Mark DeGarmo Dance (MDD) broadcasts the third and final salon of its 16th annual Virtual Salon Performance Series for Social Change (VSPS) 2026, exploring the theme Dance & Social Change, on Thursday, April 2, 2026 at 7 PM ET via a Live Online Interactive Zoom Broadcast.*

 

MDD’s Thursday, April 2 salon is a unique evening of original movement and dance performance works-in-process with facilitated audience reflection. Curator and facilitator Mark DeGarmo shares: “VSPS is an opportunity to view and contribute to works-in-process of under-recognized dance and movement artists that break, cross, or don’t recognize boundaries; stir up the mix; and face global issues across cultures, countries, and continents.” The April 2 salon features Paramita Bhattacharyya (Los Angeles, CA), Sudeshna Dey (West Bengal, India), Yuri Ogasawara (NYC), and Brighit Leonella Mercado Vera (Lima, Peru). The artists will present a range of works-in-process exploring the VSPS 2026 theme dance and social change. Paramita Bhattacharyya explores the human spirit’s capacity to endure, adapt, and ultimately thrive in the face of profound challenge and suffering. Sudeshna Dey focuses on the struggles of India’s LGBTQ community and family abandonment. Yuri Ogasawara fuses multiple dance styles to reflect cultural diversity and appreciation for the uniqueness of different communities. Brighit Leonella Mercado Vera celebrates Peruvian women’s freedom, expression, and identity through house dance and traditional movement. 

About MDD’s April VSPS Artists

 

Paramita Bhattacharyya is a trained Kathak dance exponent and performer from Los Angeles, CA. She has served on the jury panel for the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) in Maryland and as President-Elect of the California Dance Education Association. Paramita established her own dance education institute, the Rhythm Foundation of Dance (RFDA), to advance dance and pass its legacy on to the next generation and to people around the globe.

 

Sudeshna Dey is an award winning dancer, choreographer, dance educator, writer, actor, and short filmmaker from West Bengal, Kolkata, India. She is known for her powerful engagement with themes of identity, gender, and culture.

 

Yuri Ogasawara (NYC) holds an MA in Art Administration from SUNY and has trained in ballet, Oriental/Middle Eastern, and Latin dance. An original member of Andrea Beeman’s Dancing Rubies, she has performed with Buglisi Dance Theatre, LEIMAY, Lotus Music & Dance, Global Water Dances, RengyoSoh, and Vangeline Theater. She has taught for Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company’s Bridge for Dance and currently dances with Margaret Yuen’s Red Silk Dancers.

 

Brighit Leonella Mercado Vera (Lima, Peru) is a manager, educator, creator, and performer with over 12 years of experience in the arts. Since 2018, she has directed and developed original works. Notable productions include Huérfanos, presented at the 2023 Alliance Française Festival, and Clubheads, the work, independently produced and presented in June and December 2023.

 

Tickets on Eventbrite: By donation; If it is impossible for your economic situation, contact us at least 24 hours in advance: info@markdegarmodance.org with the reason for your request so you can join us. 

Suggested donations: Salsa -- $10; Step -- $15; Break -- $20; Improv -- $50; Aerial -- $100

Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/virtual-salon-performance-series-2026-4784553   

https://bit.ly/46SanOD 

 

*Zoom Link will be sent to attendees by 5:00 PM ET the day of the performance from info@markdegarmodance.org. If a donation for tickets is made after that time, the MDD staff will send the link via email as soon as possible. Contact info@markdegarmodance to communicate regarding ticket status.

 

About the VSPS 2026 Artists & Works-in-Progress

The 2026 artists will present a range of dance works-in-process exploring the VSPS 2026 theme dance and social change. The 2026 series’ works represent a range of artist and movement approaches locally, nationally and internationally. Featured on February 5 was a piece about the global water crisis and melting ice caps (Carolyn Pampalone Rabbers; Stevensville, MI). On March 5th was a work exploring technology’s impact on communication, civility, and memory (Nick M. Daniels; Pittsburgh, PA), and a work focusing on mass and school shootings and the call to action against preventable violence (Audrey Baran; Charlotte, NC). 

 

About MDD’s Virtual Salon Performance Series for Social Change

Founded in 2010, MDD's Virtual Salon Performance Series for Social Change is a conversation facilitated by curator, choreographer, and scholar Dr. Mark DeGarmo with audiences and diverse global dance makers presenting works-in-process. It is a unique opportunity to demystify the creation of choreography and to enjoy a wide range of performance approaches, genres, and styles. VSPS presents under-represented and under-recognized dance makers across New York City and State, the USA, and internationally. Since February 2019, MDD has presented in 42 salons, including 2 Virtual International Arts Festivals, featuring 566 total artists from 23 states and 31 countries. Past audiences and dance makers have remarked:

“The salon was a warm, welcoming, positive environment!"

"I loved the convenience of watching the performance on Zoom!"

 

About Mark DeGarmo Dance

Mark DeGarmo Dance began operations in 1982, incorporated in 1987, and celebrates its 39th anniversary in 2026 as a leading New York City nonprofit dance organization located in Manhattan’s Lower East Side and is a nonprofit anchor tenant at the Clemente Soto Velez Center. President Barack Obama commended DeGarmo and MDD for your service to your community and the nation. The National Endowment for the Arts deemed MDD’s NYC dance education program for under-resourced public elementary students living under the federal poverty rate “a national model.” National Dance Education Organization research shows that a mere 1-7% of USA elementary schools have such a dance education program as our Partnerships in Literacy through Dance & Creativity.

                          

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Our programs are supported, in part, by private and public funds from American Online Giving Foundation; Jody and John Arnhold; Benevity; Frances and Benjamin Benenson Foundation; Bernheim Foundation; Blackbaud Giving Fund; Lisa and Dick Cashin; PJ and Dawn Dearden; Rev. Dr. Lindley DeGarmo and Sarah Finlayson; Friends of Mark DeGarmo Dance; Jill Ganey; The Harkness Foundation for Dance; JPMorgan Chase Foundation; Lara and Darius Mehraban; The Kyle J. Mulrooney Foundation; Mental Insight Foundation; National Endowment for the Arts; Network for Good; New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; New York City Department of Education; New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature; Lindsay O'Reilly; PwC Charitable Foundation; Religious Society of Friends; The Rothfeld Family Foundation; Ruth and Seymour Klein Foundation, and Barbara Sherman.