As GS Great Grad Robert Mulvery ‘26GS saw his time on the stage coming to an end he knew he had more to contribute to his own practice as well as the wider dance community. Once enrolled as a student in GS Robert was able to take classes in dance, performance studies and more which ultimately led to his love for research. Through his on-going collaborations with Columbia faculty and continuous love for learning Robert now plans on embarking on a Ph.D. in Theatre and Performance Studies at Columbia in the Fall of 2026. He reflects on his journey which brought him to GS and expanded his love for learning on and off the stage.
Tell us about your path to GS:
I danced ballet professionally for ten years before attending Columbia, performing with companies across the United States, including Nevada Ballet Theatre, Los Angeles Ballet, The Washington Ballet, and San Francisco Ballet, Barak Ballet, and some work with Cirque du Soleil. During that time, I also served as Co-Director of Outreach for Los Angeles Ballet, where I built programs that brought dance instruction to communities across Los Angeles County and expanded access to live performance for non-profits and public schools. I later became involved in union organizing and helped unionize Nevada Ballet Theatre. I also worked as a choreographic assistant to Stephanie Martinez.
After retiring from the stage, I worked in luxury retail, hospitality, and retail banking while preparing to return to school. Outside of academics, I continue to dance and create work grounded in improvisation. These experiences now inform my academic interests in critical theory, performance studies, and embodiment, where I approach improvisation as both a creative practice and a way of thinking through how bodies navigate systems of power.
What has been your proudest moment/greatest accomplishment at Columbia?:
Receiving the Campbell Award has been an honor, but I think my greatest accomplishment has been the development of my curatorial and artistic voice this semester as I am completing my concentration in dance.
Tell us about a class, group, or professor/person at Columbia that was instrumental to you during your time at GS.:
Throughout my time at Columbia, two professors have been supportive of my growth. Dr. Seth Williams at Barnard has shown me how vast and interdisciplinary dance studies can be and helped me look at my practice with different critical methodologies, and Dr. Lydia Goehr has introduced and challenged me with the various theoretical texts that I hope to use as a tool to think through my artistic practice.
What advice would you give to a student who's about to start their GS journey?:
You are and will always be a non-traditional student, but that does not mean that you do not get to have a traditional college experience. Treat your time here as any college student would. It is a chance to expand your worldview, challenge your beliefs, make friends, make mistakes, learn new things and forget others, make yourself uncomfortable, and grow as an individual.
What are your plans for after graduation?:
I will begin a Ph.D. in Theatre and Performance Studies at Columbia in the Fall of 2026.
Is there anything else about your GS story that you’d like to share?:
I have faced numerous obstacles since retiring, primarily my recovery from addiction. I see every challenge in my life as directing me to the moment where I am today, and I am so grateful for what I have learned here.
