DEL Facilitators Share Spring Happenings


DEL Facilitators Share Spring Happenings

 

We asked our DEL Facilitators to share what they’re up to this Spring, and we’re thrilled to share all of their accomplishments and endeavors!

 

Clara Bello

Clara Bello has been knee-deep in teaching! Her 2nd graders were savoring their last unit on Merengue, and are now on to authentic jazz—they just learned “Juba” thanks to the Tracing Footsteps Curriculum and are having so much fun! Aside from teaching, she has been immersed in the middle school admissions process for her first daughter and trying to survive her second daughter’s terrible twos. She is cooking up something juicy for the third installment of Salsa Stories this fall, so stay tuned!

 

Deborah Damast

Deborah Damast was invited to teach and stage her work Apart/A Part at Mukogawa Women’s University in Japan this March. She’s also planning for a concert at Ailey Citigroup in June, collaborating with Michael Kerr on an evening of original works. Deborah is also presenting at the NYPL with Andy Chiang (husband of late Nai-Ni Chen) about Nai-Ni’s work with Bertram Ross in February. Excitedly, she’s choreographing for NYU Graduation in May and directing the NYU 2023 Masters Concert in April! Also at NYU, Deborah is hosting a Tango Milonga event with visiting scholars Leonardo and Olga Suarez Paz. Deborah hosted the Getting Closer to Dance Symposium with The Joyce Theater at NYU in January, and the NYSDEA conference at NYU in February. She’s currently planning Pre-K and Kindergarten dance performances at LREI for April. Deborah is guest teaching Dances of Uganda workshops in Alexandria, VA and Washington, D.C. with Local Motion and Godfrey Muwulya, as well as directing the Arnhold Visiting Scholars from Uganda pilot program at NYU in May, and preparing for the NYU Steinhardt Dance Education Summer Uganda program in July. She is also hosting 12 DOE workshops at NYU this spring semester. Deborah is grateful to be receiving the Martha Hill Award this month. 

Deborah also taught our DEL Production course with Taryn Vander Hoop in March!

 

Daria Fitzgerald

Daria Fitzgerald presented “I Am Enough: Using Social-Emotional Books to Inspire Dance Making in Early Childhood” with Danielle Staropoli at NDEO’s January Virtual Professional Development Day. In February, Daria presented lessons on jazz and creative movement and Ugandan children’s games at Dancing Classrooms’ professional development for teaching artists. Daria was recently accepted into NYU Steinhardt’s Dance Education Summer Uganda study abroad program directed by Deborah Damast. This will be Daria’s second time participating in the program and third visit to Uganda.

 

Michael Kerr

Michael Kerr’s dance company DanceKerr & Dancers (which premiered in 2016 at the 92nd Street 2nd Annual Dance Educators Collective Concert) has recently obtained its 501c3 status. With Deborah Damast, he is also returning to the Ailey Citigroup Theater on Thursday, June 22, 2023 for their 2nd co-produced concert. Tickets for Damast & Kerr A Night of Dance go on sale in April at DanceKerr.com.

 

Hetty King

In February, Hetty King attended a Yoga retreat in Costa Rica, where she shared her publication on the work of Nancy Topf: A Guide To A Somatic Movement Practice: The Anatomy Of Center by Nancy Topf with Hetty King.

Additionally, DEL facilitators Dawn DiPasquale, Margaret Bary, Mary Seidman, Diane Duggan, and Carina Rubaja joined Hetty and members of the Pre-K Create team for Part I of a three part Professional Development workshop – an exploration and sharing of her doctoral research project, “The possibilities of a somatic movement education pedagogy for early childhood dance education.”

 

Mariangela Lopez

In the fall, Mariangela Lopez obtained her certification as a Somatic Movement Educator and this March she will become a Certified Infant Developmental Movement Educator, both through The School for Body Mind Centering®. In addition, she was awarded a creative residency at The Chocolate Factory for May 2023 and is the recipient of a grant from the Danse Mirage Foundation, Inc. (DMF, Inc.) for the 2023 Choreography Pilot Program.

 

Carina Rubaja

Carina Rubaja recently finished a successful residency in district 75 teaching students on the autism spectrum, with developmental disabilities, non-verbal students, and students with physical disabilities. Additionally, The New Jersey Performing Arts Center has hired her to mentor a teaching artist to teach their Storytelling Through Dance program. Carina was also accepted to be a member of the Building Bridges and Breaking Barriers for Multilingual Learners in the Arts cohort with the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable. She will participate in 6 training sessions. In March, Carina will be working with DEL in the Pre-K Create coaching residencies.

 

Mary Seidman

Besides working as a DEL Facilitator, Mary Seidman teaches modern dance classes at the Mark Morris Dance Center—most recently a six-week adult Introduction to Modern workshop. She will teach this again March 13-April 10 on Mondays at 12pm. Mary also frequently writes dance reviews for https://www.pbs.org/show/eye-arts/.

 

Taryn Vander Hoop

Taryn Vander Hoop is sharing work with her company, Summation Dance, in NYC and LA. Their NYC performance is at Gibney Dance from March 23-25, 2023 at 7:30pm. Tickets on sale here.

 

Johnny Vorsteg

Johnny Vorsteg is currently leading a residency at Collegiate School under the auspices of the Paul Taylor Dance Company. He is also coaching the actors and dancers of High Tech High School’s upcoming production of Chicago. In March, Johnny will perform alongside his identical twin brother in the 7th annual Fight With Your Art Benefit Concert, a one night concert and silent auction benefiting MD Anderson Cancer Center.