Daniel Judah Sklar
Daniel has taught Playmaking, his technique for writing and performing plays, at institutions ranging from the Yale School of Drama to P.S. 133 in Harlem to The Native American Preparatory School in Bemidji, Minnesota.
He also brought Playmaking at the 52nd Street Project in NYC and numerous other agencies across the country.
His book PLAYMAKING: Children Writing and Performing Their Own Plays, won The Distinguished Book Award from The American Association of Theatre and Education.
He received The Sustained Achievement Award from the New York City Arts in Education Round Table and is a National Teaching Artist for the Kennedy Center.
Since being diagnosed with Parkinson’s he has worked with Kurt Brungardt and Cecilia Fontanesi to develop Shakespeare for Parkinson’s, a technique which combines Shakespeare’s poetry and plays with Rudolf Laban Movement Analysis and voice work from various sources.
Cecilia Fontanesi
Cecilia Fontanesi is a dancer, movement educator, dance movement therapist, and researcher.
As a dance artist, she has been practicing improvisation, modern, contemporary and aerial dance for 30 years, both in Europe and USA. She is the co-founder of a new dance modality, Parcon NYC, a collective of dancers and movers dedicated to challenging our connection to the environment and social relationships through movement, play, touch and reflection.
Fontanesi taught partnering, contact improvisation, and modern dance both in Italy and New York. In 2011, she became a CMA (Certified Movement Analyst) at the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies (LIMS®, NY). She was a registered yoga teacher at The Yoga Trail in Central Park, a teaching assistant in Movement Observation at Sarah Lawrence College, as well as an adjunct Anatomy instructor at Marymount Manhattan college, Dance Department. She is currently part of LIMS Core Faculty, teaching Introduction to Laban Movement Analysis, as well as Laban Bartenieff Movement Studies (LBMS) for the Yearlong and New Pathways certification programs.
She is a Registered-Dance Movement Therapist (R-DMT) through both Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, NY and Lesley University, Cambridge, MA. She has extensive experience implementing dance movement therapy interventions to a range of individuals including those affected by Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease. She is currently serving as Research and Practice Committee Chair of the American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA).
Fontanesi holds a Ph.D. and M.Phil. in Biology Neuroscience from CUNY The Graduate Center, and a M.S. in Biology of Behavior from University of Florence, Italy. She is eager to apply her knowledge of neuroscience in the field of somatic education, movement, and dance, to foster awareness of and an appreciation for the art of dance and the benefits of accessible movement throughout the life cycle.
Kurt Brungardt
Kurt is a bestselling author, journalist, screenwriter, playwright, and director. His feature article for Vanity Fair, “Galloping Scared,” was nominated for a Genesis Award. He has written 12 books, including the bestsellers Lesbian Sex Secrets for Men (Penguin), The Running Revolution, The Complete Book of Abs (Random House), The Complete Book of Core Training (Hyperion/Hachette), The Complete Book of Butt and Legs (Random House), and The Complete Book of Pickleball (Penguin).
As a teaching artist, Kurt has created theater and poetry residencies for Teachers & Writers Collaborative, the Salvation Army, and the Parkinson’s Foundation. He has developed theater and writing programs in NYC public schools, senior centers, and prisons. He co-founded the prison film program 100 Feet of Truth with Darnell Martin. For the Parkinson’s Foundation, he directs the Shakespeare for Parkinson’s Project (2020–present). He has taught acting at Colorado State University and led acting workshops in New York City. He is Director of Interdisciplinary Performance and Neuroarts Research at Rod Rodgers Dance Studio, where he founded The Arts Wellness and Performance Lab.
In addition to his work with Rod Rodgers Dance Company, he has a long performance history on East 4th Street and the Lower East Side. His play White Meat ran for six weeks at Red Room Theater above KGB Bar in 2000. He has performed at PS 122, the Pink Pony, and NADA, in Kirk Bromley's plays and the Richard Foreman Festivals. He converted his East 6th Street apartment into a theater for three seasons. After a feature in the New York Times (see link below), police shut it down. NYTimes link:
https://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/22/arts/theater-off-off-off-broadway-way-up-up-upstairs.html
Kurt has directed over a dozen plays in New York, Los Angeles, and regional theaters. Currently, he is workshopping his new play, Medicated, slated for summer 2026.
He is a member of the Writers Guild of America, the Authors Guild, and the Dramatists Guild. He attended NYU and Columbia University.
Contact: brungyk@gmail.com