Shenandoah Conservatory announces the appointment of Ben Howard, M.F.A., as assistant professor of dance (modern dance) beginning this August. He succeeds Associate Dean for Academic Success and Professor of Dance Ting-Yu Chen ’19, Ed.D., who will retire at the end of the 2024/25 academic year after 28 years of service at Shenandoah University.
Howard is an interdisciplinary dance artist and educator whose creative research integrates contemporary dance, immersive art and theatrical performance. He was a principal company member with The Tallahassee Ballet (2016–2020) and a performer for Celebrity Cruise Line, with a career that spans 12 countries and three continents. Howard has held faculty appointments at Florida State University (FSU) and Texas A&M University, where he taught contemporary and ballet techniques, choreography, improvisation, dance production and interdisciplinary performance practices at both undergraduate and graduate levels. His teaching and creative work are informed by a background in immersive performance, architectural storytelling and collaborative devising processes that emphasize play, place and presence.
“I am ecstatic to join the faculty at Shenandoah Conservatory and experience life in Virginia,” said Howard. “I look forward to collaborating across disciplines and helping students develop tools that connect rigorous training with innovative performance practices.”
Howard’s choreography includes work for opera, screendance, interactive installation and dance theatre. Recent projects include “Hänsel und Gretel” and “The Cunning Little Vixen” for FSU Opera, “Agnes & Agatha” for the 2024 Atlanta Fringe Festival and “Sandbox Dreams” for the CAMPGround23 International Music Festival. His choreography for the screendance “Blairsville” — created in collaboration with director Daniel Smith, assistant professor at the FSU School of Dance — received the Best Choreography award at the Toronto Experimental Dance & Music Film Festival. His interdisciplinary interests also include hand-crafted miniature environments, fine art, character-driven performance and narrative experimentation through movement.
“Ben is a very bright, responsible and curious artist/educator,” said Christina Halpin Chair in Dance, Chair of the Dance Division and Associate Professor of Dance Maurice Fraga, M.F.A. “His work ethic is multifaceted, layered and organized, embracing traditional choreographic sensibilities along with immersive and theatrical presentations. His pedagogical and choreographic approaches will be a wonderful addition to our program, balancing rigor and nurture to develop a well-rounded dancer, student and human.”
Howard holds both a Master of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from Florida State University.
