Cleo Mack (Dance 1994) Shapes the Future of Arts Education

March 3, 2025

Cleo Mack (Dance 1994)

Earlier this winter, Cleo Mack (Dance 1994) returned to the Perpich campus as a guest presenter for the 2025 Dance Summit hosted by Mary Harding, Perpich’s Dance Education Specialist. Over thirty years since she danced in that space as a student, Cleo was back as a teacher and colleague, sharing her expertise with dance teachers from across the state. “Spending the day with a dynamic and passionate group of dance educators from across Minnesota was truly a gift,” said Mack. “Sharing this experience in the very space where my own dance journey began made it even more meaningful. I was deeply inspired by these teachers’ unwavering commitment to bringing the power of the arts to their students. The conversations we shared reinforced the profound, life-changing impact that educators have on their students’ lives, reminding me of the invaluable role we play in shaping the future.”

Cleo Mack is an interdisciplinary artist working primarily in sculpture and choreography. She is the artistic director of Rock Dance Collective, which has become the vehicle she uses when producing multidisciplinary events. Cleo primarily works in the New York metro area and she works in a largely collaborative process.

We caught up with Cleo to learn more about her life’s work and how Perpich impacted her journey.

Perpich – What was the experience of attending Perpich like for you?
Mack – “My time at Perpich was an eye-opening, life-changing, paradigm-shifting experience. In two short years I went from no experience and no formal training, to being accepted into the BFA program at Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. Four years later I was performing at the Kennedy Center and named national student choreographer of the year. My time at Perpich set the course for the rest of my life. Perpich honored my ambition and my curiosity and encouraged me to create in my own unique voice, and it is those qualities that defined my professional career.”

Perpich – What are the connections to your arts high school experience and your current work?
Mack – “My experiences at Perpich forged my belief that when arts education honors an individual students’ voice and encourages them to expand their vision of themselves, lives can be changed for the better. This is why I have dedicated my life to both creating and teaching with equal amounts of vigor. Every day in the studio is an opportunity to shift, grow, change, and invent a new way of seeing.”

Perpich – Are there any people or experiences that were particularly important that you’d like to mention?
Mack – “Mary Harding [Dance Instructor] is the beating heart of arts education. Anyone who has the opportunity to engage with her is lucky. I am deeply moved to be part of the tapestry of dance artists she has woven together and honored to be adding threads through my own teaching practice.”

Cleo Mack (Dance 1994) grew up in Plainview, Minnesota and attended Plainview High School (now Plainview-Elgin-Millville High School) before attending Perpich.

Cleo Mack is an award winning choreographer and educator. She holds an MFA in Interdisciplinary Art from Wilson College and a BFA in Dance from Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University. Her work has been described as “a collision of quirky sophistication and unmeasured recklessness.” She has been commissioned by the Outlet Dance Project at Grounds for Sculpture, 10 Hairy Legs, DeSales University, and Quad City Ballet. Ms. Mack has been honored to receive two Individual Artists Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, in recognition of her high artistic merit. Ms. Mack has been selected by Dance Magazine as one of the “25 to Watch”. She has enjoyed support from the Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, and has also received space grants from The Field, DTW, and Lincoln Center.

Ms. Mack’s performance work has been presented at Joyce Soho, Dance Theater Workshop’s Fresh Tracks, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., WAX, P.S. 1 Moma, the Hungarian American Dance Festival in Hungary, and at NJPAC as part of Jersey Moves. 2016 marks the inception of Mack’s newest project, Rock Dance Collective (RDC) is focused on creating interdisciplinary work in traditional and non-traditional environments. Ms. Mack’s sculptural work was on view as part of the NJ Arts Annual “Dissonance” at the Morris Museum and the Olympia Project. She has served on the boards of DanceNJ, CoLAB Arts, and the Montclair Dance Festival.

Ms. Mack is the Director of Dance at the Middlesex County Magnet Schools and co-owner of Washington Rock Dance. She has been a lecturer at Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts and a teaching artist for the American Repertory Ballet Institute, DeSales University, Muhlenberg University, and the University of Iowa. Ms. Mack has served on the writing team of the 2020 New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards for Visual and Performing Arts Standards and as well as the New Jersey ELA Standards Review Committee in 2015. She has been selected to present her educational philosophies at the National Dance Education Organization National Conferences in Arizona, Washington, D.C., and Florida. She was honored to be the recipient of the 2017 Hollins University Teaching Award.