Mark DeGarmo Dance (MDD) broadcasts the second salon of its 16th annual Virtual Salon Performance Series for Social Change (VSPS) 2026, exploring the theme Dance & Social Change, on Thursday, March 5, 2026 at 7 PM ET via a Live Online Interactive Zoom Broadcast.*

MDD’s Thursday, March 5 salon is a unique evening of original movement and dance performance works-in-process with facilitated audience reflection. Curator and facilitator Mark DeGarmo shares: “VSPS is an opportunity to view and contribute to works-in-process of under-recognized dance and movement artists that break, cross, or don’t recognize boundaries; stir up the mix; and face global issues across cultures, countries, and continents.” The March 5 salon features Audrey Baran (NC), Nick Daniels (PA), Marianna Koytsan (NYC), and (Otredanza compañia artística LGBTI de Medellín) Alexis Restrepo (Antioquia, Colombia). The artists will present a range of works-in-process exploring the VSPS 2026 theme dance and social change. Audrey Baran focuses on mass and school shootings and the call to action against preventable violence. Nick Daniels explores technology’s impact on communication, civility, and memory. Marianna Koytsan reflects on community interconnectedness, solidarity, and resilience. Alexis Restrepo reimagines Colombian folkloric dance through queer and experimental aesthetics, addressing vulnerability, resilience, and social transformation.

About MDD’s March VSPS Artists
Audrey Baran is a Charlotte, NC-based dance artist and Artistic/Executive Director of Baran Dance. She holds an MFA in Dance from Hollins University and a BA in Dance with a Graduate Certificate in Anti-Racism in Urban Education from UNC Charlotte. Her work has been featured with Joffrey Ballet’s Winning Works (2022) and Charlotte Ballet’s Innovative: Direct from the LAB. A 500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher and MUNZ FLOOR® coach, she centers movement and mindfulness across diverse bodies.

Nick M. Daniels is a celebrated Pittsburgh, PA-based choreographer, multimedia artist, and the founding Artistic Director of The D.A.N.A. Movement Ensemble (Dancers Against Normal Actions), a company he launched in 1991 to confront and challenge societal norms through movement. A graduate of Slippery Rock University with a BFA in Dance, Daniels has been celebrated as a Pittsburgh Cultural Treasure and recognized as a pioneer in exploring themes of race, sexuality, and identity in performance.

Marianna Koytsan is a New York City–based street-style and contemporary dancer originally from Russia, who has been performing locally since 2012. Her work has been featured at iconic venues including City Center, Barnard College, LaGuardia Performing Arts Center, Little Island, and Dance Parade NYC. She is a founding member of Neta-Kinetics, a dynamic dance company. The company builds intensely physical, character-driven worlds that weave together the diverse movement backgrounds of its artists.

Founded in Medellín in 2010, Otredanza Compañía Artística LGBTI (Antioquia, Colombia) blends Colombian folkloric dance with experimental and queer performance to celebrate diversity and foster social change. With works like ¡Vihva la Vihda!, Tránsitos, Marik Folclórik, and Mi Vida es un Torbellino, the company has toured Argentina, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Ecuador. As the first LGBTI company to join Medellín’s iconic Flower Parade, Otredanza marks 15 years of resilience, innovation, and cultural activism.

Tickets on Eventbrite: By donation; If it is impossible for your economic situation, contact us at least 24 hours in advance: info@markdegarmodance.org with the reason for your request so you can join us.
Suggested donations: Salsa — $10; Step — $15; Break — $20; Improv — $50; Aerial — $100
Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/virtual-salon-performance-series-2026-4784553

*Zoom Link will be sent to attendees by 5:00 PM ET the day of the performance from info@markdegarmodance.org. If a donation for tickets is made after that time, the MDD staff will send the link via email as soon as possible. Contact info@markdegarmodance to communicate regarding ticket status.

About the VSPS 2026 Artists & Works-in-Process
The 2026 artists will present a range of dance works-in-process exploring the VSPS 2026 theme dance and social change. The 2026 series’ works represent a range of artist and movement approaches locally, nationally and internationally. Featured on February 5 was a piece about the global water crisis and melting ice caps (Carolyn Pampalone Rabbers; Stevensville, MI). On April 2, two of the 4 works include a performance exploring the struggles of India’s LGBTQ community and family abandonment (Sudeshna Dey; West Bengal, India), and a duet examining the challenges of communication and connection in modern life (Yan Longdan; Chongqing, China).

About MDD’s Virtual Salon Performance Series for Social Change
Founded in 2010, MDD’s Virtual Salon Performance Series for Social Change is a conversation facilitated by curator, choreographer, and scholar Dr. Mark DeGarmo with audiences and diverse global dance makers presenting works-in-process. It is a unique opportunity to demystify the creation of choreography and to enjoy a wide range of performance approaches, genres, and styles. VSPS presents under-represented and under-recognized dance makers across New York City and State, the USA, and internationally. Since February 2019, MDD has presented in 42 salons, including 2 Virtual International Arts Festivals, featuring 566 total artists from 23 states and 31 countries. Past audiences and dance makers have remarked:
“The salon was a warm, welcoming, positive environment!”
“I loved the convenience of watching the performance on Zoom!”

About Mark DeGarmo Dance
Mark DeGarmo Dance began operations in 1982, incorporated in 1987, and celebrates its 39th anniversary in 2026 as a leading New York City nonprofit dance organization located in Manhattan’s Lower East Side and is a nonprofit anchor tenant at the Clemente Soto Velez Center. President Barack Obama commended DeGarmo and MDD for your service to your community and the nation. The National Endowment for the Arts deemed MDD’s NYC dance education program for under-resourced public elementary students living under the federal poverty rate “a national model.” National Dance Education Organization research shows that a mere 1-7% of USA elementary schools have such a dance education program as our Partnerships in Literacy through Dance & Creativity.

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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; Friends of Mark DeGarmo Dance; Jill Ganey; The Harkness Foundation for Dance; JPMorgan Chase Foundation; 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.