Beyond Performance: Amy Fitterer

You could say Dance/USA’s new executive director, Amy Fitterer, has been rehearsing for this role her entire life. The dancer-turned-arts administrator is well prepared to lead the national arts advocacy organization into the future, and she thanks her dance training for that. She admits, however, that the timing surprised her.

“When the opportunity arose, I needed a little nudging,” says the 32-year-old. “I thought I had it in me to be an executive director, but that it would happen later in life. I went through the application process for my experience, and to my surprise it worked out.”

Fitterer grew up in Connecticut and began taking ballet classes at The Nutmeg Conservatory when she was five. Two years later, she started classical piano classes. “I became serious in both art forms very quickly,” she says. By 14, with coaching from Eleanor D’Antuano in roles like Clara, Dew Drop and Swanilda, Fitterer was dancing lead roles in full-length ballets. At the same time, she started accompanying classes on the piano. Sharon Dante, founder of Nutmeg, says she’s not surprised that Fitterer is now excelling in an arts administration career. “Amy is one of those individuals who simply excelled in everything she did.”

Fitterer attended the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music as a piano performance major—and she continued to dance daily. After graduation she moved to California, taught music at Lisa Spector’s Music School and joined the Peninsula Ballet Theatre, performing at night and on weekends. After five years with both organizations, she moved back east to pursue a master’s in arts administration at Columbia University. Upon graduation she became director of government affairs for Dance/USA and OPERA America. Two years later, when Andrea Snyder announced her departure from Dance/USA, Fitterer was encouraged to apply.

Fitterer says that as executive director her role is to help the national arts organization move into the future. “The dance field continues to change so rapidly that Dance/USA needs to make sure we are doing what we need to do to be ever more relevant.”

“I spend a lot of time trying to listen right now—to members, to board members and to staff,” she says. “I want Dance/USA to be a place for inspiration. The dance field in America is so vibrant.” With Fitterer’s leadership, the organization has activated a technology taskforce to address issues of technical needs in the field.

Fitterer says she gained her leadership abilities largely as a dancer. “I would say 90 percent of everything I’ve achieved in life can be attributed to my training in dance and music.” These lessons include discipline, patience, teamwork, being sensitive and flexible, listening to partners and adaptability. “As a dancer when you’re out on stage something could happen and you have to keep going. That applies to everything in your life: knowing how to keep moving forward no matter what.”

Originally published in Beyond Performance, a supplement to Dance Magazine and Dance Teacher, September 2011