{"id":275575,"date":"2026-06-23T19:08:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T19:08:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/275575\/"},"modified":"2026-06-23T19:08:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T19:08:11","slug":"the-dance-enthusiast-asks-daniel-gwirtzman-celebrates-pride-creativity-at-new-york-city-center-studios","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/275575\/","title":{"rendered":"THE DANCE ENTHUSIAST ASKS: Daniel Gwirtzman Celebrates Pride & Creativity at New York City Center Studios"},"content":{"rendered":"

Features<\/a> > The Dance Enthusiast Asks<\/a>Q+A with The Dance Enthusiast \n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"THE\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Published on June 23, 2026
DGDC in Performance; Photo: Courtesy of Daniel Gwirtzman<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t Don’t Miss DGDC’s Free Interactive “InThe Studio” on June 25th and 26th!As part of New York City’s upcoming Pride<\/a> celebrations on June 25th and 26th, Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company<\/a> returns to New York City Center Studios<\/a> for In The Studio, a free, interactive opportunity to engage with the creative process.<\/p>\n

Featuring excerpts from Gwirtzman\u2019s Dreamland and Flashpoint, the event invites audiences into the rehearsal room for an intimate look at how dance is made.<\/p>\n

Who: Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company<\/p>\n

Where: New York City Center Studios
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 West 56th Street, Between 6th and 7th Avenues, The STAGE DOOR Entrance<\/p>\n

When:Thursday, June 25, 2026 – 1:00pm
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Friday, June 26, 2026 – 3:00pm<\/p>\n

Tickets and Info:\u00a0https:\/\/www.eventbrite.com\/e\/in-the-studio-daniel-gwirtzman-dance-company-at-new-york-city-center-tickets-1987738070076\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0 (please make note of the address underlined\u00a0 above)<\/p>\n

The Dance Enthusiast\u2019s Theo Boguszewski spoke with DGDC Founder and Artistic Director Daniel Gwirtzman about\u00a0 risk-taking, LGBTQ+ representation in dance, and the power of movement to foster empathy and connection.<\/p>\n

Theo Boguszewski for The Dance Enthusiast: In The Studio invites audiences into the creative process rather than presenting a finished performance. What inspired you to create this open, participatory experience?<\/p>\n

Daniel Gwirtzman: There is a history with this type of interactive programming which connects to a larger thread of explaining and demystifying dance. And we have a history of producing these events. It\u2019s\u00a0 our long-established commitment to educating the public about the art of dance through meaningful interactive programming. We chip away at the typical division between performers and viewers, and allow engagement with the art to be more multidimensional. \u00a0<\/p>\n

What is the typical composition of the audience?\u00a0<\/p>\n

It’s a real range, especially because these are free events. We have found that over the years,\u00a0by removing barriers [such as cost] we bring in new audiences.\u00a0We want to reach people that have yet to be initiated into dance, AND those that are already part of the ecosystem.\u00a0 We don’t dumb anything down; the work is\u00a0 designed to be relevant to everybody that’s there.\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

DGDC Company in Class; Photo: Courtesy of Daniel Gwirtzman\u00a0<\/p>\n

How does the feedback and energy from an audience in a studio setting influence the performance and the work itself?<\/p>\n

Well, I think there’s two things.\u00a0 There’s the performance in that moment, and then there’s what information could be of value in going forward, especially with new work and development. The energetic transaction between audiences and performers has an immediacy that we feel too –\u00a0 a mutual exchange of energy. \u00a0<\/p>\n

It’s\u00a0 important, I think, to have a chance to understand something from a multiplicity of viewpoints before the work premieres. I’ll be sharing work that will premiere later in the fall season, and having a chance to hear how someone is reading the work, questions that they have, their unfiltered thoughts, is really valuable.\u00a0 We often work in a vacuum as choreographers. And, this also gives the dancers a chance to hear thoughts from outside, not just the choreographer’s ideas about work.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Have you ever had a situation where feedback from one of these intimate studio performances has largely impacted the direction of the piece?\u00a0<\/p>\n

There have been instances where audience feedback strengthened or solidified the direction.\u00a0 I’m always aware of honoring the creative interests, but balancing that with making work that is digestible, palatable, and hopefully meaningful.\u00a0 I would really welcome somebody saying \u201cI don’t understand at all what’s happening.\u201d<\/p>\n

What’s clarifying for me is bringing something from the medium of dance into another language system, that of words,\u00a0 getting adjectives, hearing peoples\u2019 descriptions. Those are gifts from viewers.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Photo: Courtesy of Daniel Gwirtzman\u00a0<\/p>\n

You’ve said that non-heteronormative partnering has been a trademark of the company’s repertory since its inception. What motivated that artistic choice from the beginning?<\/p>\n

It was\u00a0 an awareness that the company could be a vehicle to express life in all of its forms.\u00a0 I don’t want to add anything more cerebral or complex to that.\u00a0<\/p>\n

How has the landscape for LGBTQ representation in dance evolved since you began presenting work professionally in the 90s?<\/p>\n

Oh my God, so much. I think the landscape has changed tremendously.\u00a0 Just remembering back to the\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a025th anniversary of Stonewall in 1994<\/a>, when I danced in the Gay Games, which was a huge happening in New York.\u00a0 And during that time, it was noteworthy that there was an illustration of two grooms on a cake in the New Yorker. Like, why do I remember these things from so long ago?\u00a0 Because as a young gay artist, I remember the glee of seeing this representation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Why was it important for you to align In The Studio with the New York City Pride celebrations?<\/p>\n

Well, it’s always a wonderful opportunity to embrace Pride \u2013 we’re known for our colorful ethos, not just costuming, but also optimism.\u00a0 We have so much new work, as well classics from the repertoire. It just felt like it could be a great party to bring more audiences into the fold with minimum investment on their part –\u00a0 a free event, and not a nighttime event.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If someone is working, they might take a later lunch to see our work. You can come and go if you need to.\u00a0 We have an hour-and-a-half program with all kinds of fun things planned and interactive elements.\u00a0 It’s also a chance to share work that will not otherwise be seen in New York right now.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We’ll be taking a program called Summer Mix<\/a> on the road to Ithaca, New York, with six performances at Kitchen Theatre Company<\/a>.\u00a0 And this is a mix of some of our favorites from the repertoire, from our acclaimed Encore<\/a>, as well as the premiere of\u00a0Flashpoint, which we developed at American Dance Festival<\/a> two summers ago, but has yet to be premiered for the company.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

And so, as part of this party of Pride,I wanted to bring\u00a0 works that are among our most accessible and relevant, to celebrate real joy and escape into the realm of dance. And then also to confront head-on the darker, more serious themes of our time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u00a0Photo: Courtesy of Daniel Gwirtzman\u00a0<\/p>\n

Why did you choose excerpts from Dreamland and Flashpoint as focal points for these events?<\/p>\n

Focusing on Dreamland, which shows the love between people, and Flashpoint, which shows love but also conflict and strife, is just responding to the incivility of our times and bringing a magnifying glass to that and understanding where empathy has frayed so much.\u00a0 And of course, we’re all aware of this fraught moment that really feels like an inflection point.\u00a0 And Flashpoint, just as a title \u2013 \u201cflashpoint\u201d is things changing on a dime in a really escalating and inflammatory way. And certainly that in and of itself is not new, but the ramifications coupled with political violence is of a new tenor.\u00a0 I’m happy to bring in and affirm the love, in this context of Pride, of non-heteronormative, not stereotypical, flourishing, healthy, holistic relationships.\u00a0 And to use the medium of dance and the framework of a dance company to have commentary and magnify themes that are coursing through my mind.<\/p>\n

You’re entering your fourth decade as a New York based choreographer.\u00a0 What keeps you curious as an artist after so many years of making work?<\/p>\n

And if I might add, I’m entering a fourth decade performing as well, but that’s a separate thought.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s about continuing to honor the quirky, the new, the unconsidered, and the risky.\u00a0 And I think that this just animates an inner fire to follow that inner life, the idiosyncrasies and my perspectives on the world. So it doesn’t become rote.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

What excites you most about the future of your company?\u00a0 Are there themes, collaborations, or ideas that you haven’t explored yet that you’re thinking about pursuing?<\/p>\n

For sure.\u00a0 That really lies within the realm of film.\u00a0 The company most recently had the chance to premiere Framing Menerbes<\/a>, which screened June 17 as part of the Finger Lakes New Works Festival<\/a>.\u00a0 That’s the company’s first feature-length film that was shot in France and involves 12 participants from this region of Provence.\u00a0 Ages ranging from late 30s to 90, all various backgrounds, with or without dance.\u00a0 So bringing more of that digital platform and bringing dance to more people through the scaling of that medium is where the company is increasingly going to be focused.<\/p>\n

What role do you think dance can play in fostering empathy and connection in today’s world?<\/p>\n

Every role.\u00a0 It is singularly equipped for that. And when we talk about dance, let’s make sure that this is in its broadest form, not just the performing art branch of that tree,\u00a0 but seeing dance as understanding what it is to take somebody’s hand and look them in the eye.\u00a0 One of my most gratifying experiences recently was teaching partnering at a collegiate level where my students reflected on this contact.<\/p>\n

As much as we’re going to continue to bring technology into our\u00a0 work through film, the company also wants to stay rooted in the analog world.\u00a0 When you look at somebody in front of you, not through a screen, that’s the beginning of partnership. Dance in every way allows us the humility, the understanding, the beauty, the joy of what it is to consider somebody else.\u00a0 Partnering is negotiating in real time.\u00a0 You have to be present, you have to be listening, you have to be attuned.\u00a0 And that combustion that comes from being present with another, and considering another point of view, it\u2019s really sharpened through dance. \u00a0<\/p>\n

As movement educators, we understand how dance is singularly equipped to fashion and impart change. The time is ripe for this.\u00a0 We didn’t talk specifically about AI, which is really the\u00a0 elephant in the room; it\u2019s not hiding and it\u2019s affecting all the work.\u00a0 Dance is a way to combat the speed in which that’s encroaching.\u00a0 \u00a0I absolutely believe that this practice is not going anywhere and will just come into greater currency.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Dance Enthusiast Asks questions and creates conversation.
For more of The Dance Enthusiast Asks, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Dance Enthusiast<\/a> – News, Reviews, Interviews and an Open Invitation for YOU to join the Dance Conversation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Features > The Dance Enthusiast AsksQ+A with The Dance Enthusiast Published on June 23, 2026DGDC in Performance; Photo:…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":275576,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[1113,1112,1126,1121,1116,1125,1117,1114,1106,1127,1111,1123,1107,1124,9,24,55,54,56,1118,1109,1120,1108,1122,1110,1119,1115],"class_list":["post-275575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-a-day-in-the-life","tag-a-day-in-the-life-of-dance","tag-african-dance","tag-ballet","tag-barefootnotes","tag-contemporary-dance","tag-dance","tag-dance-up-close","tag-features","tag-flamenco","tag-from-the-press","tag-hip-hop","tag-impressions","tag-modern-dance","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-new-york-city-headlines","tag-new-york-city-news","tag-ny","tag-nyc-dance","tag-postcards","tag-qa","tag-reviews","tag-tap","tag-the-dance-enthusiast-asks","tag-the-dance-enthusiast-hits-the-streets","tag-video"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275575","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=275575"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275575\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/275576"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=275575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=275575"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=275575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}