“Dance is a feeling,” Levi Marsman, accomplished dancer, choreographer, and teaching artist explained to students in Newton Country Day’s Dance Collaborative and Honors Dance classes. “It’s about expressing something in here,” he says, pointing to his heart, “that has to come out."
On January 21, Marsman visited campus to host a Q&A session and masterclass where he shared his journey and career advice with Newton Country Day’s dancers. As a faculty member at the Ailey Extension School, a special guest teacher at Steps on Broadway, and a faculty member at the Boston Ballet School Summer Dance Program, Marsman had many insights to share with students about his choreographic process and how his passion became his career.
Marsman developed a passion for dance early in life. Raised in Dorchester, he began his training at the Boston Arts Academy, Jeanette Neill Dance Studio, and the OrigiNation Cultural Arts Center. He graduated from Walnut Hill School for the Arts before moving to New York City, where he earned a place in the Scholarship Program at the Ailey School, enrolled in the Ailey/Fordham University BFA Dance Program, and danced with Ailey II. He has since traveled coast to coast to perform, choreograph, and teach about the joy, artistry, and athleticism of dance.
Levi Marsman with Mrs. Lucey
Marsman credits his success to the teachers who saw something special in him, including Newton Country Day’s own Mrs. Lucey, who taught him while she was on the faculty of Walnut Hill and served as director of its summer dance program. “She really took an interest in a young kid who wouldn’t have found a place anywhere else,” he shared. Following his experience in the summer program, he was offered a scholarship to attend the year-round program. “He was always a phenomenal dancer as well as a prolific choreographer, even as a student,” Lucey remarked. For Marsman, the opportunity to attend Walnut Hill changed the trajectory of his life as an artist.
At Walnut Hill, Marsman took his first choreography class. “My teacher told me I would choreograph one day, and I said, ‘there’s no way,’” he shared. “I thought that’s what people do when they can’t perform anymore. But he was right." Choreographing provided Marsman with a sense of agency within the art form that he didn’t realize he was seeking. “Most of the stories told through dance were other people’s,” he explained. “I wanted to tell my stories and my friends' stories through dance. I wanted to make movement that I wanted to dance, not just the movement I was told to dance.”
A student asked about his approach to choreographing a piece. “I don’t begin until I’ve met the dancers,” he explained. “I see how they move and I think about something I've been wanting to express. These things work together to create a bigger picture.” This philosophy paralleled how he conducted his masterclass. For the next hour, Marsman led students in a series of traveling combinations, which prepared their minds and bodies for an original choreographed dance to “Mio Cristo Piange Diamanti” by Rosalía. Students readily engaged with his dynamic, ultra-focused, yet calm instructional approach.
Honors Dance Collaborative student Elly Culleton ’28 enjoyed learning from Marsman as he taught new techniques that departed from her classical ballet background. He also provided her with a new perspective on the process of choreographing a piece. “Learning about his process allowed me to feel what he was trying to express through dance. Now, when I’m watching dances, I can understand better what the choreographers are trying to say through their movements.” Marsman’s combination to “Mio Cristo Piange Diamanti” was a big topic of conversation among students after the class. “I really liked the song,” Culleton shared. “The lyrics helped me connect to the dance more. It helped me dance with passion instead of just going through the movements.”
“I feel like I’m in a dream,” said Mrs. Lucey, reflecting on her happy reunion with Marsman after several decades apart. “It was an honor to have him as a guest dance teacher at NCDS.”