Mark DeGarmo Dance (MDD) is a leading NYC 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. MDD educates under-resourced and marginalized NYC Asian American & Pacific Islander, Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Latinx, & Other communities and children; creates, performs, and disseminates original artistic and scholarly work; and builds intercultural community through dance arts.
Our vision is to enliven bodies, shift perspectives, and change lives.
We believe:
Creativity is a human birthright.
All humans are learners who benefit from the arts and dance.
Dance arts, when integrated with the daily curriculum, support the achievement of multi-dimensional excellence through public education.
Artist/scholar Mark DeGarmo founded MDD in 1987 in New York City. MDD provides high quality, interdisciplinary arts programming for NYC public elementary school students who live in economically challenged and disenfrachised communities. Partnerships in Literacy through Dance and Creativity© is MDD’s evidence-based seven-year interdisciplinary program. Partnerships empower elementary students to use dance, movement and creative writing as lifelong tools to fulfill their highest potential.
The National Endowment for the Arts hailed MDD’s evidence-based dance education program as “a national model.” President Barack Obama commended Dr. DeGarmo and MDD for “your commitment to your communities and the nation.” DeGarmo has performed a range of solo and group work locally, nationally, and internationally. New York press and audiences heralded MDD’s performances as “brilliant” and “risk-taking.” New York press described DeGarmo as “a gladiator in various arenas.”