Thomas Vacanti

Guest Choreographer

Thomas Vacanti (BS in Dance, Skidmore College ‘02. MFA in Dance, Smith College ’04) is Professor of Ballet and Director of the Dance Program at UMass Amherst and the Artistic Director of Pioneer Valley Ballet in Northampton, MA.

During his professional dancing career he toured extensively throughout the United States, Central America and Russia performing contemporary and classic repertory. He danced professionally with The Florida Ballet, Tampa Ballet, Colorado Ballet, Ballet Mississippi, Ballet Michigan, Ballet de Panama, and the North Atlantic Ballet. 

Vacanti was one of ten dancers chosen nationally, by the prestigious Jacob’s Pillow, to represent the USA in their Soviet/ American Exchange Program. He worked with internationally renowned choreographers and teachers while performing extensively throughout Russia.

As a choreographer, he has presented work with his touring repertory company Vacanti Ballets at the Center for Performance Research in Brooklyn, Cape Cod Dance Festival, Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival, the North Carolina and Massachusetts Dance Festivals, The Provincetown EcoArts Festival, the Youth American Grand Prix in NYC, the Peridance APAP Showcase in NYC. Tom has performed and created work internationally at the IUGTE Global Theater Conference (Graz Austria), the EcceArts/Etchings Festival (Auvillar, France), and the Venice International Performance Art Week (Venice, Italy).

Vacanti staged his Rinforzare on NAB in 2017 and choreographed a revival of Dracula on the company in 2024. He has also appeared on stage in NAB performances, most notably as Mother Ginger in The Nutcracker and the Step-Mother in Cinderella.