ABOUT US

Marquis Studios is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization providing arts-­in­‐education services to 170 New York City public schools annually. We strive to develop a strong partnership between artists and teachers by providing arts programs to supplement traditional classroom teaching techniques. Each residency or workshop focuses on a specific visual or performing arts discipline selected by school staff and administration.

Founded in 1977, Marquis Studios has served over 500,000 students, 28,000 teachers and 18,000 parents at schools throughout New York City. Working with a diverse population, 80% of programs serve students living at or below the poverty line with over 50% of all grant-funded programming serving classrooms containing with disabilities.

Marquis Studios Offers:

  • Programming consisting of ten-week arts residencies taught by our staff of trained teaching artists.
  • A full spectrum of arts residencies that encourage student exploration of visual arts, theatre, music, dance architecture, circus arts and puppetry.
  • Custom designed programs to meet the educational goals set by the school through collaboration with Marquis Studios and classroom teachers.
  • Programs that address New York State Learning Standards, both in the arts and academic areas.
  • Professional development for classroom teachers to provide arts education techniques and concepts that can be brought back to the classroom.
  • Parent/Child Workshops that help parents understand the connection between arts and academics while providing a fun, hands­‐on experience parents and children can share.

OUR TEACHING ARTISTS

Marquis Studios employs 90 professional teaching artists whom specialize in a variety of disciplines. If you are interested in becoming a Teaching Artist visit our careers page.

  • Simone Coonrod

    Simone combines dance and musical education, athletic training, and a natural gift for musical movement while embodying her studio’s motto “Where Artistry Meets Fun”. The creator of Moving Beat Studio and Swinging with Simone, she has kept her studio alive for 18 years bringing her passion of dance to national and local workshops, universities, public schools, and the public at large. As a passionate artist, Simone has taught and studied in Argentina, Italy, France, Norway, Cuba, Switzerland, England, Bulgaria, Serbia, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru and Japan. Simone is one of the pioneers of the resurgence of swing dance in Manhattan in the 90’s and has won numerous competitions. Simone’s varied dance troupe performances include Modern, Swing, Latin, Polish, Mexican, and Russian. Her various performances include Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, PBS, Irving Plaza, and The Newark Museum. Simone’s other credits include a MA in Music Performance and a champion gymnast in the university level. She has been a Marquis Studios teaching artist since 2014.

     

  • Deborah Dawson

    Deborah comes from a creative background that includes fine arts, dance, film production and post-production and helped develop the Laser Painting Program currently growing within the NYC District 75 school system. The Laser Painting Program allows individuals with limited mobility- yet the cognitive ability to make decisions- to produce large abstract expressionist paintings by directing a head or hand mounted laser dot onto a canvas that a tracker then follows. All decisions are ultimately made by the artist- from the brush sizes, color choices, and when a painting is completed. The Laser Painting Program recently had a booth at the NYC Disabilities Pride Parade, a spring celebration at the Studio Museum in Harlem, and has other exciting collaborations unfolding. Deborah is delighted to be joining the team of Marquis Studios teaching artists.

  • Luanne Dietrich

    Luanne Dietrich is an actress, clown, and teacher. She creates, develops, and presents original theatre and clown performances as well as arts in education residencies in Circus Arts, Clowns and Cultures, Trickster Myths and Legends, Creative Drama and Movement, Mask Making and Puppetry. She is also a long-standing member of the international touring company, Bond Street Theatre of New York City. She and partner Fred Collins make up the clown performance and teaching duo of TWO TOO FAR. Luanne has been performing professionally for over 20 years and has been teaching the Art of the Clown and Circus to children and adults for over 15 years in the United States and abroad.