# Diane Jacobowitz

Diane Jacobowitz (born 30 October 1952) is an American choreographer, dancer, educator and the founder of Dancewave.

## Early life and education

Jacobowitz was born on October 30,1952 on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Both her parents were Jewish and first-generation Americans, whose parents had immigrated from Poland and Lithuania. Jacobowitz’s father Judah Jacobowitz, was a civil engineer who worked for Mobil Oil Corporation, and her mother Celia Dorothy Goldstein was employed as a secretary for various firms.
When Jacobowitz turned 4, her family moved out of New York City to Elmsford, NY. From a young age she took lessons at a local dance studio in Greenburgh, New York.
At the age of 9, Jacobowitz's family moved to White Plains, NY. She attended the Westchester Music and Arts Camp in Croton-on-Hudson and studied with Charlotte Walsh a dancer with the Charles Weidman Company and Anabelle Gamson, who had danced both on Broadway and with American Ballet Theater. Jacobowitz danced in Westchester Dance Theater until graduation from White Plains High School in 1967.
She attended the Ohio State University in 1970, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance in 1974. In1982 she was granted a fellowship to Connecticut College and received Master of Fine Arts degree in Dance in 1984. She is a Level 4 Certified Essentrics Teacher, Creative Aging in Dance Teaching Artist, and a certified EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) Tapping Mentor specializing in healing modalities.

## Diane Jacobowitz Dance Theater (DJDT)

In 1979, Jacobowitz founded Diane Jacobowitz Dance Theater, a company known for dance theater performances. The company has produced numerous acclaimed works, including Materials for a New World, which was created during a residency at the Yellow Springs Institute in 1984. DJDT performed at various notable venues in New York City, such as Dance Theater Workshop, Brooklyn Academic of Music and Danspace Project.
In 1989, Jacobowitz commissioned choreographer Anna Sokolow to restage renowned piece Steps of Silence for her company. After a successful season at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) in 1994, Jacobowitz to disbanded DJDT to focus on her solo career and motherhood.

## Founding of Dancewave

In 1995, Jacobowitz founded Dancewave an organization designed to provide pre-professional training for talented dancers from underserved backgrounds. She developed initiatives like the Kids Cafe Festival at Long Island University, which became an important platform for showcasing young talent.
Dancewave Company performed at the Aberdeen International Youth Festival. It also expanded its arts-in-education programs in New York City public schools, providing tuition-free dance classes.
Jacobowitz retired in 2020.

## Teaching and mentorship

Jacobowitz served as an associate professor of dance at Long Island University, where she established the Dance Major program. Additionally, she taught at the Berkeley Carroll School in Brooklyn and local dance studios.

## Personal life

In 1981, Diane married Tom Wachunas, a painter and visual artist. and divorced him in 1990. She married Photographer Richard Merle in 1991. They have a daughter, Eliana Merle, born in 1992. Diane Jacobowitz resides in Brooklyn, NY. with her husband.
After retiring from Dancewave, Jacobowitz received five Brooklyn Arts Council grants for her Creative Aging classes and films with Beccavision.

## Notable choreographic works

| Year | Works |
| 1994 | Film Noir Fugitive of the Dance World Coolies Kroll Opera House |
| 1992 | Red, Ned, Ted in Bed Paul’s Passion |
| 1991 | Operation Dance |
| 1990 | Politically Correct Dancing |
| 1989 | Earth Murmurs Babel |
| 1988 | Queen Anne’s Birthday Shed Potato Field Power Spot I and II |
| 1987 | Preachers |
| 1986 | Albatross Cinderella |
| 1985 | Last Dance Oranges Beach |
| 1984 | Materials for a New World Imperfectly Ernestine (MFA project |
| 1983 | Lir Circle |
| 1982 | The Campala Vertigo |
| 1981 | Lecture-Dem in Geeneewannaland |