Deborah Damast, a clinical assistant professor at New York University, professional dancer, and choreographer, has received a 2020 Dance Teacher Award from Dance Media. The award honors “outstanding educators for their contributions to the field.”
“I am very honored to receive a 2020 Dance Teacher Award,” Damast said. “Dance Teacher Magazine and Dance Media have been supporters of and advocates for dance teachers from all sectors of our field for many years and bring best practices of dance teaching to audiences across the globe.”
Damast has been teaching dance education at New York University since 2002, and now serves as the program director. “My commitment at NYU is to develop dance educators who will excel in their work as teachers, and who will bring empathy and care to their students, creativity to their artistic work, and social justice to their curriculum,” says Damast. “Through community engagement, cross-cultural collaboration, research and performance opportunities, and continued professional development, I aim to provide students with a rich, rigorous, and multi-dimensional approach to learning.”
Damast is a graduate of Purchase College of the State University of New York System. She holds a master’s degree in dance education from New York University and is pursuing a doctorate in dance education part time at Columbia Teachers College.