{{Short description|Canadian dancer and choreographer (1942–2023)}} {{Redirect|Daniel Grossman|the American physician|Daniel Grossman (physician)}} {{Infobox artist | name = Danny Grossman | image = | caption = | birth_name = Daniel Grossman | birth_date = {{Birth date|1942|09|13|mf=yes}} | birth_place = San Francisco, California, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|2023|07|29|1942|09|13|mf=yes}} | death_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada | field = {{plainlist| * Dancer * Choreographer }} | movement = Modern/Contemporary dance | influences = | influenced = | website = {{URL|http://dannygrossman.today}} }}
'''Daniel Grossman''' (September 13, 1942 – July 29, 2023) was a Canadian dancer, choreographer, and activist.<ref name=crabb>Michael Crabb, [https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/stage/it-was-always-about-telling-the-truth-as-he-saw-it-danny-grossman-dead-at/article_d7410660-7f2e-585e-ba2f-a176e7ccf2c0.html "‘It was always about telling the truth as he saw it’ — Danny Grossman dead at 80 after a lifetime of dance"]. ''Toronto Star'', July 31, 2023.</ref> He created the Danny Grossman Dance Company which produced his political dances.
==Early life and dance career== Daniel Grossman was born in San Francisco, California on September 13, 1942, 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.<ref name=CanEncy>{{cite web | last = Bowring | first = Amy | title = Daniel Grossman | website = The Canadian Encyclopaedia | publisher = Historica Canada | date = 2015-03-04 | url = http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/daniel-grossman/ | accessdate = 2015-04-03 }}</ref>
Grossman 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.<ref name=CanEncy /> Grossman performed under the stage name "Danny Williams".<ref name=crabb/> Grossman remained with the company for ten years.<ref name=CanEncy />
==Move to Toronto== In 1973 Grossman was invited to Toronto Dance Theatre as a guest artist and remained in Canada ever since.<ref name=CanEncy /> He joined the faculty of York University and choreographed his first piece, a duet called ''Higher'', in 1975,<ref name=crabb/> and established the Danny Grossman Dance Company at York soon afterwards.{{cn|date=August 2023}}
==Notable works== In 1976 Grossman created his first political satire ''National Spirit'', which was about American patriotism.<ref name=CanEncy /> In 1977 he created his first solo ''Curious Schools of Theatrical Dancing'' which was about a dancing clown in a circus ring.<ref name=NYT>{{Citation | last = Anderson | first = Jack | title = Dance: Danny Grossman Company | newspaper = The New York Times | date =1981-04-09 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/1981/04/09/arts/dance-danny-grossman-company.html | accessdate = 2015-04-03 }}</ref> Also in 1977 he collaborated and danced with Judy Jarvis in ''Bella'',<ref name=TorHer>{{Citation | last =Crabb | first =Michael | title =Toronto Heritage Dance returns with works by iconic choreographers | newspaper =Toronto Star | date =2013-09-07 | url = https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/stage/2013/09/27/toronto_heritage_dance_returns_with_works_by_iconic_choreographers.html | accessdate = 2015-04-03 }}</ref> a piece inspired by Giacomo Puccini's music and Marc Chagall's paintings of lovers,<ref name=CanEncy /> with production design by Mary Kerr.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mary Kerr - University of Victoria |url=https://www.uvic.ca/finearts/theatre/people/profiles/emeriti/kerr-mary.php |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=UVic.ca |language=en}}</ref>
In 1981 Grossman premiered ''Endangered Species'' at the New York Space and City Centre. The piece was set in a post-apocalyptic world where the dancers fought against military oppression.<ref name=NYT />
In the 1990s, funding for the arts diminished in Canada and Grossman sought other ways to sustain his company. Grossman wanted to preserve Canadian dance as an art form by remounting works by famous Canadian choreographers like Patricia Beatty, Judy Jarvis, Robert Desrosiers and Peter Randazzo.<ref name=CanEncy /><ref name=DGDC>{{cite web | last = Crabb | first = Michael | last2 = Cornell | first2 = Katherine | title = Danny Grossman Dance Company | website = The Canadian Encyclopaedia | publisher = Historica Canada | date = 2015-03-04 | url = http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/danny-grossman-dance-company/ | accessdate = 2015-04-03 }}</ref> These revivals were not financially successful and Grossman transitioned the company into an institute for licensing and teaching Grossman's repertoire.<ref name=DC>{{cite web | last = Brett | first = Cindy | title = Danny Grossman receives tribute and launches choreographic intensive | website = The Dance Current | date = 2010-03-01 | url = http://www.thedancecurrent.com/news-article/danny-grossman-receives-tribute-and-launches-choreographic-intensive | accessdate = 2015-04-03 | archive-date = 2016-03-03 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160303203951/http://www.thedancecurrent.com/news-article/danny-grossman-receives-tribute-and-launches-choreographic-intensive | url-status = dead }}</ref> Grossman stopped creating new works for the company in 2008.<ref name=DGDC />
Grossman was profiled in Moze Mossanen's 1987 documentary film ''Dance for Modern Times'', alongside David Earle, James Kudelka, Ginette Laurin and Christopher House.<ref name=littler>William Littler, "Dance feature puts viewers on stage". ''Toronto Star'', November 27, 1987.</ref>
==Activism and political work== Drawing on his activist upbringing, Grossman was involved with many different organisations to promote dance and the arts. Grossman served on the Toronto Arts Council and participated with Toronto's Artsvote campaign to promote local cultural issues.<ref name=CanEncy /> Grossman also promoted dance education by visiting various public schools and post-secondary institutions to teach classes.<ref name=CanEncy />
Grossman, who was gay, sometimes choreographing gay-themed dance works.<ref name=crabb/>
{{expand section | "... the Danny Grossman Dance Company which produced his political dances." as stated in the lede.|date=August 2023}}
==Later life and death== Grossman suffered from heart problems for several years. These problems contributed to his death in Toronto on July 29, 2023, at the age of 80.<ref name=crabb/>
==Awards== Grossman received the Jean A. Chalmers Award for Choreography in 1978 and a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Best New Choreography in 1988. In 1998 he received the William Kilbourn Lifetime Achievement Award from the Toronto Arts Awards and the Dance Ontario Award.<ref name=CanEncy />
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
== External links == *[https://atom.library.yorku.ca/index.php/danny-grossman-fonds Danny Grossman archives] and the [https://atom.library.yorku.ca/index.php/danny-grossman-dance-company-fonds Danny Grossman Dance Company archives] held at the Clara Thomas Archives and Special Collections, York University Libraries, Toronto, Canada * {{imdb name|11764504}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Grossman, Danny}} Category:1942 births Category:2023 deaths Category:Canadian male dancers Category:Modern dancers Category:Canadian choreographers Category:Dora Mavor Moore Award winners Category:20th-century Canadian LGBTQ people Category:21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people Category:Canadian gay entertainers Category:Gay dancers Category:LGBTQ choreographers Category:Canadian LGBTQ dancers Category:Canadian people of Polish-Jewish descent Category:Canadian people of Hungarian-Jewish descent Category:Canadian people of Irish descent Category:Activists from San Francisco