Career Center

Deerfield Academy seeks an experienced Director of Dance Program. Start date to be on/before July 1, 2024.

Reporting to the Chair of the Visual and Performing Arts Department and the Dean of Faculty for the academic program and to the Director of Co-Curriculars for after school activities, the Director of Dance teaches dance, directs and administers the dance ensembles, and works collaboratively with the other performing arts teachers and instructors to offer a dance program that is characterized by excellence and high levels of student participation.

Responsibilities include:

• Teaching and choreographing all levels of dance in an engaging and professional manner, successfully imparting knowledge and encouraging independent learning;
• Coordinating and directing rehearsals and performances of dance ensembles through the academic year;
• Scheduling and marketing all dance concerts in coordination with the other performing arts program directors;
• Supporting the efforts of the Admission Office to attract and yield the best possible dance candidates to the school;
• Coordinating and supervising guest choreographers, teachers and performers to provide enriching experiences for the dance program and the Deerfield community;
• Supervising the private and semi-private dance coaching program;
• Collaborating with administrators as necessary to hire, train, and supervise adjunct dance instructors and resolving concerns and/or performance issues;
• Curating and monitoring web presence related to the dance program;
• Supervising co-curricular dance during the week, and occasionally special events or rehearsals on weekends;
• Managing the operating budget for the dance program and anticipating program needs and funding.

The successful candidate will have the following qualifications: Bachelor’s Degree with appropriate advanced dance training; 3-5 years of teaching a variety of dance styles and running a complex dance program; the capacity to seek excellence on behalf of the dance program, within the context of the larger Academy; excellent communication skills; high level of patience and diplomacy; excellent office, computer and data-entry skills and organizational skills; the ability to multi-task effectively; demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion and to serving the needs of a diverse community; detail-oriented; ability to work independently as well as part of a team.

Deerfield offers a generous benefit package including health, dental, retirement, and paid time off.  This role may be accompanied with housing, contingent on additional responsibilities, including: residential-life, advisory, and sit-down meal duties.

About Deerfield Academy

ABOUT DEERFIELD: Deerfield offers an unmatched environment for teaching. Near the Five Colleges (Amherst, Smith, Mount Holyoke, Hampshire, and UMass Amherst), Deerfield’s 300-acre campus hosts exceptional facilities that enable powerful teaching both in and out of the classroom. Our students are engaging and excited to learn—and they are willing to work hard at their studies. Outside the classroom, our community is focused on active and ethical living. Our teachers are committed to ongoing renewal. We seek candidates who are committed to their own professional growth, who are eager to work with colleagues in a productive manner towards departmental goals, and who can foster critical thinking, empathy, and determination in our students. As a boarding school, our faculty teach, mentor, and model—in the classroom, in the dorm, at the dining hall, and on the playing field. Diversity is essential to Deerfield’s success. Diverse perspectives within our school population fuel creative and innovative thinking, build empathy and consideration, and provide varied skills and experiences from which the entire community can benefit. Deerfield actively seeks candidates who are members ...of or support traditionally underrepresented groups—especially in terms of race, sexual orientation, religious, ethnic and socioeconomic background. Deerfield Academy is a private, coeducational boarding school located in western Massachusetts with 650 students and 130 faculty. The Academy was founded in 1797 and has no religious affiliation. Deerfield Academy is committed to equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected military veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

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