Dance for Dance for Social Change is MDD’s community celebration! Our annual event raises critical awareness and funds needed to support our mission and programs.
Tickets, Donations, and Sponsorships can be found here.
The 2026 Silent Auction is coming soon. See the 2025 Silent Auction here.
Donations by Check: Note that our building in NYC is under construction and our mailbox is inaccessible at this time. Mail checks to P.O. Box 218, Ancram, NY 12502-0218.
We use dance to engage and empower NYC students through performance and education. For over a decade, MDD has produced the annual event with so much volunteer and in-kind support that direct costs pre-COVID were less than 5% of gross revenue with 95% going to programs. In COVID and with a virtual event, 100% of funds supported our programs.
Dance for Dance for Social Change 2026 is our 39th Anniversary Celebration and Dance Party of the Year! We will feature our 39-year commitment to bring impactful evidence-based dance education to disenfranchised and under-resourced communities and public schools across the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens. We will honor internationally recognized performer, teacher, choreographer, and author, Dr. Daniel Lewis, with our “Educational Visionary” Lifetime Achievement Award 2026. The evening includes food and drinks, music and dancing, a silent auction, photo opportunities, an honoree, and performances. Dance for Dance for Social Change 39th Anniversary is held at St. Mary’s Church on the Lower East Side on May 7th, 2026, 6:30-9:00 PM.
- Fun! Diversity! and Inclusivity! are traditional hallmarks of our event for more than 10 years.
- Ours is a family-style party where everyone is welcome and encouraged to join us!
Disclaimer for 2026 attendees:
*Photographs and/or video will be taken during the dance party.
By taking part in this event you grant the event organizers full rights to use the images resulting from the photography/video filming, and any reproductions or adaptations of the images for fundraising, publicity or other purposes to help achieve the group’s aims. This might include (but is not limited to), the right to use them in their printed and online publicity, social media, press releases and funding applications.
2026
*MDD Board Members
In Formation
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Mark DeGarmo Dance’s DANCE FOR DANCE (D4D) FOR SOCIAL CHANGE 2026 honors internationally recognized performer, teacher, choreographer, and author, Dr. Daniel Lewis with our “Educational Visionary” Lifetime Achievement Award 2026. Thursday, May 7, 2026, 6:30-9:00 PM, St. Mary’s Church, NYC’s Lower East Side. D4D raises awareness & funds for NYC Public Elementary School Dance & Literacy work.
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.
In formation