DEL Lab Schools Feature: Dawn DiPasquale
We’re spotlighting our 2025 DEL Lab Schools recipients. Join us in celebrating Dawn DiPasquale!
Dawn DiPasquale has been teaching dance to Pre-K through Grade 5 for 20 years in 20 schools across NYC with long term continuing partnerships at PS 184Q (since 2006), PS 59M (since 2009), and PS 146M (since 2011).
As a proud member of the Teaching Artist community, she feels privileged to develop custom residencies tailored to the individual needs of each of her schools, whether it be in creative dance, social dance, cultural dance, dance history, or codified technique.
Dawn with students
Some of Dawn’s accomplishment’s include:
- MA, Dance Education, NYU
- BFA, Wichita State University
- UCLA Dance – World Arts & Cultures
- Teaching Artist in NYC public schools for NY City Center Theater and 92NY School Engagement in the Arts
- DEL facilitator, curriculum writer, mentor, video liaison, and project manager for several programs including DEL Tracing Footsteps, DEL Dance and Literacy, the DEL Institute – Teacher Certificate Program, the Create Professional Learning Series for 3K and Pre-K NYC DOE educators, and more
- Presented at NDEO, Arts in Education Roundtable’s Face to Face, and Empire State Partnerships
- Former Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance and Musical Theater at Wichita State University, teaching modern, musical theater and tap dance
- Co-produced the 2025 documentary film Through Memory for 92NY, which celebrates 92NY’s 150th Anniversary and the development of a new Aszure Barton commission for the Limón Dance Company
As a choreographer for Musical Theater, Dawn worked with composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz on productions of Children of Eden at Paper Mill Playhouse (Recording, RCA Victor) and North Shore Music Theatre, as well as a revival of Working at the Long Wharf Theatre directed by Christopher Ashley.
Other choreographic venues include Santa Barbara Civic Light Opera, Folly Theatre of Kansas City, Music Theatre of Wichita, Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, and the College of Charleston, Music Theatre West and The University of Michigan Department of Musical Theatre.
As a dancer, she has performed at DTW, PS 122, Circum-Arts, Riverside Church, Gowanus, Green Space, Manhattan Movement and Arts Center, NYC Fringe Festival and at the Strada Facendo in Pisa, Italy. She is a grant recipient from The Kansas Cultural Trust and is a proud member of SDC (Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers).
We asked Dawn to answer the following questions:
1. What is one of the biggest learnings or takeaways that has stuck with you from a DEL Course/Workshop?
As a student at DEL, I have a general takeaway that no matter the topic of the workshop, it was always a place for me to investigate, explore, and experiment with new ideas. To be able to articulate and present work within a supportive community, and to learn from and be inspired by my fellow students has helped me maintain a positive, confident, and curious spirit in my teaching practice. As a DEL facilitator, I feel challenged and encouraged to contribute big ideas, take risks, and to stay focused on the ways that I can support and guide the dance educators who participate in my workshops and courses.
2. How do you apply the DEL Model in your teaching environment? Tell us more about how you use what you’ve learned from DEL in your real life.
At the core of my teaching is exploration and discovery, whether I am leading a class in creative dance or introducing a specific technique. Through my work with the DEL Model, I have become keenly aware of the importance of crafting learning experiences and activities that empower students to make discoveries and create connections that lead to engagement, understanding, and the joy of dance.
3. At the center of the DEL Model is the Teacher’s Heart, which represents the core artistic and philosophical values and beliefs of every dance educator.
My Teacher’s Heart is centered on celebrating and valuing the unique contributions of each of my students. I am committed to creating an environment filled with joy, discovery, risk-taking, and respect. As a Teaching Artist, my Teacher’s Heart also extends to the relationships I build with classroom teachers and specialists, as we identify shared goals and discover ways that we can support each other in a holistic approach to educating the whole child.
The DEL Lab School initiative is designed to acknowledge and celebrate dance educators who are bringing the DEL Model to life in their unique teaching contexts.
Photos courtesy of Dawn DiPasquale.