CriticalDance Forum

<P>based in durham, north carolina, obviously a large organisation, with a large website (some still being constructed).....:<BR> <A HREF="http://www.adfinternational.org/" TARGET=_blank>http://www.adfinternational.org/</A> <BR>"Celebrating Modern Dance Around The World"<P>history of the ADF & mission statement: <A HREF="http://www.adfinternational.org/History/index.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.adfinternational.org/History/index.html</A> <A HREF="http://www.adfinternational.org/ADFIntlTimelineChron.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.adfinternational.org/ADFIntlTimelineChron.html</A> <P>their photo gallery: <A HREF="http://www.adfinternational.org/Images/adfintllogo.gif" TARGET=_blank>http://www.adfinternational.org/Images/adfintllogo.gif</A> <P>there's too much more there to even begin to describe....<P>

I have fond childhood (and beyond) memories of the days when ADF was at Connecticut College!<P>My Dad was a professor of music at CC, and I grew up on the campus (in a house that had been converted to a dorm, then became our house, and is now a dorm again). I looked forward to the Dance Festival's arrival on campus each summer. The dancers, many from Greenwich Village, were the height of hippydom in the 60's -- I remember never having seen clogs until one summer when all the dancers had them lined up outside the studios, and I thought they were just awesome. <P>There were classes for children at that time, also, and definitely not your basic Suzie-Q's School of Ballet! We had wonderful Fall through Spring children's classes at CC as well, but the summer teachers at ADF were really special. We did Sun Worships to the soundtrack from "Hair," all sorts of improvisatory things, and in one memorable class we not only painted flowers on our faces with psychedelic tempera paints, we painted the pillars in the studio! (I'm sure the college just loved that.)<P>Although the classes sound crazy as I've described them, I always had the sense that what we were doing was meaningful and serious, even spiritual. The experiences ran deep somehow, even to a child -- it gave me a real sense that dance is not a frivolous thing about looking pretty, but something much more profound and personal.<P>There were two gymnasiums where large classes were held, with catwalks overlooking them. My sisters and I spent hours hanging out in the catwalks, watching various adult classes. ("Hey, want to go watch the Graham class at 10:30?"...)<P>Of course the performances were wonderful, too, although some just seemed "too weird" to me. I'm too young (gee I love it when I can say that) to have experienced the days when Doris Humphrey and Martha Graham were premiering works at ADF, but my mother recalls them well. She even remembers running into Martha in the information office of the college, when my oldest sister was a baby. Martha held my sister's foot and remarked upon what beautiful feet we're born with, and what a shame it is we often ruin them later!<P>As a teenager I was able to take the classes I'd been watching as a kid -- what a wonderful experience right in my back yard! I was so sorry to see ADF leave Conn. College. But I did attend the school, and its own Dance Department remained strong.<P>I couldn't resist sharing my memories of ADF in New London when I saw the thread!<P>Monica<P><P>------------------<BR> <A HREF="http://www.musikinesis.com/" TARGET=_blank>http://www.musikinesis.com/</A>

MonicaD, thank you for such a nice post.<P>Do you know if they still do the same thing in the classes?<p>[This message has been edited by Azlan (edited September 23, 2000).]

Azlan, it looks like there's now a comprehensive program for ages 12-16, with residency (that didn't exist in the "old days"). I don't see anything offered for younger children.<P>I think the "creative movement" idea for children was just catching on in the 60's, and I was a lucky guinea pig for all sorts of experimentation . <P>It would be wonderful if the festival, or some other venue, included pedagogy classes linked to young children's classes for observation and practice. Maybe this is happening elsewhere?<P>Monica<P>------------------<BR> <A HREF="http://www.musikinesis.com/" TARGET=_blank>http://www.musikinesis.com/</A>

You're right MonicaD, it does sound like a good idea. Why don't you raise the idea down in The Studio. Our teaching team may be able to tell you about recent developments.

From the New York Times:<P><B>John Jasperse: Feelings for Open Spaces, None for Crowded Areas</B><P>By JACK ANDERSON<BR> <BR> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>DURHAM, N.C., June 12 — John Jasperse loves to create his own private choreographic worlds. But because what happens in those realms often seems unexpectedly related to everybody's ordinary world, his dances about them can rivet the attention. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><A HREF="http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/14/arts/14JASP.html" TARGET=_blank><B>MORE...</B></A><BR>

From the New York Times:<P><B>'Free to Dance': The Black Stream of Modern Dance</B><P>By JENNIFER DUNNING <BR> <BR> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>It has been 14 years since the American Dance Festival in Durham, N.C., began "Black Tradition in American Modern Dance," a project to preserve and disseminate classics by black American choreographers. One element of the program was to underwrite revivals of those classics. <P>Performed by predominantly black troupes around the nation, the revivals gained new audiences for black choreographers and for the men and women who performed their work. Now the festival is reaching farther afield with "Free to Dance," produced with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington and WNET in New York.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><BR><A HREF="http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/22/arts/22TVWK.html" TARGET=_blank><B>MORE...</B></A><BR>

Anna Kisselgoff reviews Ronald K. Brown's "austere" premiere at ADF 2001:<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><B>American Dance Festival: A Ceremony Evokes Truth That Hides in Mourning</B><P>ANNA KISSELGOFF, NY Times<P>...<P>"Walking Out the Dark," which had its premiere over the weekend at the American Dance Festival here at Duke University, is a more austere version of the ritualistic pieces Mr. Brown has choreographed in recent years. Nearly monochromatic in tone, the work is striking in its purity.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><A HREF="http://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/03/arts/03BROW.html?searchpv=nytToday" TARGET=_blank><B>More</B></A><P><BR>Also, follow this link to the <a href=../../../ubb/Forum13/HTML/000254.html target=_blank><B>press release</B></a>.

I just had to post a response to this thread because I recently spent two incredible summers in the ADF six week school (at ages 16 and 17). Older teenagers like me have the option of attending either the very structured Young Dancer's Program, or the regular Six Weeks School which encompasses mostly students aged 18 up. I chose the Six Weeks School and was absolutely blown away by what I experienced. <P>Having been a complete bunhead from age 8 on, the Festival expanded my view of what dance can be. After years of searching for my "place" in ballet, I suddenly realized that there were many many other places to find my niche in the DANCE world as a whole. I saw too many performances, repertory showings, dance videos, and lectures to count. I heard Twyla Tharp speak, and performed in her famous "One Hundreds". I learned Agnes DeMille's choreography from John Giffin, who had learned the peices directly from Ms. DeMille. My dance classes ranged from the classical to the most avant garde. <P>I could go on and on about those two summers I spent in Durham. They came at a very formative point in my dance career, as I was leaving high school and deciding what to do next, and had a lasting impact. It was during those two summers that I decided to not audition for ballet companies, but instead to audition for dance conservatories and pursue a career as a modern dancer/choreographer. The close mentorship I experienced with several teachers at the festival was my principle reason for selecting that course of action. The experience was a far cry from that of the ever popular ballet summer intensives that so many young dancers attend. ADF is a much more intense, creative, artistic experience. I'm forever grateful for the time I spent there. <P>I could go on and on, but seeing as this is my first post here, I don't want to wear out my welcome <P>mina

Mina, welcome and thanks for your enthusiastic post. It looks like Scott Sharpe agrees with you:<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><B>Sights unseen at the American Dance Festival</B><P>SCOTT SHARPE, The News & Observer of Raleigh, N.C. <P>DURHAM, N.C. (July 9, 2001 06:08 a.m. EDT <A HREF="http://www.nandotimes.com" TARGET=_blank>http://www.nandotimes.com</A>) - The stars come out at night. But daytime is when people on the Duke University campus actually live the American Dance Festival. The vision of dancers on a stage may be familiar, but these scenes from the classrooms, rehearsal halls and elsewhere illuminate more of what ADF is about.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><A HREF="http://www.nando.com/nation/v-text/story/39616p-630047c.html?group=nation" TARGET=_blank><B>More</B></A><p>[This message has been edited by Azlan (edited July 21, 2001).]

An eclectic collection of performances:<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><B>Artists From Faraway Places With Far-Out Ideas</B><P>JACK ANDERSON, NY Times<P>DURHAM, N.C. — One of the most admirable features of the annual American Dance Festival held on the campus of Duke University here is the International Choreographers evening. Each summer several choreographers from abroad are invited to stage works with casts of students attending the festival school. The way choreographers representing different national traditions use modern dance techniques is always interesting and sometimes startling.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><A HREF="http://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/21/arts/21FEST.html" TARGET=_blank><B>More</B></A>

I knew there was something I wanted to see!<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><B>Mysteries of Life, in Images and Music</B><P>JACK ANDERSON, NY Times<P>DURHAM, N.C., July 20 — This summer's American Dance Festival concluded with an extraordinary world premiere, "Mercy," a collaboration between Meredith Monk, the composer, choreographer and filmmaker, and Ann Hamilton, an artist known for site-specific installations.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><A HREF="http://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/23/arts/dance/23MONK.html" TARGET=_blank><B>More</B></A>

In the NY Times:<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>DURHAM, N.C., June 10 — The American Dance Festival's theme at a gala benefit here on Sunday night was "25 years in North Carolina at Duke University."<P>It may not be a full quarter-century since 1978, when the festival moved its summer home from Connecticut College, where it had been since 1948. But it is certainly the festival's 25th season here, and its continuing leadership in seeking fresh directions in modern dance is cause for celebration.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><A HREF="http://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/11/arts/dance/11PILO.html" TARGET=_blank><B>Click for More</B></A><BR>

More sharing of memories of ADF...<P>In 1980 in NYC, I auditioned to be one of the dancers used for the choreographers' workshop at ADF in Durham, even though I had recently officially quit dancing. I'd lived in North Carolina for 5 years and thought it would be a great way to see old friends for free. I halfway expected to be eliminated immediately because of my height (6'), but much to my surprise I kept surviving the cuts. Then, more to my surprise, since I hadn't been eliminated earlier, I was eliminated in the final cut. <P>I was told by one of the judges (Lucas Hoving) afterward that I wasn't eliminated earlier because the judges wanted to keep me in, but were waiting to see the heights of the other women they kept. Since the tallest other women (who happened to be my ex-roommate) was only 5'4", they thought it would look too strange to have me in the group. I was told later by my brother -- who was also chosen -- that the choreography was so non-mainstream that my height wouldn't have made a bit of difference. Oh, well!<P>So I hitched a ride to Durham with my brother and my ex-roommate, stayed with friends, took some classes at the Festival, went to the Pilobolus performance, and had a lovely time -- and I didn't even have the pressure of having to get back into shape!<p>[This message has been edited by djb (edited June 10, 2002).]

Jennifer Dunning writes in the NY Times:<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>DURHAM, N.C., July 21 — One of the American Dance Festival's most distinctive features is its international choreographers' commissioning program, a neatly wrought project in which artists from around the world are invited to create works for the festival's student dancers, performed on Tuesday and Wednesday. The three choreographers in residence this summer were Brenda Angiel, an Argentine festival favorite; the American experimentalist John Jasperse; and Alexandre Pepelyaev, known as Sasha.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><A HREF="http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/22/arts/dance/22FEST.html" TARGET=_blank><B>Click for More</B></A><BR>