Marymount Manhattan College, one of New York City's top dance institutions, is now part of Northeastern University. The program operates under a new name—the Northeastern University New York City Dance Department—but its conservatory-style training inside a liberal arts curriculum continues unchanged.

"This merger allows us to have an infrastructure and resources that, as a small institution, were not previously available," says dance chair Melanie George. The investment from Northeastern, a private university headquartered in Boston, arrives at a precarious moment for both the arts and academia. George says the enhanced support will let the program keep operating at a high level while expanding the faculty and artistic programming.

The deal marks two firsts. It is Northeastern's first campus in New York City, and the first time the 128-year-old institution has had a dance department. "It's heartening and empowering that the manner they are investing in New York City is through a school that's renowned for its successful dance program," George says.

George herself is a recent arrival. An in-demand dramaturg, jazz choreographer and scholar, she became dance chair in January 2026. Her plan is to keep drawing on the school's location in the heart of Manhattan to give students access to a top range of dance artists.

The training model stays intact

"We will retain our schedule and our faculty and our programming," George says. Six full-time and roughly 40 adjunct faculty teach classes in ballet, modern, contemporary, jazz, club and street dance styles, and embodied African aesthetics. Each technique class rotates multiple instructors over the semester, so students deepen their skills through varied exposure. The training is not reserved for BFA students: those pursuing a BA in dance sciences, pedagogy, or dance and media receive the same conservatory-level instruction.

Mentorship often turns into employment. "Students begin to form individual one-on-one relationships with faculty members based on their dance expertise or networks they're connected to," George says. It is not uncommon for adjuncts or guest artists to hire students who were formerly in their class.

Recent alum Christina Naslund is a case in point. The former competitive dancer entered the program in 2022 aiming at contemporary ballet but connected with the jazz faculty instead. "The teachers are legends in dance," she says. "Every day, I was challenged and pushed beyond my comfort zone."

During her junior year, Naslund was cast in a jazz piece by Dylan Pearce, associate choreographer for the Radio City Rockettes. "Getting that experience and his getting to know my dancing, my style, set me up for the following summer, when I trained at Radio City," she says. The result: a contract to perform with the Rockettes in her senior year.

"One of the biggest selling points of our program is that our dancers work," George says. "There's a direct pipeline to having a dance career, whatever version of a career you decide it's going to be."

Stage time from day one

BFA and BA students perform early. Every freshman takes a stagecraft class that combines performing with learning stage crew operations in the first year. Across four years, students can audition for two to three concerts annually, performing works by nationally recognized artists in a range of styles. Last semester, Rena Butler choreographed a new contemporary work on students for a concert that also featured house dance by Tatiana Desardouin, theater jazz by Betty Weinberger, contemporary ballet by Keerati Jinakunwiphat and contemporary dance by Larry Keigwin.

Because the school sits in New York City, it can commission these artists for semester-long commitments rather than the typical one or two weeks. Butler says she got two to four hours a week with the students over three months. "It gave me an opportunity to actually absorb what their needs are, where I could challenge them, where they shine," she says.

What struck Butler most was the dancers' eagerness across concentrations. "Across the board, each and every one of them was so geeked out about diving into the work," she says. "That was really refreshing." She finds that radical open-mindedness rare among college dancers.

The department also programs longer performance runs—two weekends of shows, including two Saturday performances—so dancers build the physical and mental stamina required in a company or on Broadway. "Part of the education is learning how to care for their bodies for longevity in the field," George says.

Looking ahead, George sees the merger as an opening rather than an ending. "It's an exciting time in terms of the kind of students that are attracted to our program, and as a result, the caliber of artists we continue to attract," she says. Her verdict on the transition: "Change is powerful, and with change comes possibility."