Daniel Lewis: A Life in Choreography and the Art of Dance

Daniel Lewis’s legacy as a hugely influential choreographer and teacher of modern dance is celebrated in this biography. It showcases the many roles he played in the dance world by organizing his story around various aspects of his work, including his years at the Juilliard School, dancing and touring with the Jose Limon Company, staging Limon’s masterpieces around the world, directing his own company (Daniel Lewis Dance Repertory Company), writing and choreographing operas and musicals, and his years as dean of dance at New World School of the Arts. His life has spanned a particular period of growth of modern and contemporary dance, and his biography gives insight into how the artistic and journalistic perspectives on modern dance were influenced by what was occurring in the broader dance and arts communities. The book also offers rarely seen photographs and interviews with unique perspectives on many dance luminaries.

Donna H. Krasnow is professor emerita in the department of dance at York University in Toronto, Canada where she has a distinguished career as a dancer, teacher, choreographer, researcher, and author. She founded the dance school Dance Source and its resident company Möbius in San Francisco. She lives in Lincoln, California. Daniel E. Lewis was a teacher and assistant director at the Juilliard School for twenty years. He was then dean of dance at New World School of the Arts from 1987-2011. He was a soloist with master modern dancer José Limón from 1962-1974, serving as artistic director of the Limón Company from 1972-1974, and staging Limón’s choreography on major companies around the world. He lives in Miami, Florida.