As we gear up for the academic year ahead, I hope to offer some inspiration, ideas, and resources for college professors. All writing has been previously posted on this blog. The goal here is to gather this information in one place during the month of August. Here's to a great year ahead!
- For Inspiration: An Interview with Abby Fiat (retired professor from the University of Utah)
- For Student Advising: A Job Survey for College Dance Majors
- For a Technique Course: A Journal
- For Guidance: Three Perspectives on Chairing a Dance Department
- For a Freshman Seminar Course: A Reading List
- For Inspiration: 20 Quotes from 20 Artists
- For an Undergraduate Composition Course: A Reading List
- For a Dance History Course: Two Reading Lists
- For a Graduate Level Choreography Course: Essays, Book Recommendations, and Guiding Questions
- For a Senior Seminar Course: A Reading List
- For Guidance: Ten Dancers Share about Tenure
- For a Dance Education Course: A Reading List
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For a Dance History Course: Two Reading Lists
New Resources and Reading Material for Dance History Courses
Eddie Martinez of Tanztheater Wuppertal; photo by Donata Wenders
The first-person artist profiles offer a fresh perspective into the work of historic and contemporary choreographers alike. Questions arise about getting into a company, growth as an artist over time, touring, challenges of the work, legacy, and much more.
Read first-hand about Eddie Martinez, a long-time dancer in Pina Bausch's company. Read about Joan Woodbury – founder of one of the oldest modern dancer companies in the United States, Ririe-Woodbury. Or read MacArthur awardee Susan Marshall's personal story.
I have compiled a list of 45 artists to add to your Dance History reading list. Click on any link below to begin.
Dancers with Twyla Tharp
The Work of Liz Lerman
The Work of Susan Marshall
Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company
Repertory Dance Theatre
Tanztheater Wuppertal (Pina Bausch)
Trisha Brown Dance Company
Artists with Bill T. Jones
Dancers of Doug Varone and Dancers
Dancers of the Mark Morris Dance Group
The Work of Elisa Monte
Site-Specific Dance
Physically Integrated Dance
Aerial and Vertical Dance Companies
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Mitchell Rose's Film "Exquisite Corps"
Mitchell Rose’s 5-minute screendance, highlighting 42 contemporary artists, has brought delight and joy to many dancers throughout the globe in recent weeks.
Personally, I was thrilled to see 7 artists, who have been featured on Life as a Modern Dancer, as a part of the film.
Recently I was wondering….how many of these artists do college undergraduate students know? Could this film become a springboard for a unit of study within a college level dance history course? What if each student in a course researched one or two artists in the film?
Listed below are all of the artists in order of appearance. All links in RED are artists who have shared artist profiles on this blog. All other links in grey are links to websites and bios for the artists.
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Bebe Miller
David Dorfman
Victoria Marks
Kyle Abraham
Andrea Miller
Joe Goode
Sara Pearson
Pavel Zuštiak
Doug Varone
Liz Lerman
David Rousseve
Kate Weare
Ann Carlson
Stephan Koplowitz
Larry Keigwin
Mark Dendy
Sidra Bell
Vicky Shick
Susan Marshall
Faye Driscoll
Claire Porter
Beth Gill
Jonah Bokaer
Lionel Popkin
Elizabeth Streb
Ivy Baldwin
Jane Comfort
Meredith Monk
Zoe Scofield
Annie-B Parson
Deborah Hay
Miguel Gutierrez
Jamey Hampton
Ashley Roland
John Jasperse
Sean Curran
Neil Greenberg
Pat Graney
Stephen Petronio
Eiko Otake
Daniel Ezralow
Brian Brooks
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Life as a Modern Dancer 
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