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Britain--New Land for Dance?
| Article
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16742 |
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Section : |
THE ARTS
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| Issue
Date : |
9 / 1989 |
2,355 Words |
| Author
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Gary Parks
Gary Parks is the news editor of Dance Magazine. |
Picture this: Dan Wagoner, as American a choreographer as they come, has relocated to England. One of the most prestigious modern dance companies in Europe, London Contemporary Dance Theatre, has invited the West Virginia native to become its artistic director.
Picture this: As his American troupe, Dan Wagoner and Dancers, celebrates its twentieth anniversary, this genial choreographer is moving to Britain because of the shining opportunity that awaits him across the sea. "There sits in England everything I would like to have here," muses Wagoner, "a large organization [the Contemporary Dance Trust] that can support a company, pay the dancers, [and] give rehearsal time." In other words, the land of opportunity for this American dance artist appears to lie back in the Old World, not here in the New.
What's wrong with this picture?
At fifty-seven, Wagoner is a respected veteran of more than thirty years' standing in the world of modern dance. He performed in the companies of such illustrious choreographers as Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, and Paul Taylor before founding his own troupe. The obvious good humor and quirky inventiveness of his choreography has made Dan Wagoner and Dancers perennially popular, both in New York and on the college circuit. Government bodies, such as the National Endowment for the Arts, which has granted Wagoner many choreography fellowships, and the South Carolina Arts Commission, which supports the company through an innovative residency program, have consistently recognized his talent. But Wagoner's work--profound, often funny, and imbued with the spirit of Americana--has never attracted the major private
... (1998 of 13834 Characters)
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