The DEL Institute

Shakia Barron is a choreographer, performer, and dance educator whose work is rooted in the African Diaspora, focusing on Hip-Hop, House and other African diasporic dance forms. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Dance at Mount Holyoke College. She graduated with her MFA in Choreography at Wilson College, she holds an Associate’s degree in dance and psychology from Dean College, a Bachelor’s in liberal arts from Westfield State University, and she received the National Dance Institute’s teaching artist certificate in 2009. She graduated with her MFA in Choreography at Wilson College, she holds an Associate’s degree in dance and psychology from Dean College, a Bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Westfield State University, and she received the National Dance Institute’s teaching artist certificate in 2009. Her other dance training includes the Bates Dance Festival, Jacob’s Pillow, and Pioneer Valley’s Performing Arts Charter School.

Barron has choreographed and directed more than 50 Hip-Hop, modern, African and lyrical works that have been performed at Trenton Educational Dance Institute, Rider University, the Princeton School of Ballet, Bates Dance Festival and Jacob’s Pillow. She has performed for numerous Hip-Hop events and has opened for concerts by Fat Joe, Jadakiss, 112, Charlie Baltimore, and Kima from “Total” and Omarion. In 2005, she choreographed a Hip-Hop number for the Celtics/NBA half-time show. Barron has toured nationally and internationally, dancing with Face Da Phlave Entertainment and Illstyle and Peace Productions. And recently, she made a guest appearance with Rennie Harris PureMovement. Her recent work titled “Concourse” was performed at Jacobs Pillow in October 2021.

As a dance educator, Barron spent four years teaching at the Bates Dance Festival and taught community classes at Jacob’s Pillow. Barron is a DEL faculty member who has facilitated multiple professional Development workshops around the integration of Hip-Hip dance and history in the curriculum. Her work titled “Our House” was selected to be performed for Community Day at Jacob’s Pillow in 2019. Barron was also the 2019 Arthur Levitt Jr. ’52 Artist-in-Residence at Williams College. Prior to joining Mount Holyoke College Dance Department as a full-time tenure track faculty, she served as an adjunct at UMASS Amherst, Smith, Amherst and Connecticut colleges.

This is me…

Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in New York City, Clara Bello is personally drawn to Caribbean music and culture. She was raised dancing many Latinx and Caribbean dance styles, but came to develop her passion for Salsa in college. She trained at Santo Rico Dance School and was one of the founding members of Yamuleé Dance School. She has performed with Bajarí de Yamuleé, Yamuleé Dance Company, and La Magia Dancers.

As an immigrant and woman of color, Clara is greatly troubled by the current state of our nation. She is doing her part by continuing the fight from inside the classroom and entering into dialogue with others outside. Clara volunteers in church initiatives to help marginalized members of her community, including missions to various parts of Latin America. In late 2014, she also participated in the Dove ‘Love Your Curls’ Campaign to raise awareness about the impact of the explicit and implicit social messages we send our children, even with something as “simple” as hair. She is raising her daughters to love people and celebrate differences. She is praying for peace in our global community. While fun-loving and adventure-seeking, Clara also has come to appreciate the miracle of silence and stillness. She is interested in learning more about sustainability practices and how to be a better human.

This is my work…

Clara is the full-time Dance Educator and Arts Liaison at Dos Puentes Elementary School, in the heart of Washington Heights. Since 2006, she has been teaching elementary and middle school students as a literacy intervention teacher, classroom teacher, and dance educator. She holds a B.A. in French, a Master’s in Bilingual Childhood Education, 30 credits in Dance Education, and a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership. Clara is a DEL graduate and Arnhold New Dance Teacher Alumna. She holds the following New York State licenses: Common Branches, Bilingual Extension, Dance, School Building Leader (SBL) and School District Leader (SDL) licenses.

Clara is a member of the NYCDOE Office of Arts & Special Projects (OASP) Dance Transition Team and a Facilitator for the OASP and Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) at the 92Y. Current and previous projects include work as a Reviewer for the Arnhold Dance Curriculum / Unit Review Program and Tutor for the Arnhold Dance Teacher Tutoring Program. She was part of the NYCDOE Dance Curriculum Writing Team (2015) and contributed to the revision of the New York City Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the Arts – Dance (2015). She was also a Proctor and Scorer for the NYCDOE Arts Achieve Dance Assessment (2010-2013). Clara is a current member of the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO).

Clara’s passion lies in her love of social dances for their ability to bring people together from different walks of life and for the pure joy they bring to the communities that embrace them. Her dance program blends her passion for the humanities with principles of creative movement with curricula taught primarily in Spanish. Clara is interested in exploring relationships between the arts and issues of equity, human rights and social justice, language learning (of all kinds), academic achievement, social-emotional learning, interdisciplinary learning, curriculum development / implementation, formative assessment, community building, and best practices for establishing and maintaining a positive and challenging learning environment. She enjoys collaborating with other educators, mentoring teachers, and learning about different cultures.

Edwin Brathwaite is a certified science and dance educator teaches at Meyer Levin Performing Arts School, IS 285, for the past 20 years. A native of Barbados, West Indies, He facilitates New York Citywide Dance professional development, Arts Monday and workshops for Dance Educational Laboratory (DEL).

He is currently facilitating professional development for Connected Arts Network (CAN). Edwin has published several dance unit studies in the annual New York City Department of Education (DOE). He authored and presented a unit entitled Roots of Tap Dance: Soul Rhythms in The Dance Educational Laboratory (DEL) Tracing Footsteps: Honoring Diverse Voices Through Dance History in NYC, grades 6-8 Curriculum – Module 2, funded by The New York Community Trust and the New York City Department of Education. 

In January 2022, Edwin coauthored and presented Hip Hop: Cultivating Vision and Voice for the Tracing Footsteps Curriculum series two, Grades 6-8 curriculum – Module 2. 

He has been honored in his community with several awards. One of which is the Meyer Levin Intermediate School 285 Distinguish Educator Award, and a Citation from Senator Roxanne J. Persaud of the 19th Senate District, honoring and recognizing his exceptional contribution to the community he services.

Frederick Curry is an Associate Professor of Professional Practice in the Dance Department at Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University. His scholarship focuses on equity-informed dance pedagogy and somatic practices, on which he has led workshops and presented at conferences internationally including in Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, South Korea, Switzerland, Uganda, the United Kingdom, and throughout the United States. Frederick has served on the Board of Directors of the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO), as Assistant Editor for Dance Education in Practice journal, and was a founding member of the NDEO Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access Committee. He is a 2022 recipient of the NDEO Outstanding Leadership in Justice, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Award.  In addition to serving as faculty at the Dance Education Laboratory at the 92nd Street Y, he has taught at NYU Steinhardt and served as coordinator for the modular certification program at the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies. Frederick is a Polestar Pilates Educator and a National Pilates Certification Program Commissioner. At Rutgers, he is Director of the EdM Program in Dance Education, and Director of the Rutgers Polestar Pilates Teacher Training Program.

Deborah Damast (BFA Dance, SUNY Purchase, MA Dance Education, NYU, DEL Certificate) is Associate Professor and Program Director of Dance Education at NYU Steinhardt where in addition to teaching, she is Artistic Director of concerts, Kaleidoscope Dancers, and the Uganda study abroad program. Deborah is the Past-President of the New York State Dance Education Association, has served on the boards of NYSDEA, NDEO, Dance Education in Practice Journal, and Peridance Contemporary Dance Company and is a member of the NDEO Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access IDEA committee. She is on faculty at LREI/Little Red Schoolhouse, Dance Education Laboratory, and The Yard and has directed programs at Peridance, Steffi Nossen, Harvey School Cavalier Camp, The Yard Kids Do Dance, OBT Exposed, Deborah facilitates Professional Learning for teachers through the NYC Department of Education, 92Y DEL, and PKFCC Pre-K for all and has contributed to the NYC Blueprint for the Arts, Dance and the DEL Early Childhood model.  She has presented at numerous conferences and festivals including at NDEO, NYSDEA, ACDFA, CUNY, Kymabogo Music Education in Uganda and her choreography has been shown at over 40 venues in NYC including Ailey Citigroup, Peridance, World Financial Center, Riverside Church, Judson Church, Symphony Space, Cooper Union, 92Y, 14St Y, Skirball Theatre, and internationally in Japan, Uganda, Korea, Italy, and Canada. Deborah has taught for the Education Departments of Oregon Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet and has written curriculum for Peridance, Paul Taylor American Modern Dance, DEL, NYCB, and the NYC DOE. Deborah is a recipient of the 2009 NYU GSU Star Faculty Award, the 2010 NDEO Outstanding Dance Educator Award: Higher Education, and the 2020 Dance Teacher Magazine Award for Higher Education. She participated in Motion Capture studies at NYU, collaborated with Music and Music Technology, and at NYU was a co-recipient of grants for Dance Literacy and Data Literacy, Professional Development, and the 2020 Diversity Innovation grant. Deborah is thrilled to return to facilitate another workshop at DEL with colleagues and collaborators from Uganda and the United States.

Dawn DiPasquale holds a MA in Dance Education from NYU and is a former Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance and Musical Theatre at Wichita State University, teaching modern, musical theatre and tap dance; Her work as a teaching artist in NYC public schools with 92ndStreet Y, City Center, and Together in Dance includes residencies in early childhood dance, Parents As Arts Partners and Creative After School Adventures. She is a curriculum writer and professional development facilitator for The Dance Education Laboratory and Center for Arts Learning and Leadership at the 92nd Street Y.

As a choreographer for Musical Theatre, she has 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 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. Her work has also been staged at Music Theatre West and The University of Michigan. As a dancer, she 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/ Koch Foundation and is a member of SDC (Stage Directors and Choreographers Union).

Diane Duggan, PhD, BC-DMT is a NYS licensed psychologist, board certified dance/movement therapist and dance educator. From 1973 to 2013 she created and taught therapeutic dance programs for students with multiple disabilities, autism, intellectual and learning disabilities, and emotional and behavioral disorders. Much of her work is based in choreography, and her students have performed at Lincoln Center, Central Park, South Street Seaport, St. Mark’s Church, NYU’s Frederick Lowe Theater, and the Apollo Theater.

Dr. Duggan has an MS in Dance Therapy from Hunter College (1973) and a PhD in School/Child Psychology from New York University (1998). She studied Effort/Shape with Martha Davis, Irmgard Bartenieff, Miriam Berger, and Betty Meredith-Jones. She studied infant and toddler movement and behavior with Dr. Judith Kestenberg at the Center for Parents and Children. 

From 1976 through 1980 Dr. Duggan served as Communications Chairperson on the Board of Directors of the American Dance Therapy Association. She is the co-executive producer of the film Dance Therapy: The Power of Movement (1979-82). She was the Dance Therapy Program Chair for the Joint Creative Arts Therapy Conference 1984-85. 

Dr. Duggan has created and taught graduate courses in dance therapy at Adelphi University (2/78-2/86), CW Post College/Long Island University (1/84-8/87), Hunter College Dance Therapy program (9/84-5/92), and Hofstra University Art Therapy program (6/99-7/08). 

Dr. Duggan has taught in the Dance Education MA program at New York University since 1994. She has taught in the 92nd St. Y Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) and Dance Therapy programs since 2006, including at the National Dance Therapy Center at Les Grands Ballets Canadiens in Montreal. 

While she continued to run her therapeutic dance program, Dr. Duggan was tapped to be a member of the three-person New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) District 75 Positive Behavior Support Team from 1997-2007. In that capacity she created and taught professional development in Positive Behavior Support (PBS) and Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) including a three-day workshop for dance educators. As a senior trainer in Life Space Crisis Intervention she trained staff in special education and general education programs. She consulted with schools throughout the NYCDOE to create school-wide PBS programs and individual behavior plans for students with serious, persistently challenging behaviors. 

Dr. Duggan has written book chapters and journal articles on her work. She is co-author of Dance Education for Diverse Learners: Special Education Supplement to the Dance Blueprint. From September 2017 until the present she has worked with NYCDOE’s Arts for Students with Disabilities initiative, creating materials for on-line resources and teaching professional development for dance and other arts educators. She is an Arnhold Mentor for beginning dance educators and is on the editorial board of the NDEO journal Dance Education in Practice. She is a member of the Dance/NYC Task Force on Dance and Disability. She received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the New York State Dance Education Association in 2016.

Catherine Gallant, MFA was the assistant director at 92Y Harkness Dance Center from 1994-96 just as DEL was beginning and has been on the faculty of the Dance Education Laboratory since 2003. She has presented her work at 92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Center, WestFest and American Dance Guild. Recently Catherine Gallant/DANCE performed in Ireland and in Scotland at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Catherine is also the director of Dances by Isadora which, since 1989, performs, teaches and collaborates with dancers throughout the world. They have appeared on the Jacob’s Pillow’s Inside/Out Series, Battery Dance Festival and at Green-Wood Cemetery. Catherine appears in the US version of Jerome Bel’s Isadora Duncan.  She began her study of the technique of Isadora Duncan in 1982 with Julia Levien and is a founding member of the Duncan Archive. Catherine is the dance educator at PS 89 in Manhattan. She and her students were featured in the Emmy-nominated PBS documentary, PS DANCE!  Ms. Gallant is a graduate of the Boston Conservatory and holds an MFA in Dance from Temple University.

Eli Kababa’s dance career began when he discovered his love of hip-hop culture while earning his black belt in Tae Kwon Do. Martial arts helped hone his skills of mental discipline, focus and dexterity. When Eli combined those with passion, devotion, and experimentation, he was on his way. Learning how to break-dance from local crews in Bayonne, New Jersey was his first form. Studying under Souljerz Crew he explored other techniques like gliding, waving, popping & locking. In a dance battle at his local college Eli was spotted by the dance professor which launched his studies in Fine Arts. Soon after graduating he was hired by New York City Ballet’s Education Department where he worked as a Teaching Artist for 11 years in their Nutcracker, Ballet Bridges and Project Ballet Programs.

During this time Eli co-founded Garden State Dance Project, a successful dance company devoted to cultivating community through various arts and entertainment projects. As the company in residence at the Y in Wayne New Jersey from 2007 to 2011 Eli and his dancers hosted school assemblies and taught in their School of Dance. Along with instruction they would meet weekly to create fusion dance works. Mixing fine arts like ballet and modern dance with street styles to create new works. They hosted annual dance performances and performed at venues such as 42nd Street Port Authority, Grounds for Sculpture, Ceres Art Gallery, Bickford Theatre and the County College of Morris, his alma-mater.

For the past 7 years Eli has been honored to work for the 92nd Street Y. His company performed for students in the Dance Introduction Series. He has taught hip-hop for Harkness Dance Center students in their School of Arts and was a student and graduate of DEL, the Dance Education Laboratory. Becoming a DEL Facilitator he learned ways to share his work within CALL, the Center for Arts Learning and Leadership where he developed, and pioneered the curricula he (co)authored for them titled “Hip-Hop to the Top” & “Tracing Footsteps, Honoring Diverse Voices through Dance History in NYC.” Both programs continue to serve the New York City public schools annually. Eli’s success comes from sharing his love of hip-hop and its ability to transform the lives of his students, schools and communities. You can read more about his work in Dance Teacher and if you want to join his hip-hop community you can find him on the “Eli Kababa YouTube Channel”. He is currently under the mentorship of legendary hip hop artist Rennie Harris as he attends Wilson College where he is pursuing his MFA, Master Fine Arts, anticipated graduation date, 2024.

Dr. Nyama McCarthy-Brown is an Assistant Professor of Dance Pedagogy and Community Engagement, at The Ohio State University. Nyama has been an active performer, choreographer. She is also an established scholar, with articles in numerous academic publications. In 2017, her book, Dance Pedagogy for a Diverse World: Culturally Relevant Teaching in Research, Theory, and Practice was released. Currently she is developing an evolving duet about parenting a young black, male, child, that was performed in Brooklyn, and San Francisco, in 2019. Nyama teaches dance education and contemporary dance with Africanist underpinnings grounded the celebration of all movers. In addition, Dr. McCarthy-Brown is an active consultant and workshop facilitator for diversifying dance curriculum for organizations such as: San Francisco Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Enrich Chicago, Dance Educator’s Coalition, Minnesota, Ohio Dance, and Rutgers University Dance Department.

Megan J. Minturn, MA, RYT is a New York-based dancer, educator and choreographer.  She loves sharing her passion for movement. Her company of investigators/choreographers/dancers, MJM Dance, performed at the 92nd St. Y, New York’s Dance New Amsterdam, HERE Arts, Dixon Place, NYU’s Frederick Loewe Theatre, Miami University of Ohio, the Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance, Stand4 Gallery and Ailey’s Citigroup Theatre among others. They investigated and performed their first evening length performance, “Monopoly: The Landlord’s Game” in April, 2017 to two sold out audiences at Mark Morris Dance Center.

Megan dances with Bessie Award winning, Joya Powell’s Movement of the People Dance Company and Catherine Gallant/DANCE. With Joya Powell and Catherine Gallant she has performed at venues including Jacob’s Pillow, Lincoln Center, St. Mark’s Church, BAM, La MaMa, throughout the tri-state area, and internationally. Megan has performed the works of Mabingo Alfdaniels, Frederick Curry, Carolyn Webb, Dianne Duggan, Deborah Damast, Rainy Demerson, Saya Hardako, Jacques Heim, Jenny Brown, and Charles Ahovissi.    

Megan teaches at the Brooklyn International High School.  Her students have performed throughout New York City.  In 2016, Megan was awarded the New York State Dance Education Association’s Outstanding K-12 Educator of the Year and in 2015 Education Update’s Outstanding Educator of the Year at NY’s Harvard Club. She was a guest artist teaching movement and improvisation in NYU’s Graduate Music program for four years.  Megan worked with the ARTery teaching Dancing Classroom’s ballroom dance to 5th graders, Charles Ahovissi’s African Culture Connection performing and teaching West African dance, the Diavolo Project: Nebraska dancing and teaching athletic contemporary dance, and participated in a Kennedy Center funded Teaching Artist Initiative. She has taught and written curricula with Dance Theatre of Harlem, the Little Red Schoolhouse Summer Program, The School at Peridance, Notes in Motion, Action Arts at Columbia University, and HB Studios.  She has led workshops and sat on panels at the National Dance Education Organizations annual workshops (2012-2016) and has written curricula and mentored new dance teachers with the New York City Department of Education’s Office of Arts and Special Projects. 

Megan received her 200 hour Yoga Alliance Certification at Sonic Yoga in New York City.  Most recently, she studied dance and dance pedagogy in Havana, Cuba at Danza Contemporánea de Cuba, received the Don Quixote Grant (2019) to study dance with Rosangela Silvestre in Salvador, Brazil and is a Fund for Teachers Fellow (2019). Megan holds an MA in Dance Education from New York University.  

Felice Santorelli (Ed.M Dance Education, B.F.A. Dance and Choreography) is a full time dance educator at the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School (PVPA) in Western Massachusetts. Felice’s teaching experience ranges from K-12 to higher education and in various styles of dance. Felice brings experience designing dance curriculum that blends skill-building in technique, creative dance making, improvisation, and dance history, and draws connections between dance and the world and other art forms. Felice is the Artistic Director of PVPA’s Catalyst Dance Company, a student choreography group that focuses on the development of young dance artists and dance makers. Work from this student group has earned recognition and awards at the Regional and National level. At PVPA, she leads the DEL PVPA dance mentoring program, established by DEL Founding Faculty Ann Biddle with generous support from the Arnhold Foundation. Her work and the work of her students is featured in the film PS Dance! The Next GENeration (Nel Shelby) which premiered in 2022 on PBS. Felice is a DEL facilitator with DEL 92Y and DEL at Jacob’s Pillow, leading professional development for dancers and dance educators. Additional work includes Pilot Teaching for the National Core Arts Standards for Dance (NCCAS), numerous presentations at the National Dance Education Organization Conference (NDEO), mentorship for the DEL Institute, as well as contributions to curriculum writing projects for the NYC DOE.