Daniel E. Lewis

Daniel E. Lewis was a teacher and assistant director of the Dance Division at the Juilliard School for twenty years; dean of dance at New World School of the Arts; a soloist with master modern dancer José Limón (1962-1974) and artistic director of the Limón Company (1972-1974) and staging Limón’s choreography on major companies around the world. Daniel Lewis: A Life in Choreography and the Art of Dance (McFarland) explores the legacy of a hugely influential choreographer and teacher of modern dance. It showcases the many roles Lewis played in the dance world by organizing his story around various aspects of his work as dancer, choreographer, educator and arts administrator. Lewis’ 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. Jennifer Dunning, author and dance writer for the New York Times, called it “a unique blend of autobiography, a relatively unexamined recent dance history, and what goes into performing, choreographing and dance administration.”