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Dance/USA’s Institute for Leadership Training (DILT) is a one-on-one mentorship program aimed to build the leadership and decision-making skills of emerging dance leaders who represent the diversity of the national, professional dance community. Since 2011, over 115 individuals have participated in the program, including mentors and mentees.
Photo by Runway Productions
The design of the program has evolved from a national professional dance mentorship program for Dance/USA members to a program devoted to shifting patterns of inequity in the dance field, open to members and non-members alike. In 2015, DILT began intentionally recruiting members from diverse communities with a specific interest in supporting emerging leaders of color. Today, DILT is continuing to expand its reach. The 2017 program has a specific focus on supporting individuals of African, Latino(a), Asian, Arab, and Native American descent; individuals with disabilities or working in physically integrated dance; and individuals from a diversity of gender identities including transgender, agender, gender fluid, genderqueer, etc.
See below for a full list of past program participants. Learn more about the program here.
2011 Mentees
Pat Germann
Claire Horn
Kate Hutter
Lizzie Leopold
Julie Potter
David Sadowsky
Curtis Stedge
Matt Wells
2011 Mentors
Marcello Angelini
Lucy Bowen McCauley
David Brown
Barry Hughson
Bernard Schmidt
Ivan Sygoda
Anna Thompson
Judy Waters
2012 Mentees
Cheryl Burns
Eveline Chang
Ellen Chenoweth
Marcia de la Garza
Marlana Doyle
Chard Gonzalez
Lydia Hance
Gina Hoch Stall
Shayna Keller
Michael Mizerany
Robin Steihm
2012 Mentors
Lucy Bowen-McCauley
C.C. Connor
Carolyn Dorfman
Kadidia Doubmia
Andrew Edmonson
Barry Hughson
Gina Gibney
John Malashock
Laird Rodet
Debbie Shapiro
Ivan Sygoda
Eva Wieland
2013 Mentees
Christine Chen
Stephen Clapp
Katie Diamond
Dana Horst
Sofia Klass
Athleen Klein
Christine Stone Martin
Edward McPherson
Erin F. Mitchell
Molly Terbovich Ridenhour
Sean Wright
Eryn Renee Young
2013 Mentors
Dominique Alfandre
Lucy Bowen McCauley
Laura Colby
Carolyn Dorfman
Molissa Fenley
Barry Hughson
Michelle Ramos
Jay Romano
Ken Tabachnick
Anita Thomas
Michael Uthoff
Doug Yeuell
2014 Mentees
Tara Aesquivel
Sarah Case
Karen Long Charles
Karl Cronin
Katherine Fabian
Rachael Glashan
Indira Goodwine
Mike Marraccini
Pearl Wise-Crawley
2014 Mentors
Richard J. Caples
Harris Ferris
Andrea Lodico Welshons
Michael Ann Mullikin
Julie Nakagawa
Melanie Rios Glaser
Doug Singleton
Paul Vasterling
2015 Mentees
Michele Baer
Brittany Beyer
Molly Glynn Puryear
Joseph Morrissey
Annika Presley
Malik Robinson
Marciano Silva des Santos
Ricarrdo Valentine
Tamica Washington-Miller
2015 Mentors
Tammy Borman
Amy Lam
Andrea Lodico Welshons
Julie Nakagawa
Jaamil Olawale Kosoko
Bennett Rink
David Shimotakahara
Valerie Wilder
C. Brain Williams
2016 Mentees
Jessica Abejar
Michelle LeNoir Vanhuss
Elena Rose Light
Michael Medcalf
Megan Mizanty
Yvonne Montoya
Michael Richter
Fabiola Torralba
Daniel Wellman
2016 Mentors
Carla DeSola
Barry Hughson
David Leventhal
Sabrina Madison-Cannon
Allison Orr
Rosy Simas
Holly Williams
Pamela Young
2017 Mentees
Conrhonda Baker
Tommie-Waheed Evans
Maura Garcia
Marisa Hamamoto
Tina Mullone
Vijay Palaparty
Heather Rigby
Vershawn Sanders-Ward
2017 Mentors
Tammy Bormann
Anne Huang
Stephanie V. McKee
Amy Miller
Julie Nakagawa
Michelle Ramos
Pam Tatge
Nancy Umanoff