Andrea Markus & Deborah Damast

Teaches at 92nd Street Y

Andrea Markus received her MA in Dance and Dance Education from New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development. She has traveled to Guinea, West Africa to study dance and drumming with the masters of the national companies Les Ballets Africains and Ballet Djoliba. Ms. Markus has performed with the Alpha Omega 1-7 Theatrical Dance Company, based in New York City, performing dance works by George Faison, Eleo Pomare, Marshall Romaine, Andy Torres, and others. She has also danced and co-directed Magbana Drum & Dance NYC, a West African-based performance group of percussionists and dancers. She has taught West African and Afro-Caribbean dance to students in grades K-12 as a teaching artist for CREATE!, Young Audiences of New York, ArtsConnection and Global Arts to Go arts-in-education programs. Ms. Markus is currently a faculty member of Marymount Manhattan's Department of Dance and New York University's Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions.

Deborah Damast has been teaching in the NYU Steinhardt Dance Education Program since 2002. She has taught technique, pedagogy, creative movement, production and choreography, and is the Artistic Advisor of the program and Director of dance concerts and of Kaleidoscope Dancers. Deborah designed and directs a study abroad program to Uganda each January. She has participated in motion capture studies with the Department of Computer Science, and Internet Arts Collaborations with faculty from Music Education. Deborah has been on the faculty of Peridance Center, New York City Ballet, LREI, 92nd Street Y, Dance Education Laboratory, Oregon Ballet Theatre and has created creative dance videos for children, Move N Groove Kids.