In order to participate in Berklee Student Employment, a student must fulfill the following requirements:

• Current student at Berklee College of Music or Boston Conservatory at Berklee.
• Enrolled at least half-time in a degree, diploma, or certificate-seeking undergraduate or graduate program. Summer is the only semester in which a student can maintain employment without being enrolled. In this case, the student must be pre-registered for the upcoming fall semester. This exception does not apply to fall or spring semesters.
• Have a valid United States Social Security Number (SSN).
• Remain in “valid” Visa status as applicable.
• A minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA. Students in their first semester can work, even though they do not have an official GPA until the completion of their first semester.
• Federal Work Study student may apply.
• In good disciplinary standing.
• Must be located in the U.S.

For complete program details, please go to our website: http://www.berklee.edu/se.

The Dance Captain for the Berklee Presents production team assists the guest Faculty choreographers during rehearsals and sectionals to teach and demonstrate choreography to the featured student dancers, and to help maintain the artistic standards of the show’s choreography, as originally set by the choreographer, when they cannot be present during the entire rehearsal process. Depending on the needs of the production, the Dance Captain may also be asked to choreograph some featured dance within the concert. Additionally, the Dance Captain serves as an assistant choreographer within the team to teach the background vocalists movement, helping to shape their onstage presence as a compelling unit, and to provide some direction to instrumentalists, such as the horn section, with their stage movements. This leadership role offers hand-on experience for someone interested in choreography, and who also enjoys working with musicians who may have limited dance training and experience with stage direction. The position will report to the Senior Concert Producer, and also work closely with all Berklee Presents colleagues. The ideal candidate will have a good knowledge of contemporary commercial music, and model the values of teamwork, respect, and self-confidence. The Berklee Presents team produces a variety of high-profile, interdisciplinary Signature Series concerts each year such as Singers Showcase, Great American Songbook, and the Commencement Concert.

HOURS NEEDED:

Hours are varied depending on the assigned project, but you must be consistently available for dance/movement sectional rehearsals on a Tuesday and Thursday evening during the Fall and Spring semester from 6:00pm-9:00pm. As the concerts and productions near, you’ll also be invited to join a few Friday evening and Saturday day rehearsals with the full cast in B41 (150 Mass Ave - multipurpose room). The Faculty choreographer may ask you to join some additional sectionals with times and dates to be discussed in advance per project. Specific dates for full-cast rehearsals are TBD, but will be shared prior to the start of the first rehearsal in Fall semester. Must also be available to work several evenings during the “BPC Tech Week,'' and on the night of each production. Additional administrative pre-production work will be assigned, and can be completed remotely on a more flexible schedule.

Responsibilities:

• Observe and learn how guest faculty choreographers set choreography in core rehearsals, and be able to share and demonstrate the routines with featured dancers in sectionals, tracking moves and taking notes, and making sure the spacing, intent, and intricate details of the movement and choreographer’s vision are still intact
• Ensure that the choreography is maintained in rehearsals when the choreographer is not present
• As directed, lead small group and individual rehearsals, and on occasion, Zoom sessions for creative reinforcement
• Foster a steady rehearsal etiquette as well as warmups/cool downs for the dancers
• As directed, communicate with students on instructional expectations and keep them informed of their progress in meeting those expectations, including any changes to planned rehearsal schedules
• Give feedback to dancers, adjusting your teaching style for each performer, as needed
• Assist in the preparation, creation, and dissemination of learning aids such as demonstrative choreography video recordings and choreography rehearsal notes for dancers to use and practice with between scheduled meetings
• Aid the faculty choreographer in coordinating brush-up rehearsals
• Assist the choreographer and production team during featured dancer and background vocalist auditions
• Choreograph and teach compelling routines for the background vocalists as a unit that help to express ideas and stories through movement and authentically complement the repertoire at hand, while preserving the integrity and consistency of the primary singing role
• Collaborate on wardrobe planning by assembling dancer lookbooks, sourcing costume pieces, organizing sizing and quantity needs, and assisting with order preparation for performances.
• Assist with wardrobe coordination during events, ensuring dancers were properly outfitted before performances, helping manage costume changes, and overseeing the care, organization, and return of wardrobe items post performance to a central location
• Create sequenced movement and stagecraft considerations for the instrumentalists (horn section, for example)
• Work closely with the production team and choreographer to modify choreography, when needed, to match available stage dimensions or specific transitions
• Take and disseminate blocking and rehearsal notes, as directed
• Understudy in rehearsals, when needed
• Help with cast wrangling and backstage traffic in the green room during rehearsals and during the run of the show
• Undertake general administrative tasks for the Berklee Presents production team on an as-needed basis
• May work occasional prolonged or irregular hours, especially in the lead up to performances

Required Skills:

• Demonstrated proficiency as a dancer with an impressive aptitude for quickly memorizing steps
• Bring a sense of fun and passion for choreography and helping others, and to gain the opportunity to grow your own teaching and leadership skills
• Empathy, with intuitive people skills, and the ability to to give clear direction with tact and diplomacy
• Aptitude to manage the behavior of learners in the instructional setting to ensure the environment is conducive to the learning process
• Ability to direct your peers and impart knowledge in a way that makes the dance team feel they’re capable of something they might not feel confident about
• Adaptability, open-mindedness, and a strong commitment to access, equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging
• Ability and willingness to respond positively to supervision and to accept and implement artistic direction of the guest faculty choreographers, producer, and other colleagues in the creative process in a professional and collaborative manner
• Effectively manage allotted learning time to maximize student achievement
• Must be a team player, work cooperatively and collaboratively, and be focused on the student and project success
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communications skills
• Must enjoy working with culturally diverse populations and on interdisciplinary teams
• Extremely well organized and detail oriented
• Ability to follow directions and motivated to work independently with a positive “can do” attitude
• Discretion and confidentiality, a must
• Strong time management skills, work well under pressure
• Computer proficiency and asset management ability, especially in shared storage platforms, GoogleDrive and with GoogleForms

Salary Grade: 17.51

Supervisor: Maureen McMullan