Virtual Dance for Dance 2020The Dance Party of the Year on Thursday April 30th at 6:30 PM ET (US) to energetically clasp hands and dance together across the Earth and its 24 time zones

New York, N.Y. – Mark DeGarmo Dance goes global by pivoting its annual community celebration and fundraiser, Dance for Dance 2020, into a virtual broadcast to connect with its local, national, and international audiences on Thursday, April 30th from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM Eastern (U.S.) Time on Facebook and Youtube

At 7:00PM, MDD will host a dance party on Zoom to close out the evening with live dancing worldwide hosted by DJ Steve. DJ Steve is a professional DJ and event MC with Make a Mark Events in the Boston area.

Those wishing to attend the virtual event and participate in the online silent auction can register by texting d4d2020 to 76278 or visiting www.d4d2020.givesmart.com

Dance for Dance is Mark DeGarmo Dance’s annual community celebration which raises awareness and critical funds needed to support MDD’s mission and programs. By broadcasting online, Virtual Dance for Dance will bring together friends and families regardless of their time zones. Each year, Mark DeGarmo Dance’s students, supporters, guests, teachers, the Board of Directors, and community members from across New York City and worldwide, celebrate and support MDD’s programs. 

“We’re excited to offer a moment of safe connection and fun during this unpredictable time- for our communities in NYC, across all artistic disciplines, and throughout our national and international networks,” says Mark DeGarmo, Founder, Executive and Artistic Director. 

This year’s virtual event will include a DJ, highlights from MDD’s in-school and adult professional performance programs, and an online silent auction, all of which are accessible to anyone with an internet connection. 100% of all donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. By eliminating overhead costs associated with holding an in-person event, MDD is able to direct 100% of the event’s contributions directly to its educational and artistic programming.

MDD’s Dance Education Program, Partnerships in Literacy through Dance and Creativity©, was heralded as “a national model” by the National Endowment for the Arts. In 2019-20, MDD is partnering with 5 public Title I elementary schools in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens combining dance; creativity and creative process; and journal writing. MDD’s transcultural transdisciplinary Performance Programs include its compelling Las Fridas’ 60-minute duet about the life, traumas, loves, and astonishing body of paintings of Mexican revolutionary Frida Kahlo; and its innovative Salon Performance Series (SPS) which is a presentation of curated works-in-progress with a facilitated audience response. SPS provides opportunities to diverse artists, including artists of color working in dance and other performing art forms underrepresented in traditional and commercial performing, museum, and performance art venues. In 2019-20, MDD will host a total of 60 NYC, national, and international artists of all ages and across all stages of career development.

At Dance for Dance, MDD also honors artists and scholars of national and international stature who made a significant difference through the arts in the lives of others. Last year, MDD awarded its inaugural “Arts Education Advocate” Award to Nia Imani Franklin, Miss America 2019. Previously, MDD awarded its “Educational Visionary" Lifetime Achievement Award to international dance advocate Patricia Aulestia (2017); dance writer Deborah Jowitt (2016); classical ballet dancers and teachers Oleg Briansky and  Mireille Brianne (2015); actress, director, and co-founder The Living Theatre Judith Malina (2014); and educational philosopher and social activist Maxine Greene (2013).

 

About Mark DeGarmo Dance

Founded in 1987, Mark DeGarmo Dance is a nonprofit organization that educates New York City communities and children; creates, performs, and disseminates original artistic work; and builds intercultural community through dance arts. MDD has received over 300 grants from public and private funders and was the subject of a coveted cover feature article by Dance Teacher Magazine in June 2017. Since its beginnings, MDD has committed its resources to serving social justice, equity and equality issues across multiple fronts through dance arts in New York City, the U.S. and internationally.

About Mark DeGarmo

A graduate with a B.F.A. of the Juilliard School Dance Division and Union Institute & University’s Ph.D. program, DeGarmo has created, performed, and produced over 100 dance-theater works and led his company on 30 international tours to 13 countries. His work has been recognized with performing arts awards and honors from the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program, the U.S. Department of State, and The White House. He developed MDD’s New York City-based elementary school education program based on transcultural transdisciplinary scholarship. His transcultural transdisciplinary commitment includes writing “Transdisciplinary Performative Improvisation” for the University of Colima Mexico’s textbook Teaching Choreographic Composition from a Transdisciplinary Focus (2020 Spanish publication pending). Dance Director of Tlacopac International Artist Residency Mexico City, he is also an artist-scholar of Creative Agency Australia.

His early experience as a family-stay high school exchange student in Arcachon, France sparked his commitment to transcultural diplomacy. His creation and performance in Las Fridas: A Movement Installation and Offering about the pathos, life, loves, struggles, and art work of Mexican painter and revolutionary Frida Kahlo has been called by New York audiences in November 2019: “Genius,” “Wonderfully in your face,” and “Frightening… in a way great art always should be.” Melanie Brown of Stagebuddy.com deemed DeGarmo “a gladiator in various arenas."

www.markdegarmodance.org, Follow Mark DeGarmo Dance on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter 

 

Contact:

Hannah DeGarmo, B.A.

Operations, Marketing, and Archival Analyst

Mark DeGarmo Dance

107 Suffolk Street, Studio Theater 310

New York, NY 10002

T. 212-375-9214

hannah@markdegarmodance.org