Unearthing the Treasures of Photographer,             Thomas Bouchard

In 2014 I was privileged to assist in the appraisal of the photography, films, papers, and memorabilia of Thomas Bouchard. Knowing that his images will be as important to the research and writing of future projects as they were for me in writing about Martha Hill, this paper offers information on materials now available to scholars. Bouchard’s photographs and films document leaders of modern dance in their prime, including treasured and hitherto unknown images of Graham, Holm, Limón, Tamiris and others. Here I reintroduce Bouchard to the field, describe the scope and content of his work now available at Harvard University’s Houghton Library and query the whereabouts of his films.

Martha Clarke’s Angel Reapers at Signature

Since her Juilliard student days, Martha Clarke’s career has flourished, first, with Anna Sokolow, then Pilobolus, her company, Crowsnest, and beginning with her 1984 creation, Garden of Earthly Delights, countless dance-theater works since.  A MacArthur “genius,” she now garners a Signature Residency Five Playwright contract, and her distinguished career shows no sign of slowing down.  Her first production for the Pershing Square Signature Center in Manhattan was the successful Chéri based on the writing of Colette and starring Alessandra Ferri and Herman Cornejo. Her second, a re-envisioned Angel Reapers, was slated for a winter run in 2016. 

Oceans Apart  - The La Scala Experience

When I arrive in Milan, the behind-the-scenes drama at the La Scala Opera House and the upcoming production of L’Altra Metà del Cielo (The Other Side of the Sky) has reached fever pitch. Italy’s premier national theater is plying for younger audiences in a production to parallel to Roland Petit’s Pink Floyd Ballet success of its 2010 season.  After a difficult six-month residency to produce a comparable evening work, choreographer, Martha Clarke’s tenure at La Scala is reaching a melodramatic conclusion.  

Venerated Italian ‘rocker’ Vasco Rossi is the attraction here. A collection of songs that he has produced over the years make up the musical score assigned to Clarke.  I gather from the students, cabbies, and waiters I ask, Vasco represents the essence of Italian contemporary pop culture, light years from the familiar La Scala’s classic opera fair.  Now, in an attempt to draw younger audiences into the fold, controversy is brewing.  One young woman tells me, “Vasco at La Scala is a total contradiction. All wrong.”  I wonder, can a Jewish girl from Baltimore, no matter how inventive, make La Scala’s newest enterprise ‘right?’ 

The Juilliard Journal

On January 19 and 20, 2006, the Dance Division recalled its 54 years of the Juilliard School’s 100 with two-panel discussions held at the Bruno Walter Auditorium in the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. Here, in another tribute to the tremendous influence of the division, are excerpts from interviews conducted by Janet Soares with five leading dance professionals about their own careers and their relationship with the Division. Lar Lubovitch and William Forsythe are important choreographers and company directors in the field today. Sylvia Waters directs Ailey II after a long association with the Alvin Ailey Dance Company. Laura Colby directs her own management company, Elise Management. Educator, Elizabeth Bergmann (BS. 1960) now heads dance at Harvard University.