CEA Spotlight Series 1 - Dr. Daniel Lewis

On September 20th, we were honored to have Dr. Daniel Lewis visit CEA to speak to the 6th through 8th grades and Junior Dance Mastery members and give a master class to the Senior Dance Mastery students. This was the first of a series of professional guest speakers we plan to have for our upper school students this school year. Throughout the year, we are inviting a number of seasoned professionals from different walks of life in our community speak to our students about how to apply and take full advantage of all of the subjects they study in their day-to-day lives, from dance to mathematics, science to music.

Dr. Lewis is an internationally-recognized dancer, teacher, choreographer and author, most widely known for his association with the work of Jose Limón. He danced with the José Limón Dance Company, later serving as Acting Artistic Director and Director of the Limón Institute. Dr. Lewis staged the works of Limón and Doris Humphrey for such companies as the Royal Swedish Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, American Ballet Theatre, National Ballet of Canada, London School of Contemporary Dance, The Juilliard School, and the José Limón Company. Dr. Lewis' book, The Illustrated Dance Technique of José Limón can be found in the Alicia Espinosa Library at CEA.

Dr. Lewis has formed part of the faculty at The Juilliard School, New York University and Amherst College. In 1987 he became the founding Dean of Dance at New World School of the Arts (NWSA), creating their eight-year professional dance program. Dr. Lewis was a mentor to Dr. Ana Diaz-Zubieta during her years at NWSA. She had the opportunity to dance the lead in one of his choreographies and he personally awarded her the Dean's Award upon graduation from NWSA.

Dr. Lewis has heightened modern dance awareness in South Florida through his company, Miami Dance Futures, producing many successful conferences and local dance companies, including Ballet Español Rosita Segovia. He has received countless prestigious awards, including several Lifetime Achievement Awards and an honorary doctorate awarded by the University of Florida.

Dr. Lewis has always been a loyal friend to CEA and we were honored to have him share his wisdom with our students. His thoughts about the power of the arts, the edge creativity gives you in all professions, the importance of following your passion, living in the present moment, being a leader, and taking advantage of and being grateful for the opportunities you are presented resonated with all of our students. Not only is Dr. Lewis an accomplished artist and professional, but his positivity, zest, and love of life are contagious.

We are looking forward to continue to expose our students to experiences that will open their minds and their hearts to the world of possibilities they have before them. If you would like to learn more about Dr. Lewis and his work, you may visit http://www.daniellewisdance.com/.