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Derek Crescenti joined Montclair State University's Theatre and Dance Department as an Assistant Professor of Dance in 2025. A graduate of the University of Michigan with a BFA in Dance and the University of Washington with an MFA in Dance, Derek is a bicoastal performing artist and educator originally from Michigan who brings extensive professional experience to his research and pedagogy. He previously served on faculty at the University of Washington and DeSales University.

Derek had the great pleasure of working with Donald Byrd's Spectrum Dance Theater in Seattle, WA, touring both nationally and internationally before working as a freelance artist in New York City, performing with companies including The Bang Group, The Chase Brock Experience, Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company, Keigwin + Company, the Mark Morris Dance Group, Megan Williams Dance Projects, and Robert Mark Dance. With the repertory company 10 Hairy Legs, he performed works by choreographers Christopher Williams, David Parker, Doug Elkins, Heidi Latsky, Manuel Vignoulle, Randy James, and Stephen Petronio, and premiered new creations by Adam Barruch, Al Blackstone, Larry Keigwin, Raja Feather Kelly, Doug Varone, Megan Williams, and Yin Yue. His theater experience includes performances in Seattle Theatre Group's Black Nativity, the 5th Avenue Theatre's Oklahoma!, and The Public Theater's Hercules.

Derek's interest in re-performance in the realms of restaging, reconstruction, and reenactment inspires his work as a rehearsal director, assistant, and stager. He worked with Donald Byrd on his commissions for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (Greenwood) and at ACT Theatre (A Christmas Carol). He teaches Byrd Contemporary technique and has staged Mr. Byrd's works at Barnard College (The Theater of Needless Talents), DeSales University (OCCURRENCE), and Spectrum Dance Theater, where he reconstructs Mr. Byrd's works on the current ensemble. As an associate choreographer for Larry Keigwin, his work has included assisting on commissions for the Paul Taylor Dance Company (Drum Circle) and the Vail Dance Festival (Rhapsody), and staging Mr. Keigwin's choreography on Ormao Dance Company (Cruise Control) in Colorado Springs, CO.

Drawing from a multitude of influences, Derek has developed a unique choreographic style born from his work within an amalgam of lineages of contemporary and modern dance with an eye on both concert and commercial contexts. He has presented original works at the Lehigh Valley Dance Exchange's SpringUP Dance Festival, Men in Dance Choreographer's Showcase, Miller Symphony Hall in collaboration with the Allentown Symphony Orchestra, the Seattle International Dance Festival, Ten Tiny Dances at SteelStacks in Bethlehem, PA, and University of Washington's Chamber Dance Company. A member of Impact Dance Adjudicators, his teaching and adjudication work spans multiple arts festivals and competitions, including Axis Dance Competition, Diva Dance Competition, Edge National Talent Competition, Just Dance Invitational, New Jersey State Teen Arts Festival, Starbound National Talent Competition, and Youth America Grand Prix. He continues to teach in New York City, most recently at The Taylor School of Paul Taylor Dance Company.

Derek examines historical lineages of dance and their relationship to the present through his creative and scholarly research, and shares work aimed at inspiring the mover in all of us while continuing to develop a dance pedagogy relevant to today's performing artist. His research has led to presentations at the National Dance Education Organization's National Conference (2024, 2025), where he explores how to transmit lineages to new dancers and expand access points of inquiry when learning about historical repertoires and dances of the past. His recent article, "Joining the Dance: Exploring Meaning-Making in Pedagogies of Restaging" will soon appear in the Journal of Dance Education. Derek believes that the joy of dance and its lasting impact emerge from deep connections to community and developing relationships that inspire our creativity. His classroom aims to encourage a sense of belonging and care for those we move with and in relation to.

Specialization

modern dance, contemporary dance, jazz, restaging, re-performance, collaborations in the arts

Office Hours

Fall

Tuesday

10:00 am - 11:00 am

Wednesday

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm