Anna Drozdowski (BA ’01)
Anna Drozdowski (BA ’01) is just like the rest of Gallatin’s multi-talented alumni: she’s unique. Anna completed her B.A. in three years, graduating magna cum laude with a concentration combining Performing Arts Management, Human Sexuality Development, and German Studies. The first person in her family to go to college, Anna chose to stay at NYU for graduate school, receiving an M.A. in Performance Studies from the Tisch School of the Arts.
Coming from a performing arts high school in Chicago, Anna selected Gallatin because she was able to focus her academic studies while devoting extracurricular time towards her love for the arts. Her individualized curriculum included classes taken throughout the University in photography, dance, German literature and culture, arts administration, and American Sign Language. To complete her concentration, Anna also took interdisciplinary seminars at Gallatin, including Performance Writing and Criticism, Boundary Crossings, and Sexual Identity and Social Space. In addition, she was able to craft independent study courses such as “ Germany: Language & Culture,” which she completed via extensive travel and research throughout the German countryside, and “Stage Study: Coming of Age,” in which she single-handedly conceptualized, directed, and produced a sketch-comedy/improvisational piece called “JINX!” for The Present Company Theatorium.
Demonstrating a penchant for the creative process, Anna became the Managing Director of the annual Gallatin Arts Festival and received the President’s Award for Outstanding Service to the University Community for her distinctive work on the Festival. She credits her Gallatin adviser, June Foley, as a motivating force throughout her studies; she was also inspired by Professor Julie Malnig’s course in Performance Writing, in which she was encouraged to think critically about the artistic process.
Anna was awarded a prestigious Fulbright Fellowship at the Royal Danish Ballet in 2003-2004. During her year in Copenhagen she lectured at Denmark ’s International Study Program and studied ballet culture. Anna later spent a semester in Mexico teaching at the Open School for Experimental Anthropology in Mérida and Pisté. She currently serves as company manager for Headlong Dance Theater in Philadelphia , and also finds time to contribute to the Bournonville Daily, the newspaper of the Royal Danish Ballet’s prestigious Bournonville Festival. Most recently, Anna was invited to attend the Institute for Dance Criticism at the AmAmerican Dance Festival in North Carolina.