conference. Our adjudicators go through a rigorous vetting process developed with our Equity and Justice Committee. They receive orientations on how to give feedback, how to speak across styles, and how to prioritize student safety.
At most conferences, adjudication is blind\u2014the panel doesn\u2019t know who choreographed the work, or whether it\u2019s a student or faculty. That helps reduce, not eliminate, bias. Students are also provided with various resources prior to the conference to help prepare them for the feedback process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q:<\/strong>\u00a0And this conference is doing something different?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mattie:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes. The Dance Complex wanted a community-based feedback model. After performances, there will be facilitated conversations where everyone can speak, and choreographers can ask their own questions. The intention was to move away from what can be\u00a0perceived<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0as a \u201ctop-down\u201d model, in which adjudicators are the sole voices offering feedback, and instead create a space where everyone who shares is valued equally and no single perspective dominates the conversation.We use various adjudication and feedback models at our conferences and they can all work beautifully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q:<\/strong>\u00a0In many South Asian families, dance is often encouraged only as a part-time pursuit. How is ACDA thinking about supporting dancers once they leave college?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mattie:<\/strong>\u00a0Supporting dancers beyond college is something ACDA thinks about very intentionally. While technique classes remain important, our conferences are designed to offer much more than what happens in the studio. We\u2019re creating spaces for students to build professional skills, make meaningful connections, and begin to imagine sustainable futures in the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year in particular, conferences include r\u00e9sum\u00e9 and portfolio workshops, networking events, mentorship opportunities, and both mock and live auditions with dance organizations and agencies. These offerings help students understand the range of pathways available to them and connect directly with professionals who are working in the field now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ACDA\u2019s goal is to support dancers as whole artists and people, by giving them access, context, and community as they move from college into the next phase of their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q:<\/strong>\u00a0How is ACDA addressing financial access for low-income students and under-resourced programs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mattie:<\/strong>\u00a0That\u2019s one of our biggest challenges, especially as arts funding and institutional budgets continue to shrink. We\u2019ve created a fund that will allow underserved programs to become ACDA members at no cost, starting next year.
Conference-related expenses like travel and registration remain difficult, but expanding access is a central priority in our ongoing strategic planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q:<\/strong>\u00a0Where do you see ACDA heading nationally?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mattie:<\/strong>\u00a0We\u2019re deep in strategic planning. The model that worked for 53 years may not work 10 years from now. This year, at every conference, we\u2019re hosting community forums and asking hard questions about the future of dance and higher education. They\u2019re not comfortable questions, but they\u2019re necessary ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conference Context<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ideas explored in this conversation are reflected in the range of classes and gatherings programmed at the 2026\u00a0American College Dance Association<\/strong>\u00a0New England Conference. Together, they point to an expanded understanding of dance education as culturally grounded, socially situated, and globally informed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sample classes and events include:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n