Mark DeGarmo Dance’s DANCE FOR DANCE (D4D) FOR SOCIAL CHANGE 2026 honors internationally recognized performer, teacher, choreographer and author, Dr. Daniel Lewis, with its “Educational Visionary” Lifetime Achievement Award 2026 presented by Dante Puleio, Artistic Director of the José Limón Dance Company on Thursday, May 7, 2026, 6:30-9:00 PM, St. Mary’s Church, NYC’s Lower East Side. D4D-26 Raises Awareness and Funds for Our Dance Education Program Called “A National Model” by the National Endowment for the Arts
WHEN: Thursday, May 7th, 2026 6:30-9:00 PM
WHERE: St. Mary’s Church, 440 Grand Street (east of Clinton Street) NY, NY 10002
TRAVEL: The site is one block south of Delancey Street and 3 blocks east of the F, J, M Delancey/Essex subway station. There is municipal parking on Essex St.
TICKETS, SPONSORSHIPS, & DONATIONS: https://bit.ly/4pJ24vj
SILENT AUCTION: Coming Soon
Donations by Check: Dynamic Forms, Inc., 107 Suffolk Street, Studio Theater 310, New York, NY 10002
Mark DeGarmo Dance’s Dance for Dance for Social Change 2026 celebrates MDD’s 39th and 44th anniversaries as a leading NYC not-for-profit dance organization dedicated to education, performance, and intercultural community-building. The community event celebrates our 39- and 44-year commitment to provide our evidence-based dance program to the least-resourced public elementary students, schools, families, and communities across NYC. Without our support, funding and dedication our school partners rarely provide evidence-based dance education programs. The celebration includes a presentation with refreshments, a silent auction, a dance lesson, dancing, and students performing. We honor internationally recognized performer, teacher, choreographer, and author, Dr. Daniel Lewis, with our “Educational Visionary” Lifetime Achievement Award 2026 presented by Dante Puleio, Artistic Director of the José Limón Dance Company.
Dance for Dance is MDD’s annual Lower East Side community celebration that raises awareness and funds to support our vision, mission, and programs. That mission integrates education, performance, and intercultural community through dance. We use dance to engage and empower students. Our program, Partnerships in Literacy through Dance and Creativity, was cited as “a national model” by the National Endowment for the Arts. President Obama commended Dr. DeGarmo and Mark DeGarmo Dance for “your service to your communities and the nation.” Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer designated Nov. 17, 2017 as “Mark DeGarmo Dance Day in Manhattan.” Miss America 2019 Nia Imani Franklin accepted MDD’s Arts Education Advocacy Award 2019.
ABOUT DR. DANIEL LEWIS
Daniel Lewis, Dean of Dance. Mr. Lewis joined NWSA as the founding Dean of Dance in 1987. An internationally recognized performer, teacher, choreographer and author, he graduated from The Juilliard School in 1967, served on its faculty from 1967-87, and was the Assistant Director of the Dance Department from 1984-1987. He danced with the José Limón Dance Company for 12 years, originating leading roles and staging works of companies worldwide. In the first year following the death of Mr. Limón, Mr. Lewis became the company’s artistic director at which time he formed Daniel Lewis Dance, a repertory dance company. Mr. Lewis’ book, The Illustrated Dance Technique of José Limón (reprinted by Princeton University Press, 1999 from the original Harper & Row, 1984) has been translated in German, Spanish and Japanese. In addition, Mr. Lewis has published two articles for Medical Problems of Performing Artists, Hanley & Belfus, Inc., Philadelphia, PA 1998 entitled Health Care For Dance Students At A Performing Arts Academy: A Dean’s Perspective and Dancing With A Prosthesis. His paper, Dance Education in the USA K-12, was presented in 1990 at the International Symposium Munchen in Switzerland and published by Tanztendenz and in the 3/90 and 4/90 issues of Tanzund Gymnastik. Mr. Lewis’ commitment to the growth of dance in South Florida takes form in his producing of Miami Dance Futures, Inc., which since 1988, in addition to supporting local dance companies, has presented the 1990 Balanchine Conference, 1991 Dance History Scholars’ Conference, and the 1997 American College Dance Festival among others. Mr. Lewis has served on the Fulbright Screening Committee and as a dance panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts.

ABOUT DANTE PULEIO
A widely respected former member of the Limón Dance Company for more than a decade, Puleio is the sixth Artistic Director in the Company’s 80-year history, a position that originated with Doris Humphrey. After a diverse performing career with the Limón Dance Company, touring national and international musical theatre productions, television and film, he received his MFA from University of California, Irvine. His research focuses on contextualizing mid 20th century dance for the contemporary artist and audience. He is committed to implementing that research by celebrating José Limón’s historical legacy and reimagining his intention and vision to reflect the rapidly shifting 21st century landscape.

ABOUT DANCE FOR DANCE’S HONOREES
Mark DeGarmo Dance has honored over the past 13 years leading USA and global artists, educators, scholars, activists, and outstanding citizens concerned for the well-being of the USA and other world democracies and nations via equitable education and access to the cultural arts of their citizens. “Educational Visionary” Lifetime Achievement Awardees include educational theorist Maxine Green (2013); actor, writer, director, and Co-Founder of The Living Theatre Judith Malina (2014); classical ballet luminaries Oleg Briansky and Mireille Brianne (2015); dance author, critic, and educator Deborah Jowitt (2016); dancer, choreographer, and dance educator Patricia Aulestia (2017); Inaugural “Arts Education Advocate” Awardee opera singer, composer, arts education advocate, and Miss America 2019, Nia Imani Franklin; and “Dance Ambassador” 2023 Awardee dancer, teacher, director, filmmaker Christine Dakin (2023); “Educational Visionary” Lifetime Achievement Awardees dancers, teachers, directors, and choreographers Phyllis Lamhut & Douglas Dunn (2024); and internationally renowned classical ballet teachers and practitioners, Andra Corvino and Ernesta Corvino (2025); and internationally recognized performer, teacher, choreographer, and author, Dr. Daniel Lewis (2026).

ABOUT US
Operating since 1982 & incorporated in 1987, Mark DeGarmo Dance is a leading NYC nonprofit dance organization based since 2001 in the Lower East Side at NYC-owned the Clemente Soto Velez Center. MDD’s mission is to educate NYC communities, & especially children; create, perform, & disseminate original artistic & scholarly work; & build intercultural community through dance arts. MDD’s Founder, Executive & Artistic Director Dr. Mark DeGarmo has choreographed and produced over 100 dances and multiple tours in 13 countries. He curates MDD’s Virtual Salon Performance Series for Social Change in its 16th year that has since 2019 produced 566 dance artists from 23 US states and 31 countries. MDD’s Global Dance Circle for Social Change has since 2020 produced 10 seasons to “hold hands” without recognizing or disregarding global boundaries, borders, and barriers including 805 dance participants from 25 US states and 41 countries. https://markdegarmodance.org, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Vimeo.
Our programs are supported, in part, by private and public funds from American Online Giving Foundation; Jody and John Arnhold; Benevity; Frances and Benjamin Benenson Foundation; Bernheim Foundation; Blackbaud Giving Fund; Lisa and Dick Cashin; PJ and Dawn Dearden; Rev. Dr. Lindley DeGarmo and Sarah Finlayson; Marianne Egri and David Thomas; Friends of Mark DeGarmo Dance; Jill Ganey; The Harkness Foundation for Dance; Lara and Darius Mehraban; The Kyle J. Mulrooney Foundation; Mental Insight Foundation; National Endowment for the Arts; Network for Good; New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; New York City Department of Education; New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature; Lindsay O’Reilly; PwC Charitable Foundation; Religious Society of Friends; The Rothfeld Family Foundation; Ruth and Seymour Klein Foundation; and Barbara Sherman.