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DANCE TO UNITE'S 3rd Annual Benefit: One Way or Another Raised More Than $100,000, with Performance by Debbie Harry

by Michelle Tabnick
May 10, 2016
New York, NY
Dance to Unite raised more than $100,000 in support of the company’s expanding free after-school dance and education programs at their 3rd Annual Benefit: One Way or Another on Tuesday, May 3, 2016 at 6pm at Avenues: The World School, located in Chelsea at 259 Tenth Avenue, NYC 10001. This year's benefit, a celebration of artistic excellence and cultural diversity, proudly honored Jenny Morgenthau, who recently retired after 32 years as the Executive Director of the Fresh Air Fund, and Alvin Adell, MD, who is committed to serving youth, specifically from low income backgrounds, by actively supporting organizations that focus on education, community and the arts. During the celebration, students of Dance to Unite performed alongside music icon and Blondie lead singer Debbie Harry who sang her biggest hits live, including the indelible “One Way or Another.”

“What an honor it is to have the iconic Debbie Harry share the stage with the students of Dance to Unite. Her extraordinary gift of music has touched hearts all over the world and now will remain forever in the hearts of our students. Having someone like Debbie celebrate with us during this special benefit reaffirms our mission as we continue to partner with after-school programs to provide year-round dance classes with an educational focus on respecting, understanding and accepting all cultures for the purpose of peace and unity.”
- Galit Adani, executive director of Dance to Unite

"Debbie Harry is a beacon of hope to the children of Dance to Unite. Her creative talents remind us of the importance of self-expression through the power of music and dance."
- Nicole Tongue, board member of Dance to Unite

“What I like about Dance to Unite is that we showed people that
no matter if we’re different on the outside we’re the same on the inside.”
- Josh (age 9), program participant

“In the society we live in, unfortunately, many young teens do not have a support system. They need a place to go where it is positive and inviting. … Often these youth are left to fall through the cracks and be forgotten. Dance to Unite will open so many doors for respect, and self-worth and give them the tools to succeed in life no matter what path they take.”
-Tayna Carmon, a volunteer and parent of program participant

This year’s benefit was attended by 250 guests, including featured guest Debbie Harry and honorees Jenny Morgenthau and Alvin Adell. Additional attendees and supporters: Mira Abraham, Moshe Abraham, Jon Kerry Clayton, Marisa Cohen, Joe Austin, Riki Cohen, Duke Dang, Ariela Ben Dayan, Charlie Ben Dayan, Alex Davidson, Carina Davidson, Nicolas Donarski, Andrea Farina, Martin Frommer, Stephen Frommer, Phil Fryberger, Dana Goldberg, Anne Grand, Paul Grand, Salem Gregory, Gloria Hage, Brad Hardin, Aubrey Jackson Jr., Charles P. Jackson, Mary C. Jackson, Danny Jardinado, Kathleen Jardinado, Mark Kalish, Lizbeth Kay, Aamir Khandwala, Melissa Kivett, Thomas Kivett, Richard Klinghoffer, Chris Lee, Jennifer Leimgruber, Elaine Levy, Douglass Loud, Thomas Mandelbaum, Emily Marks, Richard Martini, Clare MacGoey, Robert MacGoey, Michael Monteleone, Jenny and Doug Morgenthau, Anthony Parker, Toni Parker, Ashui Rai, Soon Rhee, Emily Robb, Sonya Robbins, Paige Royer, Christopher Rusk, Robert Shaver, Ashok Sinha, Lisa Spilko, Shirly Tambor, Daniel Tandarich, JoAnne Torti, Ginny Urus, Taymur Urus, Adrian Wager, Gregory Watson, Kimberly Zinger, and Michael Zinger

Dance to Unite, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to use dance as a vehicle to teach and to celebrate cultural diversity. We are committed to creating positive experiences for children to develop understanding, acceptance, respect and compassion for all cultures culminating in unity for the purpose of future peace. Dance to Unite, Inc. partners with After School programs to offer weekly free dance classes with an educational component that celebrates cultural diversity. The classes are complemented periodically with special guest artists who conduct workshops to promote our mission of unity and peace. Each Dance to Unite class culminates with and end of the year performance. www.dancetounite.org

The name Debbie Harry evokes many images: seminal rock-n-roll figure, complex songstress, incandescent front woman and fashion icon. As a vibrant global force and a shaper of pop culture, Debbie’s chart-topping success, fearless spirit and rare longevity led to an induction into the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame for Blondie in 2006, more than 40 million albums sold worldwide and acclaimed solo projects to boot. She has even engaged in an acting career with over 30 film and television roles to her credit. She has become and still remains a true national treasure, one whose influence continues to impact the worlds of music, fashion and art. With Blondie, undeniably one of the most trailblazing and influential bands of our time, she and co-founder Chris Stein brought the worlds of rock, punk, disco and ska together with “One Way or Another,” “Heart of Glass” and “Call Me” and broke ground by combining hip-hop and pop on “Rapture.” As a solo artist, Nile Rodgers & Bernard Edwards co-produced her first release Koo Koo in 1981 and she continued to defy expectations with such genre-busting efforts as “French Kissing in the U.S.A.,” “Rush Rush,” “Rain” and “The Jam Was Moving.” Her spectacular voice drips with a sophisticated elegance rarely heard in pop music and she continues to infuse her work with an exquisite artistic sensibility. From an irreverent Lower East Side punk goddess to bona fide international ambassadors of New York cool, Debbie Harry will forever be synonymous with that punk spirit that lives somewhere in all of us.
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