Mark DeGarmo’s Virtual Dance for Dance 2020 Event to be Broadcast on Facebook and Youtube

hursday, April 30th, 2020 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM Eastern (U.S.) Time

6:30PM – Video Broadcast on Facebook & Youtube

6:50 PM – Shout Out Auction on Facebook

7:00 PM –  Dance Party on Zoom!

Mark DeGarmo Dance Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/markdegarmodancers

For Registration and Silent Auction: www.d4d2020.givesmart.com or Text d4d2020 to 76278

To Donate: Online at www.d4d2020.givesmart.com, Text d4d2020 to 76278, Venmo: Mark-DeGarmo-2, Paypal: paypal.me/markdegarmodance

Mark DeGarmo Dance pivots 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 funds needed to support MDD’s mission and programs. Each year, it brings together Mark DeGarmo Dance’s students, supporters, guests, teachers, the Board of Directors, and community members from across New York City and beyond, to celebrate and support MDD’s programs. This year, MDD  expands the event’s reach by using an online platform, eliminating the need for guests to be physically present or to live in or close to New York City in order to participate in our community gathering.

“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

 Mark DeGarmo’s photo credit: Darial Sneed