Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company launches Dance With Us, an educational digital platform centered around the premiere of multiple dance films.

June 25-27, 2021 at 7pm ET

Watch the exciting DANCE WITH US Teaser and Trailer!

New York-based nonprofit performing and teaching organization Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company presents Dance With Us, an educational digital platform centered around the premiere of a series of new dance films. The resource launches from June 25-27, 2021 at 7pm ET (same program repeated on three successive evenings) with the premieres of the films and the reveal of the platform, a website whose URL will go live at this moment. 

The kickoff events include an exclusive guided tour of the website, a screening of several short films, the World Premieres of Willow and Dollhouse, and previews of six new dance films that will launch monthly through the end of 2021. The events are free with advance registration. Donations are accepted via the Company’s PayPal Giving Fund, where 100% of contributions go to the nonprofit. Mixing discussions, dancing, and conversations, the interactive premiere promises to be highly accessible, entertaining and educational. The evenings will be hosted by emcee Daniel Gwirtzman with special guests Dante Puleio, Artistic Director of the Limón Dance Company on June 25; Tiffany Rea-Fisher, Artistic Director, Elisa Monte Dance on June 26; Seán Curran, Artistic Director, Seán Curran Company on June 27, and Michael Novak, Artistic Director, Paul Taylor Dance Company, who will appear all three nights virtually with a special message.

This multi-faceted project explains ways to view and speak about dance. Utilizing performance and studio footage, the resource demystifies concert dance by teaching fundamental concepts of the art form. This digital resource will be distributed widely and freely, contributing to the Open Educational Resources movement (OER), a commitment to equity, inclusion, and accessibility. The resource will be available to anyone regardless of geographic location. Multiple partnerships will ensure the impact on students, professionals, and the general viewership. The Company will also provide the resource to channels, institutions, libraries, public and private schools (K-12, Higher Education), and culturally based organizations.

Schedule of Events

6:45pm: Pre-Show Slideshow

7:00-8:00pm: Main Program: Film Premieres and Special Guests

8:00-8:30pm: Discussion: An Open Forum with the Company

8:30-9:00pm: Dance Party: Dance With Us!

Says Daniel, the Project's Choreographer and Filmmaker

“Contemporary dance has been seeping more and more into the mainstream culture for decades, enhanced with the advent of shows such as So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With The Stars. With the proliferation of dance online, increased exponentially during the pandemic, more people are arguably seeing contemporary dance than ever. And an appetite for innovative choreography is a byproduct of this exposure. The development of Dance With Us was in place years before the pandemic, with resources that have been created over the past two decades, an extension of programming we have offered as a company since our inception in 1998. We have long been committed to conversing about dance, empowering audiences to trust their opinions, and gain more knowledge of dance in pursuit of expanding one’s dance literacy. The ubiquity of dance on film, finding more currency in popular culture, is not going to change. This platform gives everyone, regardless of their exposure to dance, tools to use to speak about dance, encouraging them to understand their viewpoint is as valid as that of an ‘expert.’ At this moment when there is so much dance to see, this platform seeks to serve as a how-to primer.”

Highlights of the Program Launch

Premieres. Parade, an opening film which raises the curtain for the evening, is followed by Willow, triumphant and elegiac, and the spirited and playful Dollhouse.
Platform Tour. Like walking through the rooms of a house, the site will be revealed and explained.
The Library. View the extensive archive of dance films and filmed performances.
Special Guests. Hear the esteemed artists' perspectives on dance, dance education, and dance films. 
Sneak Peek. Preview the upcoming dances to be launched monthly through the end of the year.
Party! Dance With Us to celebrate the re-emergence of our lives!