Ice hockey may be the national pastime where he comes from, but Ricky D. Kuperman '11—a native of Toronto, Canada—was captivated by dance from a young age. “I was six or seven, and I certainly wasn’t a big kid,” says Kuperman. “My mom was worried I’d get beat up in the rink, so she threw me into dance class.” Since then, the multi-talented Kuperman has choreographed and performed numerous dances, participating in national competitions and appearing in the MTV dance film titled “Turn the Beat Around.”
Kuperman is best known across campus for his choreography and his work with the Harvard Ballet Company. In the Company’s Fall 2009 Loeb Mainstage Production, “Momentum!” Kuperman choreographed a dance titled “To Dust,” which he performed with Elizabeth C. Walker ’11. The piece was so well received that it was subsequently selected to represent Harvard at the American College Dance Festival, featuring entries from around the country.
Last summer Kuperman and his brother, Jeffrey D. Kuperman, directed their own dance film, “In a Moment,” which is expected to premiere in the next few months. The film intertwines dance and theater, and its art-house feel sets it apart from the likes of “Step Up.”
In addition to his extensive work in the arts, Kuperman, a psychology concentrator, has done research with the Health and Psychophysiology Laboratory and Moral Cognition Laboratory. “I was impressed by the quality of work Ricky was creating as a research assistant,” says Amitai Shenhav, a Ph.D candidate in psychology, who has worked closely with Kuperman. “He has a very ambitious spirit.”
Kuperman, armed with a wide array of abilities, is not sure what the future holds for him. “I’m interested in the human condition, and telling a compelling story,” he says.
“He’s definitely pursuing his passion, and I don’t think that is going to change,” says roommate Vishal Lugani ’11. “Whatever he may be doing in the future, he’s going to do an amazing job, because he’ll live and breathe it everyday. I’m excited to see what happens.”
