Danny Grossman

Daniel (Danny) Grossman (born September 13, 1942) is a Canadian dancer, choreographer, and activist. He created the Danny Grossman Dance Company which produced his political dances.

Early life and dance career

Grossman was born in San Francisco, California to a Polish-Hungarian Jewish father and an Irish Catholic mother. When he was ten he walked his first picket line and remained politically active his whole life.

He began folk dancing in grade school but by 1960 he was learning and performing modern dance with Gloria Unti. In 1963 Paul Taylor saw Grossman at a summer course at Connecticut College and invited him to join his dance company. Grossman remained with the company for ten years.

Move to Toronto

In 1973 Grossman was invited to Toronto Dance Theatre as a guest artist and remained in Canada ever since. He joined the faculty of York University and choreographed a duet called Higher. This piece caused Grossman to create the Danny Grossman Dance Company.

Notable works

In 1976 Grossman created his first political satire National Spirit, which was about American patriotism. In 1977 he created his first solo Curious Schools of Theatrical Dancing which was about a dancing clown in a circus ring. Also in 1977 he collaborated and danced with Judy Jarvis in Bella, a piece inspired by Giacomo Puccini's music and Marc Chagall's paintings of lovers.

Daniel

Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means, "God is my judge", and derives from two early biblical figures, primary among them Daniel from the Book of Daniel. It is a common given name for males, and is also used as a surname. It is also the basis for various derived given names and surnames.

Background

The name evolved into over 100 different spellings in countries around the world. Nicknames (Dan, Danny) are common in both English and Hebrew, although in some instances "Dan" may be a complete given name rather than a nickname. The name "Daniil" (Даниил) is common in Russia. Feminine versions (Danielle, Daniela, Daniella, Dani, Danitza) are prevalent as well. The Dutch names "Daan" and "Daniël" are also variations of Daniel. A related surname developed as a patronymic, Daniels. Other surnames derived from "Daniel" include McDaniel and Danielson.

In the United States, the U.S. Social Security Administration reports that Daniel has peaked as the fifth most popular name for newborns in 1985, 1990, 2007, and 2008. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that in the 2000 census, "Daniels" was the 182nd most common surname in the U.S., while "McDaniel" was ranked at 323, and "Daniel" (without a final "s") was ranked at 380.

Alex MacLean

Alex S. MacLean (born 1947) is an American photographic artist who is best known for his aerial photographs. His photographs have portrayed the history and evolution of the land from vast agricultural patterns to city grids, recording changes brought about by human intervention and natural processes.

MacLean graduated from Harvard College in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and earned a Master of Architecture degree from Harvard Graduate School of Design in 1973. He became interested in aerial scenery while he studied community planning and by 1975, MacLean received his commercial pilot license. Soon after, he established Landslides Aerial Photography to provide illustrative aerial photography for architects, landscape designers, urban planners, and environmentalists.

He is the author of ten books and has won many awards, including the 2009 Corine International Book Prize, the American Institute of Architects’ award for Excellence in International Architecture Book Publishing, and the American Academy of Rome’s Prix de Rome in Landscape Architecture for 2003–2004.

Dan Grossman

Dan Grossman is an attorney and a former member of the Colorado General Assembly. Grossman was first elected to the Colorado House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1996. He defeated Democrat Chuck Michaels in the Democratic primary election and Republican Ron Kipp in the general election. Grossman represented House District 6 in East/Central Denver. After winning a second term, Grossman was elected by his House Democratic colleagues to serve as Minority Caucus Chairman. He also served as the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee. After the 2000 election, Grossman became the youngest person in Colorado history to serve as Minority Leader.

In 2002, Grossman was elected to the Colorado Senate, representing District 32. Grossman succeeded Senator Pat Pascoe who could not seek re-election because of term limits. In the Senate, Grossman served as chairman of the Judiciary Committee, chairman of the Joint Committee on Legal Services and vice-chairman of the Agriculture, Natural Resources and Energy Committee. He also served as chairman of the Select Committee on Homeland Security.