Profiles: Arts First 2015

In anticipation of Harvard’s 23rd annual Arts First festival, a four-day celebration of both student and faculty artistry, The Crimson profiled four of the individuals who are making contributions to the event, both onstage and behind the scenes.

Jack Megan, director of Harvard’s Office for the Arts and festival producer

An artist in his own right, these days Jack Megan mostly directs his creativity into helping other artists. “I’m lucky to be working with such creative students,” he says. “It’s like a gift—I have the best job at Harvard.” Megan is truly a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to his participation in Arts First: He’s doing everything from general organization to direct oversight of various productions and installations.

“The biggest challenge with Arts First is how to always stay fresh and come up with new ideas,” Megan says. “But it’s a challenge in a good way—we try to add to the festival every year.” He spoke of the organizational challenges of coordinating the busy schedules of members of the Harvard community but praised the collaborative nature of the festival and the dedication and flexibility of its participants. “You can’t stop Harvard students from anything if they want it enough,” he says.

When asked what he most hopes the festival will achieve, Megan spoke of themes of inclusivity and togetherness. “Arts First will be a success if it represents well our community and its diverse culture,” Megan says. “I want that reflected in our art making. I love the joyful spirit of Arts First…. People come together for these days to affirm and celebrate one another through the arts.”

Rakesh Khurana, Dean of Harvard College and performer

“I look forward to the Arts Festival every year,” Dean Rakesh Khurana says. “It’s a celebration of creativity where we support our friends and colleagues, and it highlights the collaborative and transformative power of art to engage the imagination.” Khurana can be seen prancing across the stage on May 2 in the kickoff event of the Arts First performance fair: “Swan Lake: For the Birds!”, a spoof of the Tchaikovsky classic.

Khurana participated in various dramatic productions throughout his high school career but claims his talents ultimately aligned more with directing and producing. His performance in “Swan Lake,” he says, reminds him of those secondary school times. “One of my fondest memories from high school is the week leading up to a performance, when it seems like it’ll be impossible to pull off,” he says. “But then you watch it come together…. You just have to let go and see what happens.”

While discussing the process of practicing his part for the ballet, Khurana also meditates on the merits of the general process of artistic development. “Learning means making mistakes, and that’s important to note for the general Harvard culture,” he says. “Real learning means taking off the mask of perfection and putting yourself out there.”

“I hope students will come out and support and affirm the most important part of what makes us human: our capacity to create,” he adds.

Thomas A. Dingman ’67, Dean of Freshmen and performer

Dean Tom Dingman focused his energies on sports in his youth and had never participated in theater prior to his role as one of the featured dancers in “Swan Lake,” though he has attended every Arts First festival since the event first began and describes it as the highlight of his year. “I’m honestly the least likely pick for this,” he says. “I have two left feet. My only dance background coming in was square dancing as a young kid in the country.”

Given his lack of prior performance experience, Dingman says that his involvement in Arts First is driven in part by a desire to increase the accessibility of Harvard’s administrators. “I know there can be a divide between the students and the administration, so we try to do whatever we can to be seen as normal human beings,” he says.

When asked how he responded when he was approached about the role, Dingman smiles. “Who can say no to Jack Megan?” he says. “I think he’s the most charismatic person at Harvard—he’s like the pied piper. I have so much respect for him. I’m very fond of Jack.”

Ileana C. Riveron ’17, choreographer of “Swan Lake” and lead performer

Lilly Riveron, a former dancer with the Royal Ballet in London and with the Boston Ballet, never imagined in the past that she would attend college at all. Though an injury cut short her professional ballet career, she says she has no regrets. “Harvard has honestly been the biggest blessing of my life, and the Harvard Ballet Club and this project have been the biggest gifts of my time so far at Harvard,” she says.

Besides choreographing the show, Riveron also works as the costume designer and assists the lighting designer and tech crews. She praises the humor, lack of inhibitions, humility, and kindness of the faculty members she has been teaching since early February. “It’s been great to imagine these esteemed academics as the various characters and figure out how to choreograph the show so it would still embody the famous roles but would also be appropriate for the dean of the school,” she says.

Megan, Dingman, and Khurana all applaud Riveron and her abilities in teaching them the “Swan Lake” choreography. “Lilly was very patient and came at it in a generous way. She’s thoughtful, kind, patient, encouraging—everything I value in a good teacher,” Khurana says.

Arts First will run from April 30 to May 3 and is expected to draw a crowd of several thousand people, both members of the Harvard community and citizens from the greater Boston area.