Dancer Ethan Stiefel, whose hiring as dean while he was still a top ballet star brought recognition to UNCSA's School of Dance, said yesterday that he will leave next summer.
Stiefel said he wants to devote more time to dancing and choreographing, and to be with his wife and onstage partner, Gillian Murphy, a graduate of UNC School of the Arts who is now a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre.
"The job of dean requires your full and total commitment," said Stiefel, who officially began working for UNCSA in July 2008. "I want to do it in the right way."
That, he said, is becoming harder and harder, especially in also trying to maintain a long-distance relationship with Murphy, who lives in New York.
Stiefel was juggling dean duties with performing with American Ballet Theatre, where he has been a principal dancer for several years. He said it is difficult to keep up the right kind of training regimen at UNCSA, an environment that keeps him behind a desk for much of the day.
Stiefel, 37, also spoke of several opportunities in dancing and choreographing that he would like to pursue. "Something has to give," he said. "I can't wear three hats."
Chancellor John Mauceri said in a statement that the school will miss Stiefel.
"As a fellow artist, I perfectly understand that he should continue his art and share it with the world," Mauceri said.
In a telephone interview, Mauceri said he would like to hire another working dean as Stiefel's successor, someone "closely connected" to the dance world, such as a dancer or choreographer.
He said that both Stiefel and Jordan Kerner, the dean of the School of Filmmaking, have shown that working deans benefit the school greatly.
"The changes they have made have been salutary for the school and the students," Mauceri said.
Such arrangements bring the school publicity and help open doors for students. Mauceri himself conducts professional performances of opera and symphonic fare off campus.
Stiefel expressed some misgivings about being a working dean -- even if, as was the case at his hiring, a cast of assistant deans and others helped lighten his administrative load and deal with issues when he was absent. He said he danced for four weeks during the last academic year and will likely dance eight weeks this school year.
"It all starts and ends with the dean," Stiefel said. "In order to establish credibility with students and faculty you need to be here on the ground."
In his first two full years at UNCSA, Stiefel has enhanced the curriculum to better prepare students for today's trends in dance. Examples include more cross-disciplinary training for ballet and contemporary-dance majors, and the introduction of an acting class. Stiefel staged a new version of Nutcracker, and he also developed as a choreographer -- something he initially expressed no interest in.
Mauceri said he understands Stiefel's priorities, particularly at this stage of his career. "He's a dancer," he said. "The clock is ticking."
A search for a new dean will begin this school year, Mauceri said, adding that he is talking with Stiefel about an ongoing relationship with the school; Stiefel said he is open to the idea.
"UNCSA is indeed a unique and special institution, and I look forward to helping the school in other ways in the future," he said. "I feel good about where the school is. I feel good about the school's future."
kkeuffel@wsjournal.com
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