DASSdance

Daniel Wilkins graduated from School of American Ballet performing principal roles in the graduation workshop at Lincoln Center. Wilkins went on to dance professionally with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Donald Byrd/The Group, Spectrum Dance Theater, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, and Suzanne Farrell Ballet among others. Daniel formed DASSdance in 1996, with the intention to push the athletic and architectural limits of dance. An integral part of his artistic vision is 20 years experience in sports such as wrestling, basketball and baseball as well as a curiosity in visual art that began with employment at the Guggenheim Museum, and remained with him to fuel his All-Terrain / multimedia choreographic endeavors. DASSdance inaugurated Diane von Furstenberg -The Theater in 2000 and has performed five world premieres with original costumes by DVF. DASSdance has also performed seasons at the JoyceSoho (NYC), Baryshnikov Arts Center (NYC) and the Bagley Wright Theater (Seattle). Wilkins has been commissioned nationally and internationally, including for the Chrysler Salon, Spectrum Dance Theater’s Northwest Best, Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle Gilbert and Sullivan Society, Flux Laboratory in Switzerland, Arts for Art NYC as well as film and commercial projects. Wilkins has been featured in New York Magazine, Flaunt Magazine, the New York Times, Seattle Times and named one of Paper Magazine's 50 most beautiful people. Daniel is the Founder and Producing Artistic Director of  DASSdance.

_Danielle Wilkins is from Kentucky where she trained for ten years at Louisville Ballet. Danielle graduated cum laude from the University of Hartford/Hartt School of Music with a degree in Dance Pedagogy, during which she performed at the Kennedy Center as a soloist in Jean Grand Maitre's Uroborus. She has worked professionally in New York with Rebecca Kelly Ballet, Mary Seidman and Dancers, Mimi Garrard Dance Company, and Steven Koplowitz, and in Seattle with Marco Carrabba, Seattle Jazz Dance, and Spectrum Dance Theater; in which she performed in PNB’s Celebrate Seattle Festival at McCaw Hall, in New York City at Dance Theater Workshop, and at the Spoleto Festival in Italy. Danielle appeared in the 5th Avenue Theater's production of West Side Story and The Seattle Opera’s production of The Pearl Fisher’s. She has been teaching Ballet and Modern for nearly a decade and currently teaches at Evergreen City Ballet, Island Dance, and Washington Contemporary Ballet. Danielle danced with DASSdance for eleven seasons performing several times at Diane von Furstenberg-The Theater and in many Festivals including the D.U.M.B.O Dance Festival NYC and Dance Now at the Joyce Soho. Danielle has been an intricate part of DASSdance since its inception. Starting as a dancer in 1999, she has been continually inspired by the company’s growth, and took on the role of Executive Director from 2000 - 2005. She has organized many of the company's fundraisers and special events, and continues to give her time and insight as the Company Manager and Rehearsal Director.

_Constance Lucier began studying ballet in Frankfurt, Germany, where she was born.  After moving to the states, she continued to study dance at The Walnut Hill School of Performing Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, and The Pacific Northwest Ballet School in Seattle, Washington. She received her Bachelors degree in Art, and a Masters degree in Dance and Psychotherapy, both from Goucher College, in Baltimore, Maryland. Using her artistic background and therapeutic skills, Constance has served the Seattle community in a variety of ways. In her capacity as a Criminal Justice Therapist for the City of Seattle and Clinical Case Manager for the Community Psychiatric Clinic, Constance has helped individuals suffering from mental illness, substance abuse, survivors of violence, and homelessness. As a supporter of the Arts, she has served on fundraising committees for the Pacific Northwest Ballet since 2001 and campaigned for the San Francisco Ballet’s Dance in Schools program, which provides children in underserved communities exposure to dance performances and lessons.  Constance brings a variety of knowledge and skills, as well as a passion for the arts, to DASS. We look forward to her assistance in pushing forward our mission to develop as an arts institution that understands and serves our community.