American Dance Festival facts for kids
American Dance Festival's Samuel H. Scripps Studios located in Durham, North Carolina
|
|
| Industry | Modern dance |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1948 |
| Headquarters | Durham, North Carolina |
|
Area served
|
Research Triangle |
|
Key people
|
Jodee Nimerichter (director) Gaspard Louis |
The American Dance Festival (ADF) is a famous summer dance program. It offers many dance classes and workshops. These include the Summer Dance Intensive and Pre-Professional Dance Intensive. ADF also hosts a six-week festival of modern dance performances. These shows happen at Duke University and the Durham Performing Arts Center in Durham, North Carolina. Sometimes, special outdoor performances take place at Duke Gardens or the NC Art Museum.
Contents
History of the American Dance Festival
How it Started
The story of the American Dance Festival began in 1934. It was first called the Bennington Festival. This summer program was at Bennington College. Famous modern dance pioneers like Hanya Holm, Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, and Charles Weidman taught there. They also performed new dance pieces. For one year, in 1939, the program moved to Mills College in California. But it returned to Vermont by 1940. The Bennington Festival ended after the summer of 1942.
Moving to New Homes
In 1948, a new dance program started. It was like the Bennington model. This program was at Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut. It was first called the New York University – Connecticut College School of Dance / American Dance Festival. In 1969, Charles Reinhart became the new director. He made the name shorter to just the American Dance Festival. After 30 years at Connecticut College, the festival moved again. In 1978, it found its current home. This was at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
A Place for New Dances
Since it began in 1934, the American Dance Festival has been a special place for dance. Over 640 new dance pieces have been performed there for the first time. More than 340 dances were specially created for ADF. Also, over 50 older dances have been recreated. Many famous artists have shown their work here. These include Martha Graham, José Limón, Merce Cunningham, Paul Taylor, and Alvin Ailey.
Charles Reinhart was the director of ADF for a long time. He led the festival from 1969 to 2011. In January 2012, Jodee Nimerichter became the director. She had worked with Charles as a co-director and associate director before.
Many great modern dance artists have performed or taught at ADF. Some of these include José Limón, Merce Cunningham, Paul Taylor, Alvin Ailey, and Twyla Tharp. Even Madonna was a summer dance student at ADF in 1978. At that time, she was a dance major in college.
Supporting Dance and Artists
The American Dance Festival has helped many new dance works get started. Many of these were specially ordered by ADF. The Durham Performing Arts Center is a very large theater. It was partly built to be a showcase for the festival. For example, in 2016, ADF helped create Pascal Rioult's Cassandra's Curse.
ADF also gives out important awards to talented dance figures. The Samuel H. Scripps/American Dance Festival Award is for lifetime achievement in choreography. It gives $50,000 to one amazing choreographer each year. Past winners include Merce Cunningham, Paul Taylor, and Twyla Tharp.
Another award honors great dance teachers. This is called the Balasaraswati/Joy Anne Dewey Beinecke Endowed Chair for Distinguished Teaching. Teachers like Gerri Houlihan and Gus Solomons Jr. have received this award.
Learning and Internships
The American Dance Festival offers internships during its summer session. Students can learn about Arts Administration or Production. Interns can take one dance class every day. Then, they work in the ADF offices for arts administration. Or, they learn stage skills and work backstage for professional dance companies. Both internships give a full scholarship to the Six Week School. Applying for these internships is very competitive.
ADF also has classes all year long at the Samuel H. Scripps Studio. These studios offer classes for all ages and skill levels. During the summer, the studio is used for the Six Week School. Other spaces at Duke University are also used.
Besides the summer and year-round programs in Durham, ADF also has Winter Intensives. These are held in New York City and Pasadena, California. These programs are for dancers aged 18 and older.
