Born in Baltimore in 1977 and raised in the Netherlands from the age of one, Daniel spent most of his childhood there before graduating from medical school in Amsterdam in 2005. He later earned a PhD in Tropical Medicine and Epidemiology in the UK, following several periods of work and life in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi.
Afterward, he moved to Catalonia, Spain, where he lived for ten years in Can Masdeu, an anarchist collective on the outskirts of Barcelona. Together with Lina, his partner and the mother of their three children — Vitai, Osh, and Nanuk — he helped start the Vidalia eco-village, about an hour outside Barcelona.
His path took a new direction after encountering Contact Improvisation in Barcelona in 2000. Through his exploration of the practice and its community, he founded the Touch&Play Movement in Berlin in 2010 and continues to investigate the Relational Body as its founder and as coordinator of Touch&Play events across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
Deeply committed to peacebuilding, he also hopes to help bring Earthdance back to life by strengthening community spirit and shared ownership, expanding its activities, and building alliances with others working for positive change.