MoBBallet Symposium on the Hill

Snapshot by Prince Credell

2022-NDT-MAGAZINE-PORTRET-PRINCE©sacha-grootjans-01_online

NDT ambassador revisits New England, USA via MoBBallet’s Symposium on the Hill (SOH) 2025

Did you know that when NDT tours internationally, we often offer more than just theatre performances? Prince Credell, NDT's Diversity and Inclusion Policy Advisor and member of the Talent Development & Education department, attended the MoBBallet Symposium on the Hill (SOH) during the summer of 2025.

Prince during Icon Talks with Caroline Rocher Barnes, Prince Credell, Kai Davis, Theresa Ruth Howard.

North American Tour

During the summer of 2025, I worked with NDT Summer Intensive faculty, staff, and dancers. I was also honoured to represent both myself and the company at the MoBBallet Symposium on the Hill (SOH). The SOH is a one-week ballet and choreographic intensive for intermediate and professional dance students. Its mission is to build a studio culture and pedagogy grounded in psychological safety and conscious communication practices, fostering open dialogue and a sense of community.

Back in Spring 2024, NDT partnered with the diversity and equity coalition created by MoBBallet, and I also participated in the Pathways to Performance Program Pillow Lab Residency hosted by Jacob's Pillow. This year marked the 4th iteration of the conference that centres Blackness but welcomes all, which took place at the Walnut Hill School for the Arts (Natick, US). All of the faculty are former or current professional dancers who currently work in various capacities at conservatory programs, ballet companies and schools, Broadway musical ensembles, opera companies, and beyond.

The symposium's two main trajectories are designed to support the professional development of dance students, artists, teachers, and choreographers via the technique instruction trajectory, and the choreographic intensive trajectory. The mentor-mentee relationship was embedded for all stakeholders during the entire endeavour. Each day began with dance training where participants received direct feedback and corrections from individually assigned mentors. Additionally, the day was complemented with activities between designated studio sessions aimed at reinforcing personal development through meaningful interpersonal interaction, participation, and community building alongside studio work.

The most memorable experiences I had were teaching the dance students excerpts from NDT repertoire, as well as delivering advanced contemporary dance training. It was at these times that I could really delve into the students' individual perspectives and tailor my approach accordingly for their cultural identities and experiences.

Participants sit in a discussion circle on a theatre floor during an artistic working session.

Led by Theresa Ruth Howard and Christian Von Howard with 2 mentors and 3 mentees

Pathways to Performance Choreographic Program

Emerging choreographers often have to navigate the development of their own choreographic voice and compositional interests with little to no guidance. The intensive provided the space for the choreographers to go through their own curriculum with mentors and colleagues, and pose their own questions designed to consider how to approach disseminating and communicating ideas during the choreographic process. Additionally, the five-day curriculum aimed to explore how dancer-choreographers professionalise themselves through self-management alongside their dance practice, as they often are emerging young dancers who are confronted with balancing and developing both roles. As a mentor, I shared insights on dance history, dance composition, and entrepreneurial considerations for each mentee.

Like most symposia, there is an array of activities designed to invite individuals at various levels into the dialogues. In the past, MoBBallet started as an archive providing a platform for oral histories and legacies to be shared and rediscovered. Later, the organisation curated dynamic conversations about race, equity, inclusion, and art through addressing the gaps in living archives and collective memories.

Onward in the Netherlands

As we enter Autumn, I am grateful for the insights I have shared and gained at NDT, the MoBBallet Symposium, and beyond, which contribute to creating educational experiences to dance communities abroad. This aligns with NDT's mission, whose various platforms serve as beacons for multicultural students, artists, teachers, and creatives to come together and embody a globalised dance community. It is deeply rewarding to strengthen these partnerships, which contribute to a growing body of knowledge around inclusion, artistic practice, and safety in dance.