15 Questions with Damian Woetzel

Harvard students love to out-brag one another about their hectic schedules. But FM found someone whose schedule may just trump a round of dining hall one-upmanship. Damian Woetzel, a master’s degree in public administration candidate at the Kennedy School of Government, takes classes at Harvard in addition to being a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet and running a summer arts festival in Colorado. FM caught up with the dreamy dancer in the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum before he had to leave to meet New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

1. What made you decide to dance?

Dancing was one of the hobbies my brother and I had when we were kids, and dance ended up being the one that “stuck.” I dropped everything else until that was what was left in the end.


2. Not to be heteronormative, but dancing isn’t exactly an obvious career choice for a boy. Were you ever made fun of for your decision when you were growing up?

There’s a certain amount of intolerance, especially in junior high. We often see things we don’t understand that cause reactions, so yes I was—a little bit.


3. What’s been your biggest challenge in your dance career?

The challenge is maintaining your interest over a long career, as opposed to pushing hard with no longevity. I’m surprised that I’ve been able to dance as long as I have.


4. Have you ever fallen on stage? How did you recover?

I haven’t fallen that much, but when I have, it’s usually in the attempt to do something worthwhile. As for recovery, you just have to get up!


5. Have you ever experimented with any other dance styles? The New York Times just had an article on the increased popularity of pole dancing...

I saw that article too. Within my repertoire in the New York City Ballet, there is a big tap number from “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue.” We run the gamut with different choreographers who aren’t necessarily what you would think of as traditional ballet choreographers.


6. You’ve lived in many different cities and you’ve danced in even more. Which city is your favorite and why?

I grew up in Boston, so coming back here was a homecoming. I’ve never lived here as an adult, so I really enjoy it. I traveled so much to dance that I feel a part of many places, but New York is where I spent most of my life and where my career has been—it’s the place where I exist.


7. Which dancer inspires you most? Do you take inspiration from other dancers or athletes?

I take inspiration from excellence. Within dance, I am as inspired by a Gene Kelly movie as I am by seeing [Mikhail] Baryshnikov dance. Being here at the Kennedy School, I am inspired by great people in politics and Kennedy himself. You find inspiration where you look for it.


8. Both your parents are highly intellectual people. How did their personalities affect your decisions to dance and then your return to school?

My career as a dancer wasn’t supposed to be my primary thing, but both my parents realized that to be able to dance in the way that I have is a gift, so everything was put on hold. I’m lucky I’ve managed to square the circle and pick up where I left off.


9. You were one of the few people without college degrees to be admitted into the Kennedy School of Government. Do you think this is a disadvantage or do you think your background gives you a better perspective?

It’s both. I’m in a mid-career program, and most people have been out of school for many years, which levels the playing field. As an administrator, I run a school in New York, I’ve run my own ballet groups, and a large arts festival. I find a lot of the skill sets that are supposed to be honed here at the Kennedy School are exactly where I’ve been working, so I felt ready for this sort of thing.


10. What class do you enjoy the most?

I’m auditing “The Politics and Ethics of the Use of Force,” taught by [Montgomery Professor of the Practice of Religion and Public Life J.] Bryan Hehir. It teaches lessons that cross all sorts of boundaries.


11. Have you ever experienced a Harvard section?

We don’t do that. Maybe you could explain to me what that is, because I keep hearing about it. We have review sessions on Friday, so it must be something similar.


12. You seem like you have a very busy schedule. How much time do you get to spend with your family?

It is juggling—my wife and I got an apartment here, and she’s teaching academic dance courses for FAS, so it’s been very complicated.


13. What’s your favorite place on campus to study?

I spent a lot of late nights at the Kennedy School library first semester and then started branching out a little bit. I took a course at the Law School, and spent a quite a bit of time eating at the Business School. I like to have the full experience.


14. What is the biggest difference you see between life at Harvard and life in the dance world, other than the obvious differences? Which is more stressful?

There’s a certain amount of anonymity here, and stress modulates to wherever you are. It’s not like there’s less or more. I’m much more comfortable doing what I do best. First semester, not knowing how long things took really was tough for me.


15. This is a scary question for most seniors right now, but what do you see yourself doing after classes at the Kennedy School? Do you have any big post-graduation plans?

On graduation day, I have to go to New York very fast because that evening, I’m performing at the NYC Ballet in honor of Lincoln Kirstein. I’ll get my diploma, grab a box lunch, and head to New York. After that, I’ll dance for another year, and I’m running the arts festival and my school. I want to start bridging these worlds where I can use the skills and interests that have been awakened by my time here.