Daniel Lewis in "The Unsung" (1971), choreographed by Jose Limon. Lewis will be honored on his 80th birthday in the 14th edition of the Daniel Lewis Dance Sampler (Photo courtesy of Limon Foundation)
Daniel Lewis says he’s been lucky. He was lucky that he found dance when he was five years old.
“I had a clubfoot and the doctor recommended tap dancing. The first class, I knew it was me. I found my voice,” he told Miami Dance Hub in an interview. “When I was taking tap class I was the only guy, so that was special.”
In his book, “Daniel Lewis: A Life in Choreography and the Art of Dance,” co-written by Donna H. Krasnow and Lewis, he tells the story of his introduction to dance: “I was lucky to have been born in the right place, and with the right talents. Because I never knew what the future would hold, at each turn in my life I have made sure never to let go of the people I have met or the situations that I encountered. This made it possible to see in many different ways. In the early years, being born with a clubfoot was seen as a handicap, but now I realize it was a strange bit of luck that led me to dance.”
Dancers from Dance NOW! Miami will perform in the 14th edition of the Daniel Lewis Dance Sampler at 8 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 5 in the New World School of the Arts dance theater (Photo by Simon Soong)
A program on Sunday, Oct. 6, at the New World School of the Arts will be a celebration of Lewis’s 80th birthday. The evening before, it’s the 14th annual Daniel Lewis Dance Sampler featuring Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida (ABTF), Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami (DDTM), Ballet Flamenco La Rosa (BFLR), Dance NOW! Miami, Zest Collective, and New World Dance Ensemble,” also at the New World School of the Arts.
Jessica Arechavaleta and Rafael Ruiz, from Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami in "On the Sky." (Photo by Simon Soong)
Lewis, the founding dean of the New World School of the Arts, began the Modern Dance Sampler in the 1990s to offer a showcase where different audiences were invited to come together and see something new and different in the hopes that with an introduction to dance, company audiences would grow. It was also meant to give exposure to the area’s modern dance organizations.
For the birthday celebration on Sunday, guest speakers, including Krasnow, the co-author of his book; his friend and colleague Michael Uthoff, artistic director of Dance St. Louis; Dante Puleio, current artistic director of the Limón Dance Company; and Robert Battle, former artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and an NWSA graduate, will offer glimpses of their experiences working with Lewis.
Also at the celebration, Dance NOW! Miami will perform “Open Book,” one of Lewis’ works from 1981 performed first performed by the Daniel Lewis Dance Repertory Company at the Marymount Manhattan Theater. New York Times dance writer Jennifer Dunning opened her review of the piece with this: “I am an open book to my boss,” a dancer proclaimed about half way through Daniel Lewis’s new ‘Open Book.’ ”And a complete mystery to your friends,” another dancer said. She goes on further to talk about “Book” saying it is set to some “rather grand music by Mahler, Wagner and Rossini.”
Dancers from Ballet Flamenco La Rosa in "Taranto." From left, Maria Mercedes Perez, Sandra Bara, Pilar Fernandez, and Mayelu Perez (Photo courtesy of Jenny Abreu)
Lewis came to Miami six years later to become the founding Dean of Dance at the New World School of the Arts (NWSA) and created the dance division’s professional program.
From 1984 to 1987, Lewis was Assistant to Martha Hill, the Director of the Dance Division, at The Juilliard School, where he had been a member of the dance faculty since 1967. He told writer Jordan Levin for the Miami Herald in 1997 about coming to Miami for NWSA. “Juilliard was pure establishment. “Here I could do anything I wanted. How many times in your life are you offered that opportunity?”
He retired from New World School of the Arts in 2011.
Suzuka Matsumoto and Remina Tanaka of Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida in "Le Papillon." (Photo courtesy of Patricia's Photography)
He is most widely known for his association with the work of Jose Limón, where he originated roles with Limón’s Dance Company through the 1960s into the early 1970s. He also served as Limón’s assistant for seven years, and, following the famed choreographer’s death in 1972, he became the Limón company’s acting artistic director and in 1984 became founding director of the Limón Institute. In 1975, he completed the choreography of “The Waldstein Sonata,” an unfinished work begun by Limón just before his death.
Still committed to the growth of dance awareness in South Florida, Lewis founded Miami Dance Futures in 1988, where he continues as president.
Martha Graham dancer Yanil Pabon performing with the New World Dance Ensemble in "Prelude to Action," choreographed by Martha Graham (Photo by Juan Cabrera)
If You Go:
- What: 14th Annual Daniel Lewis Dance Sampler and Daniel Lewis 80th Birthday Celebration.
- When: Sampler performance, 8 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 5; birthday celebration program, 3 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 6.
- Where: New World School of the Arts Dance Theater, 25 NE 2nd Street, 8th floor, Miami.
- Cost: Sampler, $25 general admission, $15 students / Birthday Celebration, $100 per person, $150 per couple. Tickets can be purchased in advance online for both events at www.dancenowmiami.org.
- Information: (305) 975-8489 or www.dancenowmiami.org.
