Mark Degarmo - UI&U Alum

“Breathe.”

This is the advice chorographer, dancer, and educator Mark DeGarmo has for learners pursuing a doctorate at Union.

“You have to take time for yourself,” he says, from his Lower East Side studio. “Whether it’s taking a walk in the woods or along the seashore, mini-vacations with your loved ones, or journal writing – whatever is important to you.”

This advice is tried and true – because it’s what DeGarmo himself practiced when he was enrolled in Union’s pre-cohort doctoral program. The founder and executive director of the New York City-based Mark DeGarmo & Dancers/Dynamic Forms Inc., combined the fields of dance, education, and intercultural communication to earn a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies, with a concentration in arts and sciences and a specialization in Experiential Education and the Arts from Union in 2007.

DeGarmo has always sought institutions that advance his quest for rigor, excellence, and independent learning. He attended Oberlin College and The Juilliard School –where he earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts in dance in 1982, so when it came time to pursue his dream of earning a doctorate, Union was an ideal choice for DeGarmo. Cross-cultural experience and understanding is an important component in DeGarmo’s work as a choreographer and educator, and Union’s emphasis on “learning without walls” gave him the chance to do what he has been doing all along: make the world his classroom.

The cultures of Latin America, especially, are woven into DeGarmo’s work. He has spent years learning from the works, music, and dance of Mexican, Ecuadorian, Cuban, and Salvadorian people, and in 1998 he was awarded a Fulbright Senior Scholarship Fellowship in Dance Choreography, Performance, and Pedagogy to teach and choreograph in Peru. 

The research focus for DeGarmo’s doctoral dissertation was the use of movement improvisation and effects in nonverbal learning. For his research, he worked in a highly multicultural New York City public school.  The arts education institute he founded and directs provided a parallel path to his doctoral program. “We work with students who are underserved in the arts and dance education, and many who are considered at-risk,” says DeGarmo – explaining that despite great progress in the last 10 years, some New York City public schools still do not have adequate arts education programs in place to meet the needs of all preK-18 learners. “We hope that our program makes a contribution. By many indicators, we have measured an increase in students’ academic success as a result of our work.”

As part of his internship, he danced with a Mayan group in Guatemala and collaborated with a regional arts council in bringing them to seven public and private preK-12 schools in New York City and throughout the state of New York.

For DeGarmo, dance is education. True, he is a trained professional dancer with the technical craftsmanship of one who has studied with some of the greatest dance and theater artists. But to DeGarmo, creativity, and the ability to express oneself through multiple means, is everyone’s birthright. And movement – nonverbal communication – provides a multidimensional perspective into the lives of others.  “Dance, from a personal viewpoint,” says DeGarmo, “is a way to make sense of one’s life, the world, and one’s interpersonal relationships.”

Other doctorate programs offered DeGarmo the opportunity to explore aspects of his interest in dance, education, and intercultural communication. But Union gave him the chance to fuse his interests into a cohesive and interdisciplinary whole. “I was able to consolidate my interests,” says DeGarmo. “It (the doctoral program) spoke to my lifelong interests and needs.”

He is grateful for the mentoring provided by his advisor, Dr. Jose H. Cedillos, a longtime faculty member in the pre-cohort program. “Jose’s gifts were important to my journey. As an adult learner, you have a special relationship with your advisor – it is one of co-learning – a process and journey you take together.”

And although a dancer, DeGarmo uses another discipline he practiced as a teenager to describe the doctoral process. “It’s a lot like long distance running,” he says. Like a distance runner, the doctoral student goes through phases. The quest for the finish line may involve strenuous uphill climbs and easy downhill sprints. “The key,” says DeGarmo, “is to enjoy the journey.”

“You go through phases,” he says, of the doctoral program. “But you’ve got to enjoy the process. Celebrate each accomplishment, no matter how seemingly insignificant. Because when you’re finished and look back, it will be hard to believe what you’ve done.”