Kyle J. Dancewicz ’11

The phrase ‘triple threat’ is commonly used to describe skilled and versatile athletes. Kyle J. Dancewicz ’11 may not be a football player, but—according to friend and artistic collaborator Brandon J. Ortiz ’12—he is a ‘triple threat’ in a different sense: he excels in singing, acting, and dancing. Dancewicz, a member of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals, has had a prolific performance career at Harvard in all three mediums.

Dancewicz developed an interest in theater in elementary school, and throughout high school he was involved in “four or five productions a year,” he says. Theater was an integral part of his life when he arrived at Harvard, and he immediately dove into the community, becoming involved in the Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club and performing in the musical “Sweeney Todd.” He also joined the a cappella group the Harvard-Radcliffe Veritones. “The transition to college was really easy,” Dancewicz said. “I was doing the same thing as in high school.”

However, Dancewicz’s arts career took a turn when he joined the Hasty Pudding in his sophomore year. In his first Pudding performance, “HPT 161: Acropolis Now,” Dancewicz donned a phoenix outfit, complete with a showgirl leotard, yellow tights, and four-inch heels. “It was never an uncomfortable thing for me except that it was extremely painful and sweaty,” Dancewicz said. Dancewicz soon thrived in the Pudding’s collaborative environment.

This year, Dancewicz served as the Cast Vice President of “HPT 163: Kashmir If You Can.” He ran the script comp in the summer, cast for the show in the fall, and helped bring the production to fruition on stage. Dancewicz had to deal with a large cast turnover—nine of the 12 cast members from the previous year’s show had graduated—and Dancewicz had the task of choosing their replacements. Dancewicz considers his involvement in casting a defining moment in his career. “It was amazing to see freshmen getting cast and knowing that I had a part in making it continue after I put so much effort into the organization,” Dancewicz said.

Dancewicz has developed a strong rapport with the newer members of the Pudding. “He was so welcoming and absolutely approachable,” Ortiz said. “He is very much the art patriarch for a lot of the younger generation.”

Besides performance, Dancewicz holds a deep interest in other arts. He is a member of the Signet Society and is a history of art and architecture concentrator. “Kyle is conversant in every form of art,” Ortiz said. Dancewicz will remain in the arts world after college—he is interning at the Whitney Musuem of American Art this summer, and will work at Sotheby’s Auction House. As he advances into the art world, he will continue to be supported by the many peers he has inspired along the way. Pudding and Signet compatriot Ryan P. Halprin ’12 says, “I hope he continues to work on his performance craft, because it would be a terrible thing to waste.”