Marcea Daiter

Marcea T. Daiter is an experienced teacher and artist working in dance forms of the African Diaspora that embraces 21st century approaches and interdisciplinary perspectives and has experience with intersection methods in history, topics in critical dance studies, performance studies, post-colonial, and critical race theory.  She has advised students independent study, senior projects, and have engaged in work related to dance studies that foster partnerships supporting the presence of dance where she works.

She is a certified Katherine Dunham instructor, NYS/NYC licensed dance educator, a certified Pilates mat trainer, a teacher of the Zena Rommett Floor-Barre®, research consultant, choreographer, performing artist, Capoerista, Artistic Director of Kaleidoscope of Kultures Dance Theater, and recipient of several fellowships, grants, and scholarships. Marcea earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Loyola University of Chicago, and a Master of Fine Arts in Dance Theater from Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. She specializes in ballet, modern, tap, jazz, capoeira, Haitian and Cuban folklore. Marcea began her Dunham training under Darlene Blackburn and Wilbur Bradley in Chicago and continued her Dunham studies in East St. Louis at the Katherine Dunham Institute for Intercultural Studies, and New York and has studied with former Dunham company members and master teachers, such as Vanoye Aikens, Tommy Gomez, Talley Beatty, Walter Nicks, Archie Savage, Louines Louinis, Jeon Leon Destine, Ruby Streate, Keith Williams, and Theodore Jamison.

Marcea was one of the many dance artists representing the United States in Lagos, Nigeria at the International Arts Festival (FESTAC) in 1977, where she performed with the Darlene Blackburn Afro-American Dance Theater on stage with Fela Anikylapo-Kuti in his Afro-Shrine. In New York she performed with the New York Baroque Dance Company, Joan Miller’s Dance Players, the Eleo Pomare Dance Company, Nanette Bearden's Contemporary Dance Theater and Fancy Dancers Inc. Her field-study trips to Africa, Cuba, Mexico, Haiti, and the United States to the Katherine Dunham Institute of Intercultural Studies and Jacob’s Pillow inspired her instructional teaching in language arts, writing curriculum, dance anthropology, body soma tics, which led her to several choreographic collaborations with Catherine Turocy, artistic director of The New York Baroque Dance Company. She has taught dance at Princeton University, New York City College of Technology, New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, in the Graduate Acting Program at Tisch School of the Arts, City College of New York, Lehman College, Hofstra University, Long Island University, Borough of Manhattan City College, The Haitian-American Academy of Ballet & Arts in Port Au Prince, and Haiti.

Marcea recently retired as a full-time dance educator from the NYC Department of Education after teaching in Central Harlem at Wadleigh Secondary School for the Performing and Visual Arts for 15 years. Her contributions were pivotal in developing a four-year high school Dance Scope and Sequence curriculum with culturally relevant pedagogy. Under her guidance, the dance program received arts endorsement from Chancellor Carmen Farina and hosted visiting teaching artists, students from Denmark, and arts institutions nationally and internationally. 

Marcea is currently working to complete her doctoral studies at Antioch University, which has graciously opened its doors to the transitioning student body from Union Institute & University.