ANNA SOKOLOW ARCHIVE
COMPANY
The Sokolow Dance Foundation has developed a touring company to
present its extensive repertory in a public forum. Under the artistic
directorship of Lorry May, the Anna Sokolow Archive Company is the
only company dedicated exclusively to the Sokolow idiom, performing
concerts, which are a 'living' library for over 4 decades of choreography.
Anna Sokolow Archive Company is a company of eight dancers, each
bringing a wealth of experience to the repertory. The dancers are
diverse in their professional backgrounds and areas of expertise.
This eclectic group is focused on the perpetuation of the Sokolow
legacy through performance and educational activities.
The Anna Sokolow Archive Company made its debut in Buffalo, NY
on September 17-18, 2004. (Look under the Repertory section of this
newsletter for details of this premiere event) We will be performing
at the Annenberg Center at the University of Pennsylvania on March
11-12, 2005 as part of a joint concert with two other companies
in a celebration of dance. This performance is part of the university’s
Penn Presents programming.
PERFORMANCE INITIATIVE RESIDENCY PROGRAM
One of Anna Sokolow's greatest contributions to the modern dance
world was her ability to shape and dramatize choreography for large
groups of dancers. The Anna Sokolow Archive Company maintains many
of these dances, for a cast of 30 or more, within their active repertory.
Among them are Ride The Culture Loop (1975), Opus
65 (1965), Ellis Island (1976) and Everything
Must Go (1982).
Our desire to recreate these large group pieces as an educational
tool is the basis for the Performance Initiative Residency Program.
As part of the residency program, we offer every student the unique
opportunity to participate in a 'living' dance history lesson.
After learning the repertory in class, the students will perform
the dance as members of the Anna Sokolow Archive Company in a culminating
performance. Every student will have an equal opportunity to perform
while gaining invaluable professional experience.
Weber State University, UT
in Rooms
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Dancefusion in Time +
Photo: Ron Williams 2004
EDUCATION
- Sokolow’s work was amply and beautifully represented at
the Sharing the Legacy conference at Hunter College,
NY on April 2, 2004.
This annual event is a presentation of yesterday’s modern
dance classics by today’s college students gathered from
across the United States.
The University of Alabama performed the Rooms Etude on the first
evening’s programming. The second evening’s program
was highlighted by two Sokolow pieces: Preludes by University
of California and From The Music of Charles Ives by Slippery Rock
University. Kudos to these young Sokolow dancers from the Sokolow
Dance Foundation.
- A summer workshop at the American Academy of Dance, Mansfield,
MA was held July 27-August 12, 2004. Students were immersed in
modern dance technique, lectures and historic videos about modern
dance master choreographers. The course completed with two sold-out
public performances.
- A video lecture on the life and work of Anna Sokolow was given
at the University of Buffalo, NY on Sept. 8, 2004 for students
of the dance department. The large audience of over 100 students
and their instructors was inspired by the breadth and depth of
Sokolow's work.
- Joanne Lawrence was instrumental in spearheading a Sokolow
Legacy residency at Weber State University, Sept.27-Oct. 15, 2004.
Students attended master technique classes, lectures, and a repertory
class in which they learned sections from Rooms.
The Rooms suite was performed in a small, informal
black-box theater as a prelude to the full-scale theatre production
that will be presented in their spring concert on April 7-8, 2005.
- Life and Art of a Legend (Anna Sokolow), a video lecture, was
given at the Free Library of Philadelphia, PA on October 16, 2004.
The audience ranged from dancers to dance enthusiasts of all ages
who enjoyed a lovely fall afternoon.
- We want to thank Elena Rusnik for inviting us back to Naugatuck
Community College, CT for the third year. We conducted a two-day
workshop of technique classes and repertory. This byear the students
learned sections from Ride The Culture Loop,
which was presented in a studio showing as part of their dance
history class.
- Thanks to dance department head Lance Westergard, a two-week
residency was held January 11-25 at Hofstra University, NY. Twelve
students learned Rooms, which will be performed
on the annual spring concert April 21-24, 2005. Ms May will return
to Hofstra for a week of coaching prior to the concert.
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REPERTORY
- Dancefusion performed Time +
and Quartertones in a concert at the Painted
Bride, Philadelphia, PA on April 2-3, 2004. The audience enjoyed
the opportunity to see these two newly reconstructed works, which
had not been seen since 1966 and 1974 respectively. Commenting
on Time +, City Paper reviewer Janet Anderson
said: "The theme is timely and the punch line just as emphatic
36 years later". Grants from Dance Advance, funded by the
Pew Charitable Trusts and the PA Council on the Arts, made these
reconstructions possible.
- The Anna Sokolow Archive Company and the Buffalo Contemporary
Dance Company presented a joint concert on September 17-18, 2004
at the Flickinger Performing Arts Center, Buffalo, NY. It was
part of CURTAIN UP 2004, the 23rd annual celebration of the opening
of Buffalo's theatre season.
The Anna Sokolow Archive Company set up residency in Buffalo for
three weeks, working with a cast of eleven exceptional dancers,
which represented both companies. The program consisted of Preludes,
Evolution Of Ragtime, and Rooms. This stunning event was the premiere
performance of the Anna Sokolow Archive Company.
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Amy Taravella (Buffalo Contemporary Dance Company)
in Preludes
Photo: Jim Bush 2005
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