Rest in Peace…Dance innovator Trisha Brown passed away on Saturday March 18 after a long illness. Brown studied under Anna Halperin and later went on to revolutionize post modern dance with her own company, the Trisha Brown company (founded in 1970). Brown is known for her works including Set and Reset and Watermotor. Brown was also known as a visual artist with drawings appearing in various exhibitions and museums. Brown retired from dancing in 2008 and received numerous including the MacArthur “Genius” Grant (she was the first woman to receive this award), two Guggenheim fellowships, the New York Governor’s Arts Award and the 1994 Samuel H. Scripps American Festival of the Arts Award.
Former American Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet Dancer Michael Maule passed away. Maule was born and began studying dance in South Africa. After moving to the United States, Maule performed with ABT and NYCB partnering with ballerinas including Alicia Alonso, Alexandra Danilova, Maria Tallchief and Alicia Markova. Maule also taught at Juilliard and served as the head of the Academy of the Arts in Chamaign-Urbana
Sneak Peek…Jennifer Lopez held a press event for her upcoming show World of Dance. “It’s like a dream come true and, like, the perfect job for me. In a sense, we created literally the perfect show for me to be a part of,” she said about the show. World of Dance is set to premiere in May and will feature Derek Hough, Ne-Yo and Jenna Duwan-Tatum as judges. Benny Medina, Lopez’s longtime manager, and the show’s executive producer promises that the show will “to do to dance what ‘The Voice’ has done to singing.”
Dancing into Space…Dance and science will collide again, in Pearlann Porter’s new “The Invisible Jazz Labs” series. The work will debut at Point Breeze’s The Space Upstairs above Construction Junction and will also include field studies at Carnegie Mellon University.
Make Dance not War …Women in Gaza have begun forming dance troupes and performing at Christian and Muslim weddings. These troupes were formed to generate income for women, combat unemployment, the and challenge the conservative culture and traditionally male dance world in Gaza. “This will not stand in the way of the source of my livelihood, nor will it stop me from developing my talent and achieving fame in this field,” said Naha, one of the dancers who declined to provide her full name to Al Monitor.
Saying Goodbye…After 50 years of training dancers in the Oakhurst, Calif. area, the Patti Law School of Dance will be closing its doors. This closure is occurring as a result of the expansion of the Golden Chain Theatre School of the Performing Arts. Patti Law, who also helped found the GCT is less than pleased “After working all those years to keep the GCT open, and to be there to burn the mortgage in 1999, It’s just not right to dismiss one of the founding members who loves the Golden Chain. This is not the way I dreamed it would all end,” she said.
Let the kids dance…The Dance Liberation Network is calling for the repeal of New York City’s “Cabaret Law,” which prohibited three or more people from dancing in a club without a license. The law was reportedly created to regulate black jazz clubs and is still enforced.
What’s going on in your dance world? Did I miss anything? Let me know below!
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