News Release
Contact: Rima Faber, Program Director
National Dance Education Organization
301-657-2880
4849 St. Elmo Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814

August 20, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) has presented the 2006 Lifetime Achievement Award to Elsa Posey of Posey School in Northport, New York. The Lifetime Achievement Award is the most prestigious award the organization confers.

The 2006 honoree, Elsa Posey, has served dance education for five decades across public and private sectors. She has been relentless in her advocacy of dance at local, state, and national levels and innovative in her teaching and mentoring of future educators and leaders. Elsa’s early ballet training taught her the strong values of the culture, but also made clear the potential for physical and psychological injury. In her nominating letter, Dr. Jane Bonbright noted that “This set her on a life quest to improve conditions, teaching, curriculum, research and service for all American children who loved to dance—and to make safe dance available to all students of all interests, abilities and ages.”

A founding member of NDEO, Ms. Posey was President from 1998 to 2001. The National Registry of Dance Educators (NRDE) which Posey founded and directs, established codes for ethics, safety, and responsible teaching practices for the private sector dance educator. She has contributed to the activities and goals of the Arts Education Partnership (AEP), the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS) and the Congress on Research in Dance (CORD). Her research led to publications in professional journals such as the Journal of Dance Education, Journal of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance as well as popular magazines such as Dance Teacher Now, Dance Teacher, and Dance Magazine. Her business expertise has benefited both NDEO and CORD. Elsa was instrumental in the establishment, and sits on the Board of the New York State Dance Education Association (NYSDEA). In addition to her state and national activities, Elsa is the President and Director of The Posey School of Dance in Northport which she founded 53 years ago. The Posey School is presented to dance education students at New York University (NYU) as a model for children’s creative dance.

NYU Professor Susan Koff and Director of NYU’s Steinhardt School of Education’s Dance Education Program, Barbara Bashaw, note “We are moved by the example that she has set, as well as her ability to communicate with the policy makers but never forget her little ones, with whom she works in the studio. She is truly a role model.”

Dr. Rima Faber, NDEO’s Program Director and an author of the National Standards in Dance Education concludes, “Elsa’s tireless work has resulted in thousands of young students who treasure dance as a major aspect of their lives; a gift that has deepened as they have matured. Elsa has been a prominent leader in dance education, and, indeed has greatly influenced and changed the course of the field.”