the A new exhibition organized and circulated by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "the A new exhibition organized and circulated by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service"

Reynold Davis
5 years ago
Views:

1 the dancer E X H I B I T I O N P R O S P E C T U S WI T H I N A new exhibition organized and circulated by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service

2 Gregory Hines, 1999

3 I love tap dancing. I love my tap shoes. I get so inspired, so filled up. It s like I need a shot of whiskey and I don t even drink. Gregory Hines Exhibition at a Glance 45 matted and framed photographs Text panels and labels Moderate security 200 running feet $5,000 plus outgoing shipping Tours April 2008 June 2011 In 1998, equipped with camera and tape recorder, dancer-turned-photojournalist Rose Eichenbaum set out to elicit the secrets of creativity from some of America s greatest choreographers. After publishing Masters of Movement, her highly acclaimed 2004 collection of photographs and interviews, Eichenbaum focused her lens on ballet icons, Broadway stars, Hollywood legends, hip-hop artists, and modern-dance luminaries. The result is The Dancer Within, an inspiring new SITES exhibition that takes visitors on a backstage and at times on-stage tour of the multi-dimensional world of dance. The character and vitality of Mikhail Baryshnikov, Julio Bocca, Jacques D Amboise, Katherine Dunham, José Greco, Bill T. Jones, Ann Reinking, Desmond Richardson, Chita Rivera, Russ Tamblin, Tommy Tune, Ben Vereen, and some 35 other choreographers and dancers are captured in revealing portraits and dramatic performance shots. Interview excerpts documenting their candid reflections on life, work, and passion accompany each photograph. Visually, says Eichenbaum, the exhibition captures a moment in the life of a dancer. Viscerally, it reflects how dance speaks to the social and cultural issues of our times and has the power to express the deepest of human emotions.

4 Eiko (pictured) and Koma perform at the Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles, CA, 2006 Eichenbaum s creative process produces honest portraits and interview responses notable for candor and insight. Similarly, by encouraging artists to inform their own portraits, including the selection of setting, Eichenbaum gives them the chance to reveal something about their character and aesthetic. Of special interest to museums, university galleries, and performing arts centers, The Dancer Within offers exciting opportunities to reach new visitors, solidify specialized audiences, and form creative programming partnerships with local arts organizations. The Dancer Within will empower, inspire, and entertain anyone on the creative path and delight dance lovers of all ages everywhere. Eichenbaum s firsthand knowledge of dance, her passion for dancing and the people who do it, and her appreciation of the minutiae of lives, both everyday and Olympian, all combine to open windows onto the soul of dance and the lives of those who helped to define and shape the art in the 20th century. Jennifer Dunning, dance critic, The New York Times

E X HIB I TION S P ECIFIC A TI O NS Contents: 45 matted and framed color and blackand-white photographs with text panels and labels Participation fee: $5,000 for an 8-week booking period, plus

5 E X HIB I TION S P ECIFIC A TI O NS Contents: 45 matted and framed color and blackand-white photographs with text panels and labels Participation fee: $5,000 for an 8-week booking period, plus outgoing shipping Size: 200 running feet (60 m), est. Weight: To be determined Crates: 5, est. Shipping: Outgoing Security: Moderate Tour dates: April 2008 June 2011 Choreography is the shortcut to the dancer within. I am a choreographer because I am a dancer, and for no other reason. Eiko

José Greco, 1999 Ivan Purtrov performs Pierrot Lunaire in a Royal Ballet of London production, 2005 It was always with the audiences that I had rapport.

The women wanted to have me and the men wanted to be me.

6 José Greco, 1999 Ivan Purtrov performs Pierrot Lunaire in a Royal Ballet of London production, 2005 It was always with the audiences that I had rapport. In time, I become very famous. My name meant something at the box office. Even so, I never considered myself a super dancer. But I always left people with an image. The women wanted to have me and the men wanted to be me. José Greco With gesture, movement, and energy you can say so much, express your deepest emotions and thoughts, more so than if you wrote a book. Movement doesn t get corrupted by words and their various definitions. Words require the brain for interpretation, but movement is experienced with the heart. Ivan Purtrov

7 Mikhail Baryshnikov performs Years Later with Hell s Kitchen at Zellerbach Hall, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 2006

REGISTrARIAL REQUIrEMENTS This exhibition has been designated Moderate Security and will be offered only to institutions able to meet the Smithsonian s requirements listed below.

8 REGISTrARIAL REQUIrEMENTS This exhibition has been designated Moderate Security and will be offered only to institutions able to meet the Smithsonian s requirements listed below. (This exhibition has not yet been designed or fabricated. Additional requirements may be added to reflect the final exhibition.) Gallery light levels must be adjustable to foot-candles. No direct sunlight may reach the objects. Light must be filtered for UV. Temperature must be maintained between 65 o 75 o Fahrenheit. Consistent relative humidity must be maintained between 40% 60%. Only museum professionals trained in object handling may handle the photographs. Objects must be properly secured and under guard throughout the time the exhibition is on site. Storage, staging, and gallery areas must be properly secured and guarded at all times during unpacking, installation, de-installation, and packing. The exhibition must be checked periodically each day. During night and nonpublic hours, the gallery area must be locked and secured. Alarm and/or guard surveillance during these hours is required. Smoking, eating, and drinking are prohibited in the gallery area. E X HIB I TION supp o rt As a host of The Dancer Within, you will receive the following: Complete curatorial and registrarial information Complete shipping, handling, and installation instructions Wall-to-wall fine-arts insurance coverage under the Smithsonian s policy Public relations support, including sample press release, images, logos, and advice on promoting the exhibition and hosting special events Educational and programming resources, speaker list, bibliography Ability to link to and from the SITES website The Pacific Northwest Ballet performs the Rite of Spring, Seattle, 2005

I was terrified the day I had to face the dancers and step over the threshold into the studio. It was like standing on the edge of a cliff. I felt like I was going to pass out.

9 I was terrified the day I had to face the dancers and step over the threshold into the studio. It was like standing on the edge of a cliff. I felt like I was going to pass out. But when I got into it, it had its own momentum. There are some scores that kinesthetically move me. Stravinsky s Rite of Spring is one of them. It s muscle music. I started choreographing in the winter, and the day I completed the ballet, it was spring. Glen Tetley, choreographer

I know now that it s only when you re willing to show yourself openly as an artist that you begin to truly share with others. It s the realism that makes your work accessible.

Desmond Richardson Desmond Richardson, 2005 You see me on the stage at my age and you say, Damn... why can t I?

10 I know now that it s only when you re willing to show yourself openly as an artist that you begin to truly share with others. It s the realism that makes your work accessible. The audience sees a real gesture, not a danced gesture a real step, not a danced step. These are the things that I m concentrating on now turning real moments into dance moments. Desmond Richardson Desmond Richardson, 2005 You see me on the stage at my age and you say, Damn... why can t I? She s 73 and has 15 screws holding her leg together and she s up there doing it. We have to challenge ourselves, adopt a spirit of competitiveness and fight for it. I don t expect to win a Tony this year, but why the hell not? Chita Rivera Chita Rivera, 2005

SITES CONTACT S Scheduling Michelle Torres-Carmona 202.633.3143 torrescm@si.edu Content Design Katherine Krile 202.633.3108 krilek@si.

11 SITES CONTACT S Scheduling Michelle Torres-Carmona torrescm@si.edu Content Design Katherine Krile krilek@si.edu Hip-hop is this generation s signature sound and reflects the personal and social struggles we face. It jumps and spins to the pulse of the people, and allows us the freedom to express our thoughts and individuality through improvisation. Dance like any art is only a vehicle to get you where you want to go. Rennie Harris, choreographer Choreographer Rennie Harris works his Puremovement dancers in The Students of the Asphalt Jungle, Alys Stephens Center, Birmingham, AL, 2006 EX H I B I TION COLLABO R AT O RS Rose Eichenbaum A dance teacher for more than 25 years with degrees in dance and dance ethnography from the University of California, Los Angeles, Rose Eichenbaum is one of the most highly respected photojournalists in the dance field today. Her articles and photographs have appeared in nationally acclaimed publications, including Dance Magazine, Dance Spirit, Dance Teacher, Pointe, and Dancer. Author of Masters of Movement: Portraits of America s Great Choreographers (Smithsonian Books, 2004), Eichenbaum maintains her home and studio in Encino, CA. Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service SITES has been sharing the wealth of Smithsonian collections and research programs with millions of people outside Washington, DC, for more than 50 years. SITES connects Americans to their shared cultural heritage through a wide range of exhibitions about art, science, and history, which are shown wherever people live, work, and play.

12 Drive, discipline, and dedication define the dancer s life. Then there s the exhausting training and rehearsals, grueling touring schedules, career-threatening injuries, inexorable competition, bouts of selfdoubt, and financial instability a small price, most will say, to be on the stage. Rose Eichenbaum Cover (top) Swan Lake, performed by Russia s Tchaikovsky Opera and Ballet Theater of Perm, Zellerbach Hall, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 2006 Cover (bottom) Puremovement dancer in The Students of the Asphalt Jungle, Alys Stephens Center, Birmingham, AL, 2006 Right Untitled, 1985 SITES MRC 941 PO BOX WASHINGTON, DC PHOTOS ROSE EICHENBAUM IMAGES SUBJECT TO CHANGE NANCY BRATTON DESIGN SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION

Ballet. Pointe. Mapping your Gotta Dance Path A Guide for Graduating Aqua Dancers. Ballet. Pointe

Ballet. Pointe. Mapping your Gotta Dance Path A Guide for Graduating Aqua Dancers. Ballet. Pointe Mapping your Gotta Dance Path A Guide for Graduating Aqua Dancers Aqua level dancers have been dancing down the Gotta Dance Path for some time now. It s time to consider the many paths which are available