New York State Dance Education Awards

Awards Descriptions

Outstanding Dance Educator (Pre-K through 12): This award acknowledges a stellar dance educator from the Pre-K - 12 sector of the membership. The recipient of this award will have an established record of teaching dance in an educational setting.

Outstanding Dance Educator (Private Sector): This award acknowledges a stellar dance educator from the Private Sector of the membership. The recipient of this award will have an established record of teaching dance in an educational setting in the Private Sector.

Outstanding Dance Educator (Teaching Artist): This award acknowledges a stellar dance educator from the Teaching Artist sector of the membership. The recipient of this award will have an established record of teaching dance as a teaching artists through an arts organization.

Outstanding Dance Educator (Post-Secondary): This award acknowledges a stellar dance educator from the Post Secondary sector from the membership. The recipient of this award will have an established record of teaching dance in a post-secondary setting.

Outstanding Leadership: This award is given to an individual who has demonstrated excellence in creating ideas for programs, curriculums, and/or projects that have had a significant impact on the field of dance education and who has demonstrated leadership on a national level.  Additionally, the recipient of this award should inspire and cultivate vision and leadership in others.

Outstanding Dance Education Researcher: This award recognizes an individual who has made a unique contribution to the field of dance education through creative and/or scholarly research.  The recipient of this award should cultivate the importance of scholarly and creative research throughout the field of dance education.

Lifetime Achievement: The most prestigious award conferred, the Lifetime Achievement Award, is given for exemplary leadership, scholarship and/or artistry, and philanthropy or service to dance education for at least the past 15 years.  Nominees will be evaluated in the following areas:

1. Impact and contributions of lifetime achievements to the field of dance.
2. Advocacy for the field of dance and dance in education at the national and/or international level.
3. Innovativeness of contributions to the arts and dance education.
4. Recognition by peers as an influential figure in the dance or dance education communities.

Diana Domoracki Kisto Award: In honor and memory of former board member and inspirational Dance Educator, Diana Domoracki-Kisto, the NYSDEA board has established a grant to annually fund a Pre-K-12 Dance Educator toward the cost of attending the NDEO conference.  Any NYSDEA PreK-12 Dance Educator may apply.

NYSDEA Undergraduate and Graduate Student Scholarships: NYSDEA wishes to recognize and encourage student participation in the dance education community by providing monetary support to undergraduate and graduate students to attend the Annual NDEO Conference.

The NYSDEA Board of Directors would like to congratulate this year’s Awards and Scholarship Recipients

• Susan Turner Radin - Outstanding Dance Educator (Pre-K through 12) & Heather Roffe - Outstanding Dance Educator (Post-Secondary)
  This award acknowledges a stellar dance educator from the Pre-K - 12 sector of the membership. The recipient of this award will have an established record of teaching dance in an educational setting.
• Allegra Romita - Outstanding Dance Education Researcher
  This award recognizes an individual who has made a unique contribution to the field of dance education through creative and/or scholarly research. The recipient of this award cultivates the importance of scholarly and creative research throughout the field of dance education.
• Dr. Marijeanne Liederbach - Outstanding Leadership
  This award is given to an individual who has demonstrated excellence in creating ideas for programs, curriculums, and/or projects that have had a significant impact on the field of dance education and who has demonstrated leadership on a national level. Additionally, the recipient of this award inspires and cultivates vision and leadership in others.
• Aminta Remisosky (Graduate Student, Steinhardt NYU) and Ingrid Dehler-Seter (Graduate Student, Sarah Lawrence) - NYSDEA Student Scholarships
  NYSDEA wishes to recognize and encourage student participation in the dance education community by supporting undergraduate and graduate students at the 2018 NYSDEA Conference.

Outstanding Dance Educator: This award acknowledges a stellar dance educator from various sectors of the membership. The recipient of this award will have an established record of teaching dance in an traditional educational setting or through an Arts Organization. Awards are given to dance educators in the following sectors:

• Pre-K through 12, Private Sector, Teaching Artist, and Post-Secondary

Dance Educator Awards

Outstanding Leadership: This award is given to an individual who has demonstrated excellence in creating ideas for programs, curriculums, and/or projects that have had a significant impact on the field of dance education and who has demonstrated leadership on a national level. Additionally, the recipient of this award should inspire and cultivate vision and leadership in others.
Leadership Award

Outstanding Dance Education Researcher: This award recognizes an individual who has made a unique contribution to the field of dance education through creative and/or scholarly research. The recipient of this award should cultivate the importance of scholarly and creative research throughout the field of dance education.
Dance Education Researcher Award

Lifetime Achievement: The most prestigious award conferred, the Lifetime Achievement Award, is given for exemplary leadership, scholarship and/or artistry, and philanthropy or service to dance education for at least the past 15 years. Nominees will be evaluated in the following areas

• Impact and contributions of lifetime achievements to the field of dance.
• Advocacy for the field of dance and dance in education at the national and/or international level.
• Innovativeness of contributions to the arts and dance education
• Recognition by peers as an influential figure in the dance or dance education communities.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Diana Domoracki Kisto Award: In honor and memory of former board member and inspirational Dance Educator, Diana Domoracki-Kisto, the NYSDEA board has established a grant to annually fund a Pre-K-12 Dance Educator toward the cost of attending the NDEO conference. Any NYSDEA PreK-12 Dance Educator may apply.
Diana Domoracki Kisto Award

NYSDEA Undergraduate and Graduate Student Scholarships: NYSDEA wishes to recognize and encourage student participation in the dance education community by providing monetary support to undergraduate and graduate students to attend the Annual NDEO Conference.
Student Scholarships

Eligibility Requirements

• Nominees must be NDEO/NYSDEA members in good standing. Nominators do not need to be members.
• Nominees must have consistent NDEO/NYSDEA membership of five years or more prior to nomination.
• Student Nominees must be a current member of NDEO/NYSDEA.
• Nominators may nominate only one candidate in each category.

Nomination Guidelines

• Obtain permission from the nominee prior to submitting materials.
• Submit all required information required via email, including the nomination form, by the 
published deadline.
• Please be sure to list the nominee's name as they would like it reflected on the award and all 
published materials.
• Award recipients are expected to attend the annual NDEO conference and NYSDEA reception with awards presentation. If the nominator is able to attend, s/he may be asked to present the award. This year the NDEO conference is in San Diego from October 4-7. The NYSDEA Awards ceremony is on Saturday, October 6th.

Important Additional Information

• All Awards include a Honorarium
• Awards will be given only when warranted at the sole discretion of the Awards Committee.
• Special consideration may be given to candidates who have contributed time and energy on 
behalf of NDEO/NYSDEA.
• The Committee, at its discretion, may hold interviews with appropriate persons from the
candidate’s work environment.
• Nominations will not be held over for submission the following year. Only the required and 
suggested materials will be reviewed. Additional materials will not be forwarded to the evaluation committee.

Due date: Monday, August 20th, 2018
Official contact person: Karen Camp
Please download the appropriate form and email to: awards@nysdea.org

Thank you all for your commitment to dance education!

• Barry Blumenfeld - Outstanding Dance Educator (Pre-K through 12)
  This award acknowledges a stellar dance educator from the Pre-K - 12 sector of the membership. The recipient of this award will have an established record of teaching dance in an educational setting.
• Kimani Fowlin - Outstanding Dance Educator (Teaching Artist)
  This award acknowledges a stellar dance educator from the Teaching Artist sector of the membership. The recipient of this award will have an established record of teaching dance as a teaching artists through an arts organization.
• Margaret Plaza - Diana Domoracki Kisto Award
  In honor and memory of former board member and inspirational Dance Educator, Diana Domoracki-Kisto, the NYSDEA board has established a grant to annually fund a Pre-K-12 Dance Educator the amount of $500 to be used toward the cost of attending the NDEO conference. By doing so this award acknowledges the contributions of this dance educator to the field of dance education and for furthering the mission of NYSDEA by their participation in local and/or statewide initiatives. The recipient of this award will also have an established record of teaching dance in an educational setting.
• JoAnna Fisher and Daria Fitzgerald - NYSDEA Undergraduate and Graduate Student Scholarships
  NYSDEA wishes to recognize and encourage student participation in the dance education community by supporting undergraduate and graduate students at the 2017 NYSDEA Conference.
• Patricia Cohen - Presidential Citation
  This award is given at the discretion of the sitting President. It’s intent is to honor and highlight the achievements and contributions of a particular individual who has shown exemplary leadership, scholarship and/or artistry, and philanthropy or service, to dance education over the years and specifically to NYSDEA/NDEO.

NYSDEA offers a number of scholarships and awards for New York State dance educators and dance education students.

For more information about any of the scholarships or awards listed please contact Karen Camp, Director of Awards at awards@nysdea.org