Alumni in Action

Name: Pamela Levy 
NYU track: Teaching Dance in the Professions/ABT Ballet Pedagogy 
Thesis and/or curriculum topic: Review of literature: The need for an American National Training Curriculum 
What she's up to now: Steps on Broadway's Director of Youth Programs and Examiner for ABT’s NTC 
Biggest takeaway from graduate school: The most exciting part about being a dance educator is that there is always something new to learn. Graduate school gave me an opportunity to connect with and learn from others. Through that, I’ve found a network of other dance educators who I continuously learn from. This has greatly enhanced and strengthened my teaching! Graduate school at NYU also provided so many amazing connections for me in terms of work and progression in my career.

Name: Kate Diaz 
NYU track: Teaching Dance, Grades K-12, Initial Certification 
Thesis and/or curriculum topic: The effects of exercise on the brain and its case for dance education in schools 
What she's up to now: I'm currently teaching at the Professional Performing Arts School in Manhattan, NY 
Biggest takeaway from graduate school: My biggest takeaway from grad school was the ability to cohesively design, create, and write curriculum. Those skills have allowed me to adapt and modify my teaching to best fit the needs of my various student populations. I have also been blessed with incredible mentors, friends, and community that have lasted over a decade.

Name: Zakiya Atkinson 
NYU track: Teaching Dance in the Professions 
Thesis and/or curriculum topic: The conveyance of cultural norms in African Dance 
What she's up to now: EdD student in the Dance Education program at Teachers College, Columbia University; Dance Program Director at Memorial High School; Artistic Director of Zaman Dance Theatre Collective 
Biggest takeaway from graduate school: The program expanded my theoretical perspectives about dance education in addition to the diverse ways that dance education can be implemented. 

Name: Joya Powell 
NYU track: Teaching Dance in the Professions 
Thesis and/or curriculum topic: The Importance and Necessity of Intercultural Dance in Higher Education 
What she's up to now: I am the Artistic Director/Choreographer of Movement of the People Dance Company, a company founded by NYU alumni in 2005 which performs at esteemed venues and provides community engagement activities both nationally and internationally. I continue to share my pedagogical practices at national conferences and I am a visiting assistant professor of dance and African American Studies at Wesleyan University. Awards and recognition include: The 2016 Outstanding Emerging Choreographer Bessie Award, 2016-17 Dancing While Black Fellow, 2017-18 Women in Motion Commissioned Artist, 2019 EtM Choreographer Residency, 2019 Certificate of Appreciation from the Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer.  
Biggest takeaway from graduate school: The relationships that I formed in graduate school continue to be the educators I am most connected with and influenced by along this journey in dance and education. My colleagues and friends from NYU still encourage me, are there to bounce ideas off of, and inspire the work I do. I also am grateful for the ways in which my professors in the Dance Ed program challenged antiquated means of facilitating dance classes. They gave examples and mirrored ways in which to think outside the studio box. I have carried their dedication to continue to find new ways of facilitating and challenging the status quo into my approaches with my work.

Name: Adam James Holms  
NYU track: Teaching Dance in the Professions/ABT Ballet Pedagogy 
Thesis and/or curriculum topic: Developing Creative Dance Curriculums  
What he's up to now: I am currently in the sixth season of owning my own Ballet Academy in South Norwalk, CT, The Norwalk Metropolitan Youth Ballet. We’ve grown from 13 students to 155.
Biggest takeaway from graduate school: Developing a professional support system to help me create my studio and maintain contacts in the industry