Keynote Speaker

Deborah Damast (BFA Dance, SUNY Purchase, MA Dance Education, NYU Steinhardt) is a Clinical Assistant Professor and Artistic Advisor to the Dance Education Graduate program at NYU Steinhardt where in addition to teaching Pedagogy, Technique, Production and Choreography, is Director of Kaleidoscope Dance Company, Dance Concerts, and founded and directs the annual study abroad program to Uganda. Deborah has collaborated with numerous musicians, visual artists and motion capture research projects and has danced for many independent companies and choreographers since 1988. In addition, she teaches early childhood and middle school dance at LREI.

Deborah conducts Professional Development for NYC DOE dance teachers and for Pre-K for All teachers through the NYCDOE Office of Arts and Special Projects and is a member of the Dance Education Leadership Team (DELTA) through the NYC DOE since 2005. She has directed programs at Peridance, Harvey School Cavalier Camp, Steffi Nossen and The Yard.

She is on Faculty and a DEL Ambassador at the Dance Education Laboratory at the 92Y teaching regular teacher training workshops in Early Childhood Dance, DEL Foundations, and African Dance. In the summer she choreographs, teaches and directs Kids Do Dance at the Yard in Martha's Vineyard.  Deborah has co-written curriculum for New York City Ballet and Paul Taylor, the 92Y and The NYC Blueprint for Dance. She has been on faculty of DEL, Peridance, 92Y, Dance In Education Fund/Steffi Nossen, LREI, New York City Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, The Yard, Paul Taylor, West Virginia University, and others, and has shown choreography in numerous venues in NYC including Skirball Center, Frederick Loewe Theatre, World Financial Center, Alvin Ailey, Peridance, Radio City Music Hall, St. Marks Church, Judson Church, Context, 92Y, New York City Ballet, Cooper Union, University

Settlement, Riverside Church, among others, and nationally in MA, OR, NY, and internationally in Italy, Japan, Korea, Canada and Uganda. She has presented at Kyambogo Music Education (UG), National Dance Education Org, ACDFA, Dance Teacher Magazine, Face to Face, CUNY, NYSDEA and Forum on Education Abroad conferences. Deborah is a recipient of the 2009 NYU GSO Star Faculty Award, the 2010 NDEO Outstanding Educator Award (Higher Education) and the 2017 NYU Steinhardt Teaching Excellence Award.

She is on the Board of Directors of Peridance, has served on the Board of Directors of NDEO, and has just completed her term as President of the Board of New York State Dance Education Association.