Palucca Director Jason Beechey follows call to Zurich

The longtime rector of the Palucca University of Dance in Dresden, Jason Beechey, is moving to Switzerland. As the Saxon Ministry of Science announced Wednesday, Beechey will take over the newly created position of "Head of Dance" at the Zurich University of the Arts about a year before his regular term in Dresden ends on Aug. 1, 2024.

Science Minister Sebastian Gemkow (CDU) praised the work of the Canadian. "Jason Beechey has shaped the Palucca University of Dance Dresden to a special degree since he took office in 2006 and, with outstanding commitment, has developed it into a modern, renowned and internationally recognized training institution."

According to Gemkow, numerous dancers from Germany and abroad have received comprehensive and artistically demanding training under Beechey's direction at the only independent state dance academy in Germany. "I very much regret Professor Beechey's departure, but wish him much strength and success in his new position. Our task now is to secure his successor." The selection process is expected to begin immediately, it said.