Lewis, Daniel 1944-

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Lewis, Daniel 1944-

PERSONAL:

Born July 12, 1944, in New York, NY; son of Jerome and Louise Lewis; married Maureen O'Rourke-Lewis; children: Quinn Christopher Lewis. Education: Juilliard School, diploma, 1962.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Miami, FL. Office—Miami Dance Futures, 300 NE 2nd Ave., Miami, FL 33132. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

José Limón Dance Company, dancer, New York, NY, 1962-74, acting artistic director, 1972-73; Limón Institute, New York, NY, founding director, 1967-87; Amherst College, Amherst, MA, professor of dance, 1974-80; London School of Contemporary Dance, London, England, member of dance faculty, 1977-83; New World School of the Arts, Miami, FL, founder and dean of dance, 1987—. New York University, adjunct professor, 1977-84; Juilliard School, member of dance faculty and assistant to director of Dance Division, 1984-87; Reed College, distinguished professor, 1985; artist in residence at University of California, Los Angeles, University of Wisconsin, Escuela de Perfeccionamiento Vida y Movimento (Mexico City), National Ballet School (Canada), University of Calgary, and York University. Contemporary Dance System, director of touring repertory company, 1966-72; Daniel Lewis Dance, artistic director and choreographer, 1972-84, and currently from Miami; Lincoln Center Institute, dance specialist, 1969-71, performer, 1971-76, director of touring dance programs, 1977-87; Miami Dance Futures, founder, president, and program director, 1988—. Dancer with Yiddish theater, 1960-64; performer with other dance companies, including television appearances; choreographer of numerous dance pieces and operas, 1966-68; director of dance works for companies throughout the world, 1968-93. American College Dance Festival, member of board of directors, 1997-99.

MEMBER:

American Guild of Musical Artists, National Association of Schools of Dance (member of board of directors; vice president, 1997—), American Dance Guild, Dance History Scholars, Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, Florida Dance Association (past president and member of board of directors).

AWARDS, HONORS:

Decorated Royal Knight of Cambodia, 1963; gold medal, lifelong achievement in dance, National Society of Arts and Letters, 1990; outstanding service awards, Florida Dance Association, 1991, 2000; Nancy Smith Award, 2002; named honorary life chair, "dance4life," 2002; grants from National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, Canada Council, Surdna Foundation, Doris Duke Foundation, Florida Department of State, and Metro Dade Cultural Affairs Council.

WRITINGS:

The Illustrated Dance Technique of José Limón, Harper & Row (New York, NY), 1984.

Contributor to journals on dance and the arts in the United States and elsewhere, including Ballet Review. Guest editor, Choreography and Dance, 1992, and Dance in Hispanic Cultures, 1994.

Lewis's book has been published in Spanish, Japanese, and German.

SIDELIGHTS:

Daniel Lewis is a dancer and choreographer. He began his career as a dancer for the José Limón Dance Company, and danced with the company for twelve years. He was Limón's assistant for seven years, and since then has worked to promote Limón's innovative dance techniques. In 1987 he joined the New World School of the Arts as founding dean of dance, and in 1988 he formed Miami Dance Futures, a company that promotes modern dance in south Florida.

Lewis has choreographed works for the National Endowment of the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, Dallas Civic Opera, American Opera Center at Lincoln Center, Amherst College, the University of California at Los Angeles, the Juilliard School, and dance companies in South America and England. His dance company, Daniel Lewis Dance, has performed and taught dance throughout the United States and Europe.

In The Illustrated Dance Technique of José Limón, he provides a short biography of Limón and a history of his work in dance, followed by an explanation of Limón's dance principles and vocabulary. Most of the book, however, describes techniques and exercises for beginning, intermediate, and advanced dancers, with clear line drawings, notes for instructors, and instructions for speed and phrasing of the movements. Extremely detailed, Lewis's descriptions include factors of weight, recovery and rebound, suspension, energy, and alignment. In the Los Angeles Times Book Review, Donna Perlmutter described the book as a "thoughtful appraisal" and noted its detail and completeness.