MMC Dance Department Receives National Endowment for the Arts Grant

Chair of the Dance Department Katie Langan ’92, B.A., instructing dancers in the Great Hall, said the NEA grant is a confirmation of the excellence the dance department is trying to achieve.

The NEA awards the grants to selected institutions that propose a major initiative to expose Americans to the best of their cultural and artistic legacies. 

Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty David Podell, Ph.D. said, “The American Masterpieces grant is a testament to the students and faculty in our dance department and underscores Marymount Manhattan’s ongoing success in its mission of providing a strong program in the arts.” 

Funding from the grant will support the reconstruction and performance of Nikolais’ Crucible. Eight performances of Crucible in April and May 2011 will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Nikolais’ birth and will mark the culmination of a year-long immersion in his work by the dance department.

“The NEA grant allows us to celebrate recognition from an authoritative board both highly visible on a national level and particularly knowledgeable about dance as an art form,” said Chair of the Dance Department Katie Langan ’92, B.A. “It is confirmation of the excellence we are trying to achieve and allows us to produce work that can be seen and understood by wider, more diverse audiences.” 

Performances will follow numerous educational and outreach initiatives at MMC, which begin this summer and continue throughout the 2010-2011 academic year. The first is a Nikolais technique intensive course from June 7 to 19 for MMC dance majors as well as for dance majors from other institutions around the country. All freshman MMC dance majors are taught the Nikolais technique as part of the College’s regular class schedule in the fall and spring semesters. 

To expose young people to Mr. Nikolais’ choreography, the dance department will open 10 of its technique classes (dates TBD) to underserved New York City high schools. Visiting students will learn the historical and technical context of Crucible and Nikolais’ choreography when observing the classes. 

Additional activities include the annual Dialogues in Dance series, which will explore Crucible in four public discussions (dates TBD) throughout the year. Amanda DiLodovico ’11 and Meghan Quinlan ’11, both dance and English majors pursuing Bachelor of Arts degrees, will assist with organizing the series as part of their dance studies curriculum. 

“The NEA grant gives MMC dance students the opportunity to become part of American dance history,” said Associate Professor of Dance Jens Richard Giersdorf, Ph.D., who will direct the exploration of Nikolais’ work. “By reconstructing Crucible, students will not only keep an influential component of North American dance history alive, but also rethink its place in today’s dance canon through their contemporary embodiment of the work. Crucible’s staging and Nikolais’ distinctive technique will allow students to grow, and the extensive outreach activities will connect their education to the real world, preparing them for careers as performers, choreographers, academics or educators.” 

Alberto Del Saz, director of the Nikolais-Louis Foundation for Dance, will serve as artistic director for the reconstruction. Mr. Del Saz performed the original choreography of Crucible in 1985, and today stages the work in an effort to keep Nikolais’ heritage alive. He will also lead the first discussion (date TBD) in Dialogues in Dance. 

The American Masterpieces grant allows MMC dance students to reach a new level of depth in their studies and share their work with wider audiences. 

For more information about the MMC dance department, visithttp://www.mmm.edu/cgi-bin/MySQLdb?MYSQL_VIEW=/study/programs/view.txt¤tdept=1013. 

Marymount Manhattan College is an urban, independent, liberal arts college. The mission of the College is to educate a socially and economically diverse student body by fostering intellectual achievement and personal growth and by providing opportunities for career development.

Published: April 28, 2010