Finding GRACE: An embodied exploration of Ronald K. Brown’s masterwork Grace through the DEL Dance framework led by Ronald K. Brown, Arcell Cabuag, and DEL facilitator Deborah Damast.
Participants will be guided through movement concepts, content, and repertory phrases from this seminal work and will investigate entry points for finding and maintaining Grace as a guiding principle in their teaching. Hear directly from Ronald K. Brown and Arcell Cabuag about the inspiration and creative journey that brought Grace from lived experience to the stage. How do we embody Grace in our daily lives? How do we engage Grace as a pedagogic practice? How can we weave forgiveness, empathy, and spirituality into our pedagogy and personal artistic journeys? Accompanying asynchronous resources will support participants in applying course content to their unique teaching contexts.
This course is offered in a hybrid format to accommodate participants who want to join in-person OR online.
$180 until Jan 19 / $200 after
Must register by Wednesday, February 5, 2025.
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Online programs:An access link will be emailed to you after purchase.
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 ...
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.
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DEL: Finding GRACE with Ronald K. Brown
Ronald K. Brown (Founder/Artistic Director) raised in Brooklyn, NY, founded EVIDENCE, A Dance Company in 1985. He has worked with Mary Anthony Dance Theater, Jennifer Muller/The Works, as well as other choreographers and artists, and has been on the faculty of The Juilliard School. Brown has set works on Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Jeune Ballet d’Afrique Noire, Ko-Thi Dance Company, Philadanco, Muntu Dance Theater of Chicago, Ballet Hispánico, TU Dance, and Malpaso Dance Company.
He has ...
He has collaborated with such artists as composer/designer Omotayo Wunmi Olaiya, the late writer Craig G. Harris, director Ernie McClintock’s Jazz Actors Theater, choreographers Patricia Hoffbauer and Rokiya Kone, composers Robert Een, Oliver Lake, Bernadette Speech, David Simons, and Don Meissner, and musicians Jason Moran, Arturo O’Farrill and Meshell Ndegeocello. Brown is the recent recipient of the Martha Hill Mid-Career Achievement Award (2024). His other awards and recognitions include the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award (2020), as well as the Dance Magazine Award (2018) and Samuel H. Scripps/ADF Award (2018). He has also received an AUDELCO Award for his choreography in Regina Taylor’s award-winning play Crowns, two Black Theater Alliance Awards, and a Fred & Adele Astaire Award for Outstanding Choreography in the Tony Award winning Broadway and national touring production of The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, adapted by Suzan Lori Parks, arranged by Diedre Murray, and directed by Diane Paulus. Brown was named Def Dance Jam Workshop 2000 Mentor of the Year and has received a Doris Duke Artist Award, New York City Center Fellowship, Joyce Theater Artist Residency Center Fellowship, Scripps/ADF Award, John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts Choreographers Fellowship, New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, United States Artists Fellowship, a New York Dance and Performance “Bessie” Award, Dance Magazine Award, and The Ailey Apex Award. Ronald K. Brown is a Creative Administration Research artist at NCCAkron. Brown is Co-Artistic Director of the Restoration Dance Youth Ensemble and a member of Stage Directors & Choreographers Society.
Arcell Cabuag (Associate Artistic Director/Dancer) is a first-generation Filipino-American from San Jose, CA. He moved to New York City in 1996 to attend the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, where he was introduced to Ronald K. Brown. Soon after, he joined EVIDENCE, A Dance Company as its first apprentice, became a company member one year later, and has served as its Associate Artistic Director since 2004. He currently teaches EVIDENCE repertory at Princeton University and is thrilled to be the newly appointed Billie Holiday Theatre’s Youth Arts Academy Director of Education …
Ronald K. Brown (Founder/Artistic Director) raised in Brooklyn, NY, founded EVIDENCE, A Dance Company in 1985. He has worked with Mary Anthony Dance Theater, Jennifer Muller/The Works, as well as other choreographers and artists, and has been on the faculty of The Juilliard School. Brown has set works on Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Jeune Ballet d’Afrique Noire, Ko-Thi Dance Company, Philadanco, Muntu Dance Theater of Chicago, Ballet Hispánico, TU Dance, and Malpaso Dance Company …
He has collaborated with such artists as composer/designer Omotayo Wunmi Olaiya, the late writer Craig G. Harris, director Ernie McClintock’s Jazz Actors Theater, choreographers Patricia Hoffbauer and Rokiya Kone, composers Robert Een, Oliver Lake, Bernadette Speech, David Simons, and Don Meissner, and musicians Jason Moran, Arturo O'Farrill and Meshell Ndegeocello. Brown is the recent recipient of the Martha Hill Mid-Career Achievement Award (2024). His other awards and recognitions include the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award (2020), as well as the Dance Magazine Award (2018) and Samuel H. Scripps/ADF Award (2018). He has also received an AUDELCO Award for his choreography in Regina Taylor’s award-winning play Crowns, two Black Theater Alliance Awards, and a Fred & Adele Astaire Award for Outstanding Choreography in the Tony Award winning Broadway and national touring production of The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, adapted by Suzan Lori Parks, arranged by Diedre Murray, and directed by Diane Paulus. Brown was named Def Dance Jam Workshop 2000 Mentor of the Year and has received a Doris Duke Artist Award, New York City Center Fellowship, Joyce Theater Artist Residency Center Fellowship, Scripps/ADF Award, John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts Choreographers Fellowship, New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, United States Artists Fellowship, a New York Dance and Performance “Bessie” Award, Dance Magazine Award, and The Ailey Apex Award. Ronald K. Brown is a Creative Administration Research artist at NCCAkron. Brown is Co-Artistic Director of the Restoration Dance Youth Ensemble and a member of Stage Directors & Choreographers Society.
Arcell Cabuag (Associate Artistic Director/Dancer) is a first-generation Filipino-American from San Jose, CA. He moved to New York City in 1996 to attend the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, where he was introduced to Ronald K. Brown. Soon after, he joined EVIDENCE, A Dance Company as its first apprentice, became a company member one year later, and has served as its Associate Artistic Director since 2004. He currently teaches EVIDENCE repertory at Princeton University and is thrilled to be the newly appointed Billie Holiday Theatre’s Youth Arts Academy Director of Education. Performance credits include: dancing with Camille A. Brown, Mekeda Thomas, Rock the House for Paramount Pictures; The Shoji Tabuchi Show (Branson, MO); the Richard Rodgers Centennial Production of The King and I; and dance festivals worldwide. Arcell taught classes and performed with EVIDENCE throughout Africa as a US Ambassador with Dance Motion USA. TV Credits include: Law & Order: SVU Choreographed episode and Codorniu Cava commercial with PILOBOLUS shot in Barcelona and aired on Spanish television. He has assisted Mr. Brown in creating repertory on Philadanco Dance Company; MUNTU Drum and Dance Company; TU Dance; Ballet Hispánico; Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; Cuba’s Malpaso Dance Company and served as associate choreographer for the Tony Award winning Broadway and national touring productions of The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess. Mr. Cabuag is proud to serve the dance community as a long standing educator and advocate nationally and abroad. Education, advocacy, and teaching EVIDENCE repertory work include: Professor of Dance at Long Island University (Brooklyn Campus); Education Director of the Youth Arts Academy / Restoration Dance Youth Ensemble; Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York University TISCH; University of Massachusetts; Boston Arts Academy, Peridance Certificate Program, The Ailey Fordham BFA and Certificate Programs; University of Washington, University of the Arts, Kent State, DeSales University, Coker College, Marymount Manhattan College, Connecticut College, Guest Instructor at Jacob’s Pillow and Boston Conservatory. Arcell is a 2004 New York Dance and Performance ¨Bessie¨ Award winner for his performance and work with EVIDENCE, and he received an Abundance Dance Award in February 2024 as a Leader of the Path Honoree and along with Ronald K. Brown is a 2024 Awardee of Distinction for Dance Teacher Magazine.
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 …
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