Faculty and Alumni Attend Second World Dance Education Alliance Event in Beijing

Activities included master classes, original student choreography, and a final performance with 500 dancers from around the world.

Deborah Damast and a group of students pose for the photo in front of event posters — Clinical Associate Professor and Director of the Dance Education Program Deborah Damast with students at WDEA in Beijing

In October, members of NYU Steinhardt’s Dance Education program traveled to Beijing, China, to participate in activities for the second annual convening of the World Dance Education Alliance (WDEA), as well as the Beijing International Ballet Competition for Dance Schools and Dance Performance 2025, hosted by the Beijing Municipal Education Commission and organized by the Beijing Dance Academy (BDA).

Founded in 2024, the WDEA seeks to create a collaborative platform that unites dance arts education and professional dance training around the world. NYU Steinhardt is one of 70 founding members in the WDEA’s global charter, which includes higher education and professional dance training organizations.

Over the course of four days, events included keynote speeches from and Master Workshops taught by members of the WDEA, as well as performances from students and alumni of dance organizations around the world. The final “Beauty of Harmony” performance, which all participants had a chance to be part of, convened 500 dancers from 12 institutions across nine countries.

Deborah Damast demonstrating and leading a full studio dance class — Damast teaches a Master Class of students from around the world.

“This year’s events were very much about showing dance rather than talking about it,” says Deborah Damast, clinical associate professor and director of NYU Steinhardt’s Dance Education program, who taught a master class on an embodied history of modern dance’s past, present, and future. “We spent an intense six hours of teaching preparing for the final performance the next day. Many students didn’t speak English and came from different dance education pedagogies, but the beauty of dance is that we were able to connect through movement.”

Two recent graduates of NYU Steinhardt’s distinctive Master of Arts in Teaching Dance in the Professions: ABT Pedagogy program—Maria Ferraro ’25 (MA) and Sasha Lane ’25 (MA)— also attended. Both performed their own contemporary ballet pieces during a student choreography showcase.

“We went to China for what amounted to a long weekend, and it was an exciting whirlwind,” says Ferraro, who is a teacher at The Sarasota Ballet School in Florida. “It was the first time in China for both me and Sasha, and all the activities made for long but fulfilling days. It was amazing to see dancers from universities and cultural groups from around the world—Malaysia, the United Kingdom, Poland, Russia, Kazakhstan, and, of course, China.”

Deborah Damast speaks at a podium — Damast speaking at WDEA

“I took a master class on neoclassical ballet from Kevin Durwael, the associate artistic director of the Royal Ballet School of Antwerp,” says Lane, who teaches ballet at the International Ballet Academy in Bellevue, Washington. “It was an incredibly rewarding experience to learn from such an established teacher and choreographer, as well as to get to perform on an international stage with so many other participants.”

Another NYU Steinhardt alumnus, Yujie Xi ’25 (MA, Dance in the Professions: ABT Pedagogy), is also an alumnus of the BDA and participated in the weekend’s events as one of the Academy’s liaisons. She also danced in Ferraro’s and Lane’s choreographed performances.

The joint celebration for the WDEA and the Beijing Dance Academy is an excellent example of using the platform of dance as a tool for international relations and building community across languages and borders.

“The BDA put a lot of effort into bringing cultures together and welcoming people from different styles and places,” says Damast, whose keynote speech was livestreamed to 45,000 people. “The events were centered around the ballet competition, but they also invited everyone to celebrate the broad cultural landscape of dance.”