For Immediate Release
THE LIMON DANCE COMPANY TO PERFORM ANNA SOKOLOW'S 1955 WORK "ROOMS', STAGED
BY JIM MAY
"In its sadness, poetry and frenzied pain, it must surely
be considered one of the most impressive dramatic
achievements of the American modern dance."
Clive Barnes, Dance and Dancers, London, 1965
Carla Maxwell, Artistic Director of the Jose Limon Dance Foundation,
announces a major revival for the Limon Dance Company of Anna Sokolow's seminal work,
her 1955 "Rooms," considered by many to be "the greatest artistic evocation of
modern alienated youth." (The Washington Post, 1988).
The work will be revived by the uniquely qualified Jim May, who in 1966
became a member of both the Sokolow and Limon Companies. Regarding himself as a
bridge between the dance generations, May has been recognized as a devoted
disciple of Anna Sokolow for over 40 years, both as a performer and reconstructor
of her works. In 1980, he founded the company Player's Project to keep
Sokolow's works alive (the company, now titled Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble, most
recently performed April 2008 at the Cunningham Studio). His relationship with
the Limon Dance Company has also continued throughout the years, and he is
currently on the faculty of the Limon Institute.
"Rooms" received its World Premiere in 1955 at New York's ANTA Theater,
during a shared season of the companies of Anna Sokolow, Jose Limon. and Martha
Graham. With its socially relevant subject matter and use of jazz music by
Kenyon Hopkins, "Rooms" was regarded as revolutionary and controversial. At the
premiere, in fact, it was reported the piece affected the viewers so strongly
and provoked so much conversation at intermission, that it was difficult to
get the audience to return to their seats for the remainder of the evening!
"Rooms" has inspired much praise and many eloquent descriptions over the
years. To quote one: "In small rooms in large rooming houses throughout the
world people live out their dreams and fantasies, their fear and anxieties. In
the hallways of life they pass without seeing, without hearing, without
speaking, without touching."
Talking about "Rooms" for the book The Modern Dance: Seven Statements of
Belief, edited by Selma Jeanne Cohen, Ms. Sokolow remarked: "Rooms was
choreographed without music. I wanted to do something about people in the big city.
The theme of loneliness and non-communication evolved as I worked. I like to
look into windows, to catch glimpses of unfinished lives. Then I ask: 'What
is there, and why?' Then I thought of using chairs as if they were rooms, each
dancer on his own chair, in his own room, isolated from all the others though
physically so close to them. Jazz was the right music for Rooms. I have
always been interested in jazz; I find it one of the greatest and most profound
expressions of our times. It makes me think. In Rooms, jazz was used for the
dramatic and psychological depiction of individuals."
The original cast of "Rooms" was Eve Beck, Judith Coy, Jeff Duncan, Donald
McKayle, Jack Moore, Sandra Pine, Paul Sanasardo, Beatrice Seckler.
Musicians were Teo Macero, Clem Da Rosa, Charlie Mingus, Hall Overone, and
Bar Wallace, conducted by composer Kenyon Hopkins.
ANNA SOKOLOW
is regarded as a choreographer of uncompromising integrity. She was an
innovator, a risk-taker, a dance pioneer. Believing strongly that dance could be
more than entertainment, she explored the most pressing issues of her day -
from the Great Depression to the alienated youth of the 60's - and challenged her
audiences to think deeply about themselves and their society.
Sokolow was born February 9, 1910 in Hartford Ct, to Sarah and Samuel
Sokolow, recent immigrants from Pinsk. Shortly after Anna's birth, the family
relocated to New York City, and at about the age of ten, Anna and her sister began
attending classes sponsored by the Emanuel Sisterhood of Personal Service on
the Lower East Side. Her family's concern was simply that girls have a safe
haven after school, but after taking a dance class in the style of Isadora
Duncan, Anna quickly "fell madly in love with dancing." Her training continued at
the Neighborhood Playhouse with Martha Graham, and she danced, from 1930 to
1938, in the first company formed by Martha Graham. In the mid-30's Sokolow
began presenting her own works in NYC and a few years later began her long
association with Mexico, where she formed Mexico's first modern dance group and
created a number of pieces on Mexican and Spanish themes. Sokolow felt a great
affinity for Mexico's artistic community; also for her contemporary Jose
Limon. Both artists emerged from their companies (Limon from Humphrey/Weidman,
and Sokolow from the Graham Company) as major choreographers. They both taught
at Juilliard, shared concerts, and even received the first fellowships from
the Bennington School of the Dance early in their careers. During her years in
Mexico she introduced to that country the choreography of Mexico native Jose
Limon, whose dance career began in the U.S.
Ms. Sokolow received numerous awards during her lifetime, including a Dance
Magazine Award, the Samuel H. Scripps American Dance Festival Award, induction
in the National Museum of Dance's Dance Hall of Fame, and Mexico's highest
civilian honor given to a foreigner. Anna Sokolow died March 29, 2000, at the
age of 90. A portion of Christopher Street, where she made her home for many
years, has been named Anna Sokolow Way.
_www.limon.org_ (
http://www.limon.org)
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