Ashley Newman Shares Talent as New Director of Dance

Dancer, choreographer and educator brings experience from Lincoln Center, Juilliard and national stages to SHU’s dance program

Key Highlights

• ^{Sacred Heart University welcomes Ashley Newman as its new director of dance}
• ^{Brings 15+ years of professional experience across higher education, elite arts institutions and national performance platforms}
• ^{Has worked with Lincoln Center, The Juilliard School and the Collaborative Arts Project 21 (CAP21), including serving as chair of dance}

Sacred Heart University welcomes Ashley Newman as its new director of dance in the performing arts program. A highly accomplished dancer, choreographer and teacher, Newman brings to SHU more than 15 years of professional experience across higher education, arts institutions and national performance platforms.

Newman served on the faculty at the Collaborative Arts Project 21 in New York, a musical theatre training conservatory and off-Broadway theatre company, for 15 years, three of those as chair of dance, working with students from New York University (NYU) and New York’s Molloy University. She has spent more than a decade as a dance teaching artist for Lincoln Center and has worked as a dance curriculum specialist at The Juilliard School, collaborating with K-12 schools around the world. A graduate of NYU with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre and a double major in history, she also holds a master’s degree in education from Bank Street College in New York.

Beyond academia, Newman has built a rich performing career. She was a founding dancer with The Chase Brock Experience, where she now serves as associate artistic director, and has performed extensively throughout New York City and the United States. Her additional credits include productions with Paper Mill Playhouse, Pittsburgh CLO, Baltimore Center Stage, Broadway Palm, Busch Gardens Williamsburg and an appearance on the third season of So You Think You Can Dance. Her choreography has been featured at Temple University, Barnard College, Marymount Manhattan College and Molloy, and she has contributed to major projects, including Disney’s Hercules at The Public Theatre and the video game Dance on Broadway. She is also featured in the documentary Chasing Dance.

In a question-and-answer interview, Newman shared her ambitions for her new position at SHU.

What drew you to SHU and its dance program, and what excites you most about this role?

The most exciting thing about this role is the opportunity to bring new ideas to an already robust and well-established dance program. The potential in our program is enormous, and I am beyond excited to help cultivate our students’ talents and elevate them to the next level. I was also intrigued by the unique nature of the dance program at SHU. We have programming for a wide variety of students, including those who want to pursue professional dance careers and those who want to keep dance in their lives because they love it but are pursuing careers outside of the arts. To meet the needs of students spanning these spectrums is a challenge that I am looking forward to embracing.

How will your experience help you in this position?

At SHU, I keep finding myself with reference points from every other job I have ever had. Every experience prior to coming to SHU has prepared me, in some way, for this new role. I get to bring everything I have learned on the stage, in the studio, in the classroom, in the boardroom and in my work with various age groups and populations to my work at SHU. The memories from these experiences are always interacting, providing me with a unique perspective. I am so grateful that my varied career has led me to Sacred Heart, where I can put it all together as the director of dance.

How would you describe your vision for the future of the dance program, both artistically and academically?

In the current version of the dance program, I would like to bring clarity to what is already in place. I am enjoying getting to know our students and understanding their goals. As I am doing this, I am brainstorming ideas for new classes, new performance opportunities on campus and beyond, and other initiatives like bringing professional dance companies to SHU to teach and set choreography for our students, establishing a mentorship program for our students, collaborating within performing and visual arts departments at SHU, and collaborating with other departments at SHU, like physical therapy and education.

Collaboration is a big part of the arts at SHU. How do you hope to connect dance with theatre, music or visual arts?

In my professional career, I have always found that there is nothing better than truly wonderful collaborations! For our dancers, I would love to create opportunities for them to perform in musicals, plays, concerts and other unique events with our theatre and music departments. I also think there is an opportunity for mentorship between the well-established theatre arts program’s e-board and the dance program’s newly established e-board. Another dream of mine is to collaborate with the visual arts department to share ideas of aesthetic education with our dancers. And finally, I would love to bring live music into our weekly dance classes at SHU, particularly in ballet and modern dance classes.

What would you say to prospective students who are considering joining the dance program?

The most unique thing about the SHU dance program is that you can customize it. You can take many classes or a few. You can stick to styles you love dancing or try new ones. You can audition to be a part of our dance companies to focus on performance or simply take class because you love it. You can audition to be a student choreographer and have your work presented in a fully produced show.

Another distinctive thing about the SHU dance program is that we have four incredible dance companies on our campus: SHU Dance Company, Inception Hip Hop Crew, Rhythm Tap Crew and the Claddagh Irish Dancers. Finally, in addition to dance classes, we also offer classes like yoga, stretch & conditioning and learning the creative process. Truly, there is something for everyone.

Sacred Heart dancers perform across many styles. How do you plan to nurture both strong technique and creative expression in students?

I would like to cultivate a culture in the dance program at SHU that values the balance between technique and creativity, class and performance. I would like to see our students grow to take dance classes in many dance styles, even those that might be new to them, and to take dance classes with the intention of improving their technique, skill and artistry.

What do you hope students take away from the dance program once they graduate, not just as dancers, but as individuals?

I hope students will leave our dance program knowing they are unique because they are dancers and to trust that authenticity as they navigate their life’s path. One of the most important things I hope students learn to do is transfer the skills they have learned by being a dancer to their lives, both personal and professional. A dancer’s training prepares them to have a distinguished skill set; they are dedicated, smart, resilient, mindful, detailed, imaginative and collaborative, to name a few. These are all skills that any profession values. Dancers can do anything!

Photo credit: DAG Photography