New York State Dance Education Awards
NYSDEA's 2022 Reception
Membership Meeting and Awards Ceremony

Andrew Jannetti
Lifetime Achievement Award
Andrew Jannetti, MA is based in New York City, where he has had a distinguished career as a choreographer, dancer, educator, fitness instructor, and producer. He has presented choreography at DTW, St. Marks’s Danspace, Gibney Arts, 92nd Street Y, Alvin Ailey Center, The Duke, DIA Foundation, Brooklyn Arts Exchange (BAX), Cunningham, DUMBO Dance Festival, CoolNY Festival, ADG Festival, NY International Dance Festival, and the Edinburgh Festival, as well as other venues throughout the U.S. and Europe. He’s been awarded grants for his choreography from NYSCA, NJSCA, MCAF, Meet The Composers, the Field, and the Harkness Center. He was awarded a BAXten award, aPASEtter award, and the Dani Nikas Excellence in Teaching Award for his work with NYC youth.
He is employed full time as a Dance Educator for the NYC Department of Education and part time at BAX as the Director of their school breaks programs. He is an Adjunct Professor at Mason Gross, Rutgers in New Brunswick, St. Francis College in Brooklyn, and recently finished his tenure as President of the New York State Dance Education Association (NYSDEA). As a member of the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO), he was instrumental in founding the Men In Dance special interest group and organizing the first Men In Dance Symposium sponsored by NDEO and is on the Advisory Board of NDEO. In his spare time, on weekends, he teaches a Stretch class and a Beginning Jazz class at Manhattan Plaza Health Club in Midtown, NYC. Visit his website at: andrewjannettianddancers.org
Lifetime Achievement Award
Andrew Jannetti, MA is based in New York City, where he has had a distinguished career as a choreographer, dancer, educator, fitness instructor, and producer. He has presented choreography at DTW, St. Marks’s Danspace, Gibney Arts, 92nd Street Y, Alvin Ailey Center, The Duke, DIA Foundation, Brooklyn Arts Exchange (BAX), Cunningham, DUMBO Dance Festival, CoolNY Festival, ADG Festival, NY International Dance Festival, and the Edinburgh Festival, as well as other venues throughout the U.S. and Europe. He’s been awarded grants for his choreography from NYSCA, NJSCA, MCAF, Meet The Composers, the Field, and the Harkness Center. He was awarded a BAXten award, aPASEtter award, and the Dani Nikas Excellence in Teaching Award for his work with NYC youth.
He is employed full time as a Dance Educator for the NYC Department of Education and part time at BAX as the Director of their school breaks programs. He is an Adjunct Professor at Mason Gross, Rutgers in New Brunswick, St. Francis College in Brooklyn, and recently finished his tenure as President of the New York State Dance Education Association (NYSDEA). As a member of the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO), he was instrumental in founding the Men In Dance special interest group and organizing the first Men In Dance Symposium sponsored by NDEO and is on the Advisory Board of NDEO. In his spare time, on weekends, he teaches a Stretch class and a Beginning Jazz class at Manhattan Plaza Health Club in Midtown, NYC. Visit his website at: andrewjannettianddancers.org

Deborah Damast
Outstanding Leadership
Deborah Damast (BFA: Purchase, MA: NYU) is Associate Professor and Program Director of Dance Education at NYU Steinhardt. In addition to teaching, she Leads and Directs concerts, community engagement, and Uganda study abroad and serves on numerous committees including the Deans Global Advisory Committee. She choreographs for graduations, concerts, collaborations and special events. Deborah is Past-President of NYSDEA, has served on the boards of NYSDEA, NDEO, Dance Education in Practice Journal, and Peridance Company, was a founding member of the NDEO Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access IDEA committee, and is on the Advisory Board for Misty Copeland’s BE BOLD.
She is on faculty at LREI, DEL and The Yard and has directed programs at Peridance, Steffi Nossen, Harvey School Cavalier Camp, The Yard, and OBT. Deborah facilitates Professional Learning for teachers through the NYCDOE, 92Y DEL, and has contributed to the NYC Blueprint. She has presented at numerous conferences and festivals in the U.S. including NDEO, NYSDEA, ACDFA, CUNY, and keynotes at DaCI and UDEO. Her choreography has been shown at over 40 venues in NYC and internationally in Japan, Uganda, Korea, and Italy. Deborah has taught for the Education Departments of Oregon Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet, guest taught for WVU, Marymount Manhattan, Tennessee Arts Academy and BYU and has written curriculum for Peridance, Paul Taylor, DEL, NYCB, Carnegie Hall, and the NYCDOE. Deborah has received the NYU GSU Star Faculty Award, NDEO Outstanding Dance Educator Award, Steinhardt Teaching Excellence Award and the Dance Teacher Magazine Award.
Outstanding Leadership
Deborah Damast (BFA: Purchase, MA: NYU) is Associate Professor and Program Director of Dance Education at NYU Steinhardt. In addition to teaching, she Leads and Directs concerts, community engagement, and Uganda study abroad and serves on numerous committees including the Deans Global Advisory Committee. She choreographs for graduations, concerts, collaborations and special events. Deborah is Past-President of NYSDEA, has served on the boards of NYSDEA, NDEO, Dance Education in Practice Journal, and Peridance Company, was a founding member of the NDEO Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access IDEA committee, and is on the Advisory Board for Misty Copeland’s BE BOLD.
She is on faculty at LREI, DEL and The Yard and has directed programs at Peridance, Steffi Nossen, Harvey School Cavalier Camp, The Yard, and OBT. Deborah facilitates Professional Learning for teachers through the NYCDOE, 92Y DEL, and has contributed to the NYC Blueprint. She has presented at numerous conferences and festivals in the U.S. including NDEO, NYSDEA, ACDFA, CUNY, and keynotes at DaCI and UDEO. Her choreography has been shown at over 40 venues in NYC and internationally in Japan, Uganda, Korea, and Italy. Deborah has taught for the Education Departments of Oregon Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet, guest taught for WVU, Marymount Manhattan, Tennessee Arts Academy and BYU and has written curriculum for Peridance, Paul Taylor, DEL, NYCB, Carnegie Hall, and the NYCDOE. Deborah has received the NYU GSU Star Faculty Award, NDEO Outstanding Dance Educator Award, Steinhardt Teaching Excellence Award and the Dance Teacher Magazine Award.

Patricia Dye
Outstanding Dance Educator: Pre K through 12
PATRICIA DYE has been teaching, advising, and directing the Dance Department at Science Skills High School for Science, Technology & Creative Arts’ as well as the student-centered Jow-Ile-Bailar Dance Companies in Brooklyn for the past twenty-five years. She was also a dance faculty member for Ballet Hispanico’s summer children’s program and the Lincoln Center Middle School Summer Audition Boot Camp. Dye has presented workshops for the NYCDOE Region 8 and conferences including NDEO, SDHS, NDA and CORD, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music Teacher Advisory Council. Throughout her successful career of over 45 years, Patricia has taught master classes and workshops choreographed and appeared in videos, industrial shows, Broadway shows, television commercials, and movies throughout the USA and Europe, including three professional dance companies: Forces of Nature, Ballet Schulz Beckman, and Passing Ancestral Knowledge Along Theater Dance Company.
For seven years, Dye was the Artistic Director of the Restoration Dance Theater at the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation. She has served as an assistant and dance captain for Dr. Chuck Davis since 1988. In 1993 she became the founder and artistic director of Passing Ancestral Knowledge Along Theater Dance Company (PAKA’). Dye is also a member of the Council of Elders for African Cultural Heritage featured in DanceAfrica at BAM. She has received several awards, including the UFT Mini-Grants and Capezio Ballet Makers Grant 2006-2014, the Phyllis Hyman Phat Friend Award 2008, recipient of the Long Island University Future of Men Leadership Award 2010, the first awardee of the Diana Domoracki-Kisto Award, in 2013, from the New York State Dance Educators Association (NYSDE) for Pre-K-12 Dance Educators, and the 2020 Dance Teacher Award from Dance Teacher Magazine.
Dye is an Arnold Mentor for beginning dance educators in 2022 and for NYU and Hunter College dance educators. She has been an influential member of the New York City Department of Dance Education Assessment Team, Dance Blue Print Facilitator member DELTA 2005-2020, and the Region 8 Facilitator / New York City Department Dance Exit Examination Team / Arts Achieve Dance Adjudicator/ New York City Middle School Summer Dance Audition Boot Camp Instructor / TE Arts Dance Facilitator/New York City Mentor /Brooklyn Arts Monday Facilitator / United Federation of Teachers Dance Educators Executive Committee member/NYCDOE Arts Curriculum Mapping Writer Dance Team/ Brooklyn Arts Festival Committee member, conducts dance education workshops for DEL with Anne Biddle, Jody Arnold at the 92nd Street Y, and was a featured voiceover dance educator in the Dance to the Rescue film and NYS Emmy-nominated documentary PS Dance!.
Dye earned her B.F.A. at Adelphi University and her M.A. in Dance Education from NYU.
Dye intends to pursue the Teacher Education specialization as a doctoral student within the Ed.D. Dance Education Program at Teachers College. Her research interests include examining how cultural diversity is a positive influence that is integral to young people’s development.
Outstanding Dance Educator: Pre K through 12
PATRICIA DYE has been teaching, advising, and directing the Dance Department at Science Skills High School for Science, Technology & Creative Arts’ as well as the student-centered Jow-Ile-Bailar Dance Companies in Brooklyn for the past twenty-five years. She was also a dance faculty member for Ballet Hispanico’s summer children’s program and the Lincoln Center Middle School Summer Audition Boot Camp. Dye has presented workshops for the NYCDOE Region 8 and conferences including NDEO, SDHS, NDA and CORD, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music Teacher Advisory Council. Throughout her successful career of over 45 years, Patricia has taught master classes and workshops choreographed and appeared in videos, industrial shows, Broadway shows, television commercials, and movies throughout the USA and Europe, including three professional dance companies: Forces of Nature, Ballet Schulz Beckman, and Passing Ancestral Knowledge Along Theater Dance Company.
For seven years, Dye was the Artistic Director of the Restoration Dance Theater at the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation. She has served as an assistant and dance captain for Dr. Chuck Davis since 1988. In 1993 she became the founder and artistic director of Passing Ancestral Knowledge Along Theater Dance Company (PAKA’). Dye is also a member of the Council of Elders for African Cultural Heritage featured in DanceAfrica at BAM. She has received several awards, including the UFT Mini-Grants and Capezio Ballet Makers Grant 2006-2014, the Phyllis Hyman Phat Friend Award 2008, recipient of the Long Island University Future of Men Leadership Award 2010, the first awardee of the Diana Domoracki-Kisto Award, in 2013, from the New York State Dance Educators Association (NYSDE) for Pre-K-12 Dance Educators, and the 2020 Dance Teacher Award from Dance Teacher Magazine.
Dye is an Arnold Mentor for beginning dance educators in 2022 and for NYU and Hunter College dance educators. She has been an influential member of the New York City Department of Dance Education Assessment Team, Dance Blue Print Facilitator member DELTA 2005-2020, and the Region 8 Facilitator / New York City Department Dance Exit Examination Team / Arts Achieve Dance Adjudicator/ New York City Middle School Summer Dance Audition Boot Camp Instructor / TE Arts Dance Facilitator/New York City Mentor /Brooklyn Arts Monday Facilitator / United Federation of Teachers Dance Educators Executive Committee member/NYCDOE Arts Curriculum Mapping Writer Dance Team/ Brooklyn Arts Festival Committee member, conducts dance education workshops for DEL with Anne Biddle, Jody Arnold at the 92nd Street Y, and was a featured voiceover dance educator in the Dance to the Rescue film and NYS Emmy-nominated documentary PS Dance!.
Dye earned her B.F.A. at Adelphi University and her M.A. in Dance Education from NYU.
Dye intends to pursue the Teacher Education specialization as a doctoral student within the Ed.D. Dance Education Program at Teachers College. Her research interests include examining how cultural diversity is a positive influence that is integral to young people’s development.

Anabella Lenzu
Innovative Dance Educator
Originally from Argentina, Anabella Lenzu is a dancer, choreographer, writer and teacher with over 30 years of experience working in Argentina, Chile, Italy, and the USA. Lenzu directs her own company, Anabella Lenzu/DanceDrama (ALDD), which since 2006 has presented 400 performances, created 15 choreographic works and performed at 100 venues, presenting thought provoking and historically conscious dance-theater in NYC.
As a choreographer, she has been commissioned all over the world for opera, TV programs, theatre productions, and by many dance companies. She has produced and directed several award-winning short dance films and screened her work in over 150 festivals both nationally and internationally, including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Cyprus, France, Greece, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, London, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States & Venezuela.
As an educator for more than 30 years, she has been teaching in more than 50 institutions, including universities, professional dance studios, companies, festivals, and symposiums in the USA, Canada, Ireland, Egypt, Australia, Panamá, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, London, and Italy.
Lenzu has written for various dance and arts magazines, and published her first book in 2013, entitled Unveiling Motion and Emotion.
She is a board member of American Dance Guild and Pioneers Go East Collective and has been serving on the Selection Committee for the Bessie’s Awards since 2020.
Currently, Lenzu conducts classes at NYU Gallatin, School of Visual Arts, and Peridance Center.
Innovative Dance Educator
Originally from Argentina, Anabella Lenzu is a dancer, choreographer, writer and teacher with over 30 years of experience working in Argentina, Chile, Italy, and the USA. Lenzu directs her own company, Anabella Lenzu/DanceDrama (ALDD), which since 2006 has presented 400 performances, created 15 choreographic works and performed at 100 venues, presenting thought provoking and historically conscious dance-theater in NYC.
As a choreographer, she has been commissioned all over the world for opera, TV programs, theatre productions, and by many dance companies. She has produced and directed several award-winning short dance films and screened her work in over 150 festivals both nationally and internationally, including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Cyprus, France, Greece, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, London, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States & Venezuela.
As an educator for more than 30 years, she has been teaching in more than 50 institutions, including universities, professional dance studios, companies, festivals, and symposiums in the USA, Canada, Ireland, Egypt, Australia, Panamá, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, London, and Italy.
Lenzu has written for various dance and arts magazines, and published her first book in 2013, entitled Unveiling Motion and Emotion.
She is a board member of American Dance Guild and Pioneers Go East Collective and has been serving on the Selection Committee for the Bessie’s Awards since 2020.
Currently, Lenzu conducts classes at NYU Gallatin, School of Visual Arts, and Peridance Center.

Rachel Repinz
Graduate Dance Education Participation Award
Rachel DeForrest Repinz, MFA is a dancer, choreographer, scholar, teaching artist, and multiple award recipient based in Philadelphia and New York. She received a BA and MFA in Dance from SUNY Buffalo State College and Temple University, respectively. Rachel has presented her work nationally and internationally, at venues including Movement Research, the biennial Decolonizing Bodies: Engaging Performance conference at UWI Barbados, the 2019 NDEO conference held in Miami, the 2018 NDEO conference held in San Diego, DaCi’s 2020 special performance series, the Institute of Dance Artistry, Mark Degarmo’s NYC Salon Series, Philadelphia Youth Dance Festival, and more. She has had the honor of performing premiere works by Dr. S. Ama Wray using Embodiology techniques, Meriàn Soto, Awilda Sterling-Duprey, Carlos R.A. Jones, and as a principal dancer for Enya Kalia Creations, among others. She has been commissioned to create works for the UN’s World Water Day, the Utah All-State Dance Ensemble, Manhattan High School of the Liberal Arts, Pennsylvania State at Abington, the Buffalo State Dance Theater Company, Lawrence Public Schools, and more.
Currently, Rachel is working as the Assistant to the Director of the Arnhold Graduate Dance Education Program at CUNY Hunter College, as a teaching artist for Dancewave, and as a dancer with Open Dance Ensemble, an experimental improvisation dance company. Rachel also founded and artistically directs RACHEL:dancers, a multi-medium, multi-modal, dance performance company. Rachel is currently a first-year doctoral student in Dance Studies at Texas Woman’s University with a focus on the Disability Aesthetic and its applications in choreographic practices in Contemporary dance.
Graduate Dance Education Participation Award
Rachel DeForrest Repinz, MFA is a dancer, choreographer, scholar, teaching artist, and multiple award recipient based in Philadelphia and New York. She received a BA and MFA in Dance from SUNY Buffalo State College and Temple University, respectively. Rachel has presented her work nationally and internationally, at venues including Movement Research, the biennial Decolonizing Bodies: Engaging Performance conference at UWI Barbados, the 2019 NDEO conference held in Miami, the 2018 NDEO conference held in San Diego, DaCi’s 2020 special performance series, the Institute of Dance Artistry, Mark Degarmo’s NYC Salon Series, Philadelphia Youth Dance Festival, and more. She has had the honor of performing premiere works by Dr. S. Ama Wray using Embodiology techniques, Meriàn Soto, Awilda Sterling-Duprey, Carlos R.A. Jones, and as a principal dancer for Enya Kalia Creations, among others. She has been commissioned to create works for the UN’s World Water Day, the Utah All-State Dance Ensemble, Manhattan High School of the Liberal Arts, Pennsylvania State at Abington, the Buffalo State Dance Theater Company, Lawrence Public Schools, and more.
Currently, Rachel is working as the Assistant to the Director of the Arnhold Graduate Dance Education Program at CUNY Hunter College, as a teaching artist for Dancewave, and as a dancer with Open Dance Ensemble, an experimental improvisation dance company. Rachel also founded and artistically directs RACHEL:dancers, a multi-medium, multi-modal, dance performance company. Rachel is currently a first-year doctoral student in Dance Studies at Texas Woman’s University with a focus on the Disability Aesthetic and its applications in choreographic practices in Contemporary dance.