July 2, 2026

As D’Anthony Gray '26 neared the end of his time at Bennington, he found himself immersed in a whirlwind of performances, research, and reflection. “It is a dancing time,” he said during an interview on May 19, 2026. Between performing in Panorama with the Martha Graham Dance Company, presenting his Black Studies Fellowship project, participating in a “Works in Progress” sharing, and organizing communal practices and events, Gray embraced every opportunity. “It has been a journey and an exciting ride this semester. I am just trying to soak it all in, use it to my advantage, and use my time wisely.”

Gray’s path to Bennington was anything but expected. He spent two years studying at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia before the institution “that was truly a capacious home for artists" abruptly closed.

“When I found out about UArts’ closure, I was at my brother’s high school graduation,” he recalls. “It was a wild experience trying to be there for my brother and make sense of that and how abruptly I was taken out of Philly and the community that I was building.” 

Faced with the challenge of finding a new academic home after audition deadlines had passed, Gray discovered Bennington’s Dance Lab, which was created through a teach-out agreement between the UArts faculty he trusted as well as former and current Bennington faculty. He was grateful to arrive and be able to “think about new beginnings and the continuation of a dream that is still alive and has expanded in various ways.”

At Bennington, Gray’s artistic and intellectual interests have converged through his Black Studies Fellowship project, a 30-minute performance and research work rooted in the exploration of archives, vulnerability, fabric (material), set design, musical soundscapes, and spirituality. “Because I am a dance artist who is also interested in other things, that means that this archive is a moving archive,” he explained. Drawing from historical documents, video footage, movement, language, and imagery, the project investigates the history of Black students and dance works at Bennington. “I am not only dancing. There are words, images, visualizations that are happening in the space all at once.”

The fellowship also opened doors to opportunities Gray couldn’t have imagined. Through Bennington’s partnership with Jacob’s Pillow, he was able to engage with one of the dance world’s most celebrated institutions. “Jacob’s Pillow is the place to be for dance artists,” he says. “To be a part of this growing history is beautiful to experience, and I am grateful to have it.” His own research now resides in the Jacob’s Pillow archive. 

Gray credits the director of the BFA Dance Lab Donna Faye Burchfield and the entire current and former BFA faculty and visiting faculty  as important influences and takes inspiration from Bennington’s rich dance history. He speaks passionately about figures such as Ulysses Dove and Donald McKayle, whose legacies continue to shape the campus. ““I really think about the history I am walking upon and the history I am passing on to this place and the imprints I am leaving in this place at this time and the kinetic energy history I am passing on within this place and the imprints I am leaving in this place at this time upon the footprints that have already been here."

For Gray, Bennington has transformed his relationship to both dance and learning. “Me being here has shifted and expanded a lot of my ideas about how I can be with dance and be in and around and underneath thinking about dance.” He has found inspiration in the college’s liberal arts environment, where differences are embraced rather than diminished. “The difference is what makes this place so dynamic because we are encouraged to be and think deeply in and about our differences.”

Looking ahead, Gray sees multiple paths before him. He hopes to pursue graduate study focused on dance, Black studies, divinity, spirituality, or theology, and perhaps eventually earn a PhD.  He also dreams of performing with esteemed dance companies around the United States and abroad and even returning to Philadelphia's Just Sole Street Dance Theater. At the same, he’s considering returning to Booker T. Washington School for the Visual and Performing Arts, his alma mater in Dallas, TX, to teach.

Whatever comes next, Gray approaches the future with optimism and imagination. “I am dreaming. I am manifesting, not only what is to come in the next couple of months but the next 20-40 years.” Reflecting on his unexpected journey from Dallas to Philadelphia to Bennington, he adds, “That’s what I have been striving for: to dream beyond my present.”