Alumni Voices: How A Dance Teacher Reconstructed His Career at Montclair

Meet the alum

Name: Malcolm McMichael ’26

Majored in / Degree in: MFA Dance ’26; BFA Dance ‘15

Current role: Dance Artist and Educator

Career highlights

As a seasoned performer, McMichael works as a freelance artist and dance teacher. He has freelanced extensively and was under contract with Graham 2, a company that draws from the most advanced dancers of the Martha Graham School. Versed in Horton, Graham and Contemporary Dance, McMichael works as a guest instructor at the prestigious Steps on Broadway.

He’s taught dance at various levels, from second grade to college. His teaching credentials include: 

• The Joffrey Ballet School
• Concepts Dance Academy
• Dancewave Through College and Beyond
• Teens@Graham
• Ballet & Beyond NYC. 

He currently teaches at the Kent Place School in Summit. Additionally, McMichael’s freelance work and residencies have taken him across the U.S. and into prestigious venues, including the Kennedy Center.

Building a foundation at Montclair

After graduating High Tech High School in North Bergen, where he’d taken dance and theater classes, McMichael started Montclair as a Theater Studies major. One dance class at Montclair changed everything. “It was my favorite class, so I thought I need to look into this. I auditioned, didn't get it, and they encouraged me to audition again. The second time I auditioned, I did get in, so I started really dancing at 18.”

He earned his BFA in Dance 11 years ago but McMichael — who describes himself as a “big lifelong learner” — has never stopped training, taking dance classes as far away as France and Belgium.

The love of learning brought him back to Montclair for his MFA in 2024. “It just felt like the right step. I felt like I needed more clarity on my voice. I've been a teacher and I've been a dancer and I've been in many rooms, but I didn't really know: What is Malcolm's way? How do I want to specifically make an imprint on the world?”

For his MFA thesis performance, McMichael performed "The Four of Me." 

Academic mentorship and global ambitions

McMichael’s passion for the art form is all-encompassing. “Dance is a container for my many sides and emotions and my spirit. It keeps me healthy, it keeps me sane, it keeps me energized. Dance is so central to me.”

As he moves further into teaching and academic work, Malcolm points to his experiences in Montclair’s studios as especially meaningful. “I was invited to teach several guest classes at Montclair to the BFA dancers, which was such a dream for me because I was one of them, and they’re great, they're talented. They are so hungry for it, and we inspire each other.”

As for future plans, McMichael says: “I would love to continue to teach in academia. I think it's wonderful.” But he also has his heart set on an even bigger stage: “My next frontier is I really want to be international and dance in different countries because I love travel and learning.”

" I was one of them, and they’re great, they're talented. They are so hungry for it, and we inspire each other." ~ Malcolm McMichael on teaching undergraduate dance students as an adjunct

Advice for other dancers and dance teachers

Malcolm is unequivocal about endorsing Montclair’s MFA program to find one’s authentic artistic voice. “I highly, highly recommend it,” he says. “I feel I matured by necessity. It really taught me how to manage myself and my time, and how to speak affirmatively.”

He also cites Montclair’s low-residency structure, affordability and accessibility, noting that Montclair’s MFA program:

• Allowed him to keep working while studying.
• Was significantly more affordable than other options.
• Afforded him an opportunity to do a one-week thesis residency in L. Howard Fox Theater in Life Hall. “It was a dream.”
• Was geographically convenient to his New Jersey/NYC life.
• Offered him strong artistic mentorship, concrete professional and financial guidance.

“If I hadn't done this in this way, I don't know if I would have a master's right now. I was able to work. I was able to keep my jobs, keep my connections, teach my classes at Steps on Broadway. I was able to take on so many great opportunities while I was a student,” he says. “I'm really happy that I did it. I would recommend it to anyone.”