An Interview with Alicia Graf Mack
Published September 21, 2020
Alicia Graf Mack began her inaugural season as the dean and director of the Dance Division at The Juilliard School in fall 2018. She enjoyed a distinguished career as a leading dancer of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and was a principal dancer with Dance Theatre of Harlem and Complexions Contemporary Ballet. She has also danced as a guest performer with Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet, Beyoncé, John Legend, Andre 3000, and Alicia Keys. Graf Mack graduated magna cum laude with honors in history from Columbia University and holds an MA in nonprofit management from Washington University in St. Louis. In 2007, Smithsonian magazine named her an American Innovator of the Arts and Sciences. She is a recipient of the Columbia University Medal of Excellence, an annual award given to an alumnus who has demonstrated excellence in their field of work. In 2008, she delivered the keynote address to the graduates of Columbia University’s School of General Studies. As a dance educator, Graf Mack most recently taught as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Houston and was a visiting assistant professor at Webster University. She is a co-founder of D(n)A Arts Collective, an initiative created to enrich the lives of young dancers through master classes and intensives.
You’ve had a really incredible and multifaceted career as a performer, educator, and administrator, not to mention working at J.P. Morgan. How has your experience impacted the way you approach your current role within the artistic community?
Thank you for recognizing my various achievements. My life has not moved in a linear fashion. I have had so many shifts and wonderful experiences, born from very difficult circumstances. The motto for my life has always been “forward movement.” After every major injury, I retooled and reinvented myself. I didn’t always know the direction in which I wanted to go, but somehow, I always found my way back to the dance studio and the stage, two of the most sacred spaces on earth. Every time I came back to the dance world, I brought my new found experiences with me. That informed my artistry and my teaching philosophies, making my understanding of the world so much more rich and rewarding.
I want my students to know that their capabilities are infinite. I want them to know that I see every ounce of potential and promise, and that goes way beyond mastering technique and learning steps.
How do you approach artistic collaborations?
I am always of the mind that artists can make magic due to the special synthesis between two or more unique talents. However, great work doesn’t just appear. Successful collaborations must always involve effective communicating, listening and learning. Artistic collaborations are also about being truthful with oneself, knowing where strengths lie, and allowing others to supplement and complement those talents.
What does diversity mean to you?
Diversity has to go beyond the traditional definition of honoring a mix of races, genders and socioeconomic backgrounds. Diversity in dance also includes body types, areas of strength, and various personal characteristics and values that can expand a community and create a multitude of perspectives and voices.
What holds back institutions from diversifying the arts, and why?
Institutions must hold their leadership accountable for engendering a culture that honors diversity and maintains an anti-racist mindset. It is not enough to recruit talent. From the board room to curriculum, repertory, HR policies and outreach, arts institutions have to make a shift to combat institutional and traditional systems of privilege and power.
What can we, as students, do to empower ourselves and others to have solution-based conversations at our own schools?
I have been so proud and inspired by all of the young people who are unafraid to stand up for what they believe, and demand change where necessary. In order to have lasting change, solution-based conversations must come from a place of understanding and empathy. It is imperative to research, listen and then organize.
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