Juilliard Names Melissa Toogood as New Dean and Director of the Dance Division

[NEW YORK, May 6, 2025]—The Juilliard School is pleased to announce that Bessie Award–winning dancer, choreographer, and educator Melissa Toogood has been appointed dean and director of Juilliard’s Dance Division, effective July 1, 2025. Toogood succeeds Alicia Graf Mack, who will become the next artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater his summer.  

“We are so fortunate to welcome Melissa Toogood to Juilliard,” said Juilliard’s president, Damian Woetzel. “She is an extraordinary artist of our time, whose inspiring artistry is matched by her deep commitment to education and furthering the field of dance. Melissa brings a powerful blend of clarity, adventure, and care to her work, qualities that beautifully support the development of young dancers.”  

A singular presence in the dance world, Toogood was a member of Merce Cunningham’s final company, where in addition to performing, she began teaching at Cunningham’s urging. She is an official stager for the Merce Cunningham Trust and continues to perform and work with a range of leading voices in dance. Her collaborators over the years have included Pam Tanowitz, Kyle Abraham, Rosie Herrera, Stephen Petronio, Bobbi Jene Smith, Michelle Dorrance, and Jamar Roberts, among others. Toogood has helped shape several works created for Juilliard in collaboration with Tanowitz, a longtime artistic partner. She has also served as a choreographic mentor for projects including Juilliard’s Unavailable Memory: In Conversation With Cunningham & Cage (Baryshnikov Arts Center, 2022).  

As a global artist, Toogood has consistently embraced cross-disciplinary collaboration, an approach that will continue to expand at Juilliard, with its rich opportunities for students to create work across dance, music, drama, and beyond.  

“I feel humbled and inspired by the opportunity to join the remarkable Juilliard community in uplifting the next generation of artists,” said Melissa Toogood. “Together with the incredible faculty and staff, I am committed to continuing the development of a program that honors our lineage while embracing curiosity and innovation.”  

Today’s announcement follows a comprehensive search. Search committee member and dance world luminary Robert Battle (BFA ’94) said, “As an alumnus of Juilliard and frequent choreographer and collaborator with the program, I am excited Melissa Toogood is becoming the dean and director of this most important program. I have witnessed Melissa grow since she was a student at New World and watched her develop and her star rise. She is a unique voice in the dance world, and I know that she will bring her quiet strength and artistic integrity to the students at Juilliard.”  

The appointment follows the tenure of Graf Mack, who has served as dean and director of the Dance Division since 2018.  “Alicia has been a wonderful leader for Juilliard Dance,” said Woetzel. “Her stewardship and profound care for our students has left an indelible mark. We celebrate her as she embarks on this new role at Alvin Ailey, and we are deeply grateful for her leadership over these last years.”  

The School also announces several faculty and leadership updates in the Dance Division that continue to build on the department’s strengths:  

• Mario Alberto Zambrano, currently associate director, will take on an expanded role as associate dean and director of the Dance Division.  
• Carla Körbes, renowned ballerina and teacher, will assume a new role as ballet chair as she joins the full-time faculty. 
• Jamar Roberts, celebrated choreographer and former Alvin Ailey dancer, will join as Distinguished Visiting Faculty and serve as an Arnhold Creative Associate at Large.
• Bobbi Jene Smith, Juilliard alum and acclaimed performer and creator, will rejoin the faculty.  
• Karen Gayle, who has taught at the Ailey School and Steps on Broadway, among other performing arts organizations, will join the faculty to teach Horton technique.

These appointments reflect Juilliard’s continued investment in artistic excellence, cross-disciplinary inquiry, and forward-looking education, building on the strong foundation of Juilliard Dance.  

About Juilliard Dance
Juilliard Dance develops artists of the 21st century trained in ballet, modern, and contemporary dance forms. With the establishment of the dance division in 1951—by then-president William Schuman with the guidance of founding division director Martha Hill—Juilliard became the first major teaching institution to combine equal instruction in both modern and ballet techniques.

In the four-year dance program—leading to a bachelor of fine arts degree—students learn the great traditions of both past and present. Juilliard dancers enjoy unparalleled opportunities to work with today’s leading choreographers and perform both new and existing repertory. In addition to high caliber training and performances, dancers learn about the craft of choreography and immerse themselves in other facets of the field. Located at Lincoln Center in New York City, Juilliard prepares dancers for all the possibilities that lie ahead.

Juilliard dance alumni include the choreographers and directors Robert Battle, Pina Bausch, Jessica Lang, Lar Lubovitch, Sylvia Waters, Bobbi Jene Smith, Andrea Miller, Ohad Naharin, and Paul Taylor. Juilliard dancers are currently dancing in Nederlands Dans Theater, Ballet BC, Ballets Jazz Montréal, L.A. Dance Project, Limón Dance Company, GöteborgsOperans Danskompani, Ballett des Saarländisches Staatstheater, Kidd Pivot, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ballet Hispánico, Boston Ballet, Martha Graham Dance Company, Rambert, Gibney Company, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Batsheva Dance Company, among many others, as well as in several Broadway productions.

The Juilliard Dance Division, proud recipient of the 2015 Capezio Award, was the first educational institution to receive the honor.

About The Juilliard School 
Founded in 1905, The Juilliard School is a world leader in performing arts education. The school’s mission is to provide the highest caliber of artistic education for gifted musicians, dancers, and actors, composers, choreographers, and playwrights from around the world so that they may achieve their fullest potential as artists, leaders, and global citizens. Juilliard is led by Damian Woetzel, seventh president of the school, who has prioritized affordability and access to the highest level of artistic education while championing Juilliard’s tradition of excellence.

Located at Lincoln Center in New York City, Juilliard offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in dance, drama (acting and playwriting), and music (classical, jazz, historical performance, and vocal arts). More than 800 artists from 42 states and 50 countries and regions are enrolled in Juilliard’s College Division, where they appear in more than 800 annual performances in the school’s five theaters; at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully and David Geffen halls and at Carnegie Hall; as well as at other venues around New York City, the U.S., and the world. The continuum of learning at Juilliard also includes nearly 400 students from elementary through high school enrolled in the Preparatory Division—Pre-College and Music Advancement Program (MAP); MAP serves students from diverse backgrounds often underrepresented in the classical music field. More than 1,200 students are enrolled in Juilliard Extension, the flagship continuing education program taught both in person and remotely by a dedicated faculty of performers, creators, and scholars. Beyond its New York campus, Juilliard is defining new directions in performing arts education for a range of learners and enthusiasts through a global K–12 educational curricula and preparatory and graduate studies at The Tianjin Juilliard School in China.

juilliard.edu @juilliardschool
 

CONTACT:  
Clarissa Meléndez
[email protected]

Photo by Erin Baiano, courtesy of the Juilliard School.

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