Anna Sokolow facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Anna Sokolow
Anna Sokolow, 1961
Born	(1910-02-09)February 9, 1910 Hartford, Connecticut
Died	March 29, 2000(2000-03-29) (aged 90) Manhattan, New York City
Occupation	modern dancer and choreographer

Anna Sokolow (born February 9, 1910 – died March 29, 2000) was an American dancer and choreographer. She was famous for her dances that focused on social issues and had a strong theatrical feel. Anna Sokolow also helped modern dance grow in countries like Mexico and Israel.

Early in her career, Sokolow was a main dancer with the Martha Graham Company from 1930 to 1938. She soon started creating her own dances. She formed several dance groups during her life, starting with "Dance Unit" in the 1930s. Later, she launched "The Player's Project" in 1971, which was restarted in the 1980s.

Sokolow created dances for many famous companies around the world. These included the Batsheva Dance Company, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The Jose Limón Dance Company, and Joffrey Ballet. Her dances are still performed today by the Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble in New York City. Her work is kept alive and taught by the Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble and the Sokolow Dance Foundation.

Anna Sokolow's Early Life

Anna Sokolow was born on February 9, 1910, in Hartford, Connecticut. She grew up in a neighborhood called the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. Her parents were Jewish immigrants from Russia. Her father, Samuel Sokolow, came to the U.S. around 1905, and her mother, Sarah, followed in 1907.

They first planned to live in Hartford, Connecticut. However, they moved to New York City to find better jobs. Sarah began working in the clothing industry after Samuel became ill with Parkinson's disease. Sarah was a socialist and very active in the Garment Workers Union. Anna was the third of four children.

How Anna Sokolow Started Dancing

Sokolow began her dance lessons at the Emanuel Sisterhood with her sister Rose. Her first teacher, Elsa Pohl, was inspired by the famous dancer Isadora Duncan. Even though her family didn't want her to, Sokolow left home and school at age 15 to focus on a dance career. She worked in a factory to support herself while she trained.

In 1925, she started training at the Neighborhood Playhouse at the Henry Street Settlement House. Her teachers included Irene Lewisohn, Louis Horst, and Martha Graham. She studied voice, dance, and pantomime. Sokolow eventually received a full scholarship at the Playhouse. Her first big performance was in 1928 in Bloch's "Israel Symphony."

Anna Sokolow's Dance Career

Sokolow first performed with the Martha Graham Company in 1930. She was a solo dancer with the company for about eight years. While dancing with Graham, she also helped Louis Horst with his choreography classes. One of her important performances was in Massine's "Rite of Spring" in 1930.

Besides working with the Martha Graham Company, Sokolow started creating and performing her own solo dances in 1932. She formed the Theatre Union Dance Group in 1933. This group was later renamed "Dance Unit" in 1935.

In the "Dance Unit" programs, Anna Sokolow's name was not highlighted. This was to make the group more important than any single person. However, the dancers were still known as the "Sokolovas." In 1936, she presented a full evening of her own dances at the Young Men's Hebrew Association (YMHA) in New York City. Some of these dances included Speaker (1935) and Strange American Funeral (1935). In 1937, four men joined the Dance Unit for the first time. This allowed her to create dances where all bodies were seen as equal, not separated by gender.

Dances with a Message

Starting in the 1930s, Sokolow became part of the "radical dance" movement, which focused on political ideas. From this, she created her work Anti-War Trilogy (1933). During this time, she performed and choreographed dances that talked about unfair treatment of workers and the growing problems for Jewish people in Germany. Sokolow found a lot of inspiration from the Union movement, seeing union members as her first audience.

She often explored themes of equality and the working class in her dances. Examples include Strange American Funeral (1935) and Case No. -- (1937). Many of her works from this time, like Anti-War Trilogy, used music by the composer Alex North.

In the 1940s, Sokolow continued to show new dances in New York City. One piece was The Bride (1946), which was inspired by traditional Jewish wedding ceremonies. From 1955 to 1985, Sokolow regularly created dances for the Juilliard Dance Ensemble at the Juilliard School. She made many well-known pieces for them, such as Primavera (1955).

In 1953, Sokolow created Lyric Suite, one of her most popular works. This piece was a collection of solos, duets, and group dances set to music by Alban Berg. It was special because it didn't tell a story and was designed in a "suite form." Sokolow felt this piece marked a new beginning in her choreography.

Another of Sokolow's most famous works is Rooms (1955). This dance explores the feeling of loneliness. The music for Rooms is a Jazz score, created by Kenyon Hopkins. The piece has six parts: Dream, Escape, Desire, Panic, Daydream, and The End? It features eight dancers and eight chairs. Each dancer and chair represents a person in their own private room.

From 1958 to 1965, Sokolow created her Opus series. This included six pieces like Opus '58 (1958) and Opus '65 (1965). These dances used similar movements and ideas, with small changes in each.

In the late 1960s, Sokolow used jazz dance to protest the war in Vietnam. She also used it to express the ideas of American countercultures. Time+ (1966) was a war protest dance with several parts. It showed clear images of soldiers and their difficult experiences in war. The dance ended with wounded soldiers struggling to stand, showing the great hardships of war.

In the 1970s and 80s, Sokolow started focusing on famous painters, writers, and composers from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Her dances from this time include Magritte, Magritte (1970) and Homage to Edgar Allan Poe (1985). Sokolow returned to this theme in one of her last pieces, Frida, in 1997.

After Sokolow passed away in 2000, The Player's Project continued until 2004. Then, former directors Jim May and Lorry May created separate groups to keep Sokolow's dances and legacy alive. The Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble still performs and teaches Sokolow's work today. The Sokolow Dance Foundation offers educational programs and helps other groups perform Sokolow's dances.

Anna Sokolow's Theater Work

Sokolow started working on Broadway in 1947. She choreographed for the musical Street Scene. She also created dances for other Broadway shows, like Happy as Larry (1950). She worked as the choreographer for the first rehearsals of the musical Hair (1967). Sokolow also often staged dances for operas like Carmen (1956) and Candide (1956) at the New York City Opera.

International Dance Work

Even though she lived in New York City, Sokolow was also known for her work in other countries. In 1939, she traveled to Mexico with her dance company. They performed at the Bellas Artes (School of Fine Arts) in Mexico City and received great reviews. This led to the creation of a new dance group called La Paloma Azul. Sokolow created four dances for this company.

After her dancers went back to New York City, Sokolow stayed in Mexico at the request of the Ministry of Public Education. She returned to New York City in the early 1940s but continued to visit Mexico City sometimes throughout her career.

Jerome Robbins encouraged Sokolow to go to Israel to work with the Inbal Dancer Theater in 1953. Sokolow visited Israel many times from the 1950s to the 1980s. Her first program in Israel included The Treasure (1962) and Dreams (1961). In 1962, she helped start Israel's Lyric Theatre. Sokolow returned to Israel as a guest choreographer for Batsheva Dance Company in 1972.

Teaching Dance

One of Anna Sokolow's first teaching experiences was during a trip to Russia in the early 1930s. There, she taught classes in the Graham dance technique. In 1955, Sokolow taught her first classes at Juilliard. She officially joined the faculty in 1958 and taught "method dancing" classes until 1993. She also taught choreography classes at the Hebrew Arts School later in her career.

The Actors Studio

In 1947, Sokolow's friend Elia Kazan asked her to be a founding member of The Actors Studio. Sokolow taught movement classes for actors. These classes were based on the Graham technique and included floor work and ballet exercises. Her famous piece Rooms (1955) came from her experiences working with these aspiring actors. Sokolow left The Actors Studio in the mid-1950s.

Anna Sokolow's Dance Works

Many of Sokolow's dances were not filmed. However, some can be seen at the New York Public Library in its Dance Division. Here is a list of many of her choreographed pieces, along with their premiere date and the company that first performed them (if known).

• Anti War Trilogy (1933 – Theatre Union Dance Group)
• Histrionics (1933)
• Speaker (1935)
• Strange American Funeral (1935 – Dance Unit of the New Dance League)
• Inquisition ‘36 (1936 )
• Four Little Salon Pieces (1936)
• Ballad (In a Popular Style) 1936
• Case No.-- (1937)
• Excerpts From a War Poem (F.T. Marinetti) (1937)
• Slaughter of the Innocents (1937)
• Songs of a Semite (1937)
• “Filibuster” from The Bourbons Got the Blues (1938)
• Dance of All Nations, Lenin Memorial Meeting (1938)
• Sing for Your Supper (1939)
• The Exile (A Dance Poem) (1939 – Dance Unit)
• Don Lindo de Almería (1940 – Grupo de Danzas Clasicas y Modernas)
• El Renacuajo Paseador (1940 – La Paloma Azul)
• Lament for the Death of a Bullfighter (1941)
• Kaddish (1945)
• The Bride (1946)
• Mexican Retablo (1946)
• Images from the Old Testament (1946)
• Lyric Suite (1953)
• Histoire de Soldat (1954)
• Rooms (1955)
• Poem (1956 – Theatre Dance Company)
• Session for Six (1958 – Anna Sokolow Dance Company)
• Opus Jazz 1958 (1958 – The Israel National Opera)
• Opus '58 (1958)
• Opus ‘60 (1960 – Ballet de Bellas Artes)
• Dreams (1961 – Anna Sokolow Dance Company)
• Opus ‘62 (1962- Lyric Theatre)
• Opus ‘63 (1963 – Juilliard Dance Ensemble)
• Forms (1964 – Anna Sokolow Dance Company)
• Opus ‘65 (1965 – Apprentices and Scholarship Students of the Robert Joffrey Ballet)
• Odes (1965)
• Ballade (1965 – Julliard Dance Ensemble)
• Time+ (1966)
• Deserts (1967 – Anna Sokolow Dance Company)
• Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical (1967)
• Steps of Silence (1968 – Repertory Dance Theatre)
• Magritte, Magritte (1970 – Lyric Theatre)
• Scenes from the Music of Charles Ives (1971 – Julliard Dance Ensemble)
• A Short Lecture and Demonstration on the Evolution of Ragtime as Presented by Jelly Roll Morton (1971 – Players' Project)
• Three Poems (1973 – Julliard Dance Ensemble)
• Homenaje a Federico Garcia Lorca (1973 – Ballet Independiente)
• In Memory of No. 52436 (1973 – Batsheva Dance Company)
• Ride the Culture Loop (1975 – Julliard Dance Ensemble)
• Moods (1975 – Contemporary Dance System)
• The Song of Songs (1976 - Inbal)
• Ellis Island (1976 – Julliard Dance Ensemble)
• Homage to Alexander Scriabin (1977 – Contemporary Dance System)
• For Langston (1980 – Rod Rodgers Dance Company)
• Preludes (1981 – Repertory West Dance Company)
• Song of Deborah (1981 – New Players’ Project)
• From the Diaries of Franz Kafka (1981 – New Players’ Project)
• Nocturne (1982 – H.T. Dance Company)
• Elegy (1982 – Mary Anthony Dance Theatre)
• Les Noces (1982 – Batsheva Dance Company)
• As I remember (1984 – Daniel Lewis Dance Repertory Company)
• Homenaje a David Alfaro Siqueiros (1984)
• Homage to John Field (1984 – Dublin City Ballet)
• Preludes (1984 – Players' Project)
• Homage to Poe (1986/1993 – Players' Project)
• Kurt Weill (1988 – Players’ Project)
• Poems (1988 – Jose Limon Dance Company)
• Poem (1995)
• Four Songs (1995)
• Frida (1997)
• Los Conversos [The Converts] (1981)

Broadway Shows Anna Sokolow Worked On

• Noah (1935) - play with music by Louis Horst - co-choreographer
• Sing for Your Supper (1939) - revue - co-choreographer
• Street Scene (1947) - musical - choreographer
• The Great Campaign (1947) - play - choreographer
• Sleepy Hollow (1948) - musical - choreographer
• Regina (1949) - opera - choreographer
• Happy as Larry (1950) - musical - choreographer
• Camino Real (1953) - play - directing assistant
• Red Roses for Me (1955) - play - choreographer - Tony Nomination for Best Choreography
• Candide (1956) - operetta - choreographer
• Copper and Brass (1957) - musical - choreographer
• Clothes for a Summer Hotel (1980) - dance consultant

Anna Sokolow's Legacy

Anna Sokolow was known as modern dance's "rebellious spirit." She received many awards, including the Samuel Scripps Award in 1991. She also earned honorary doctorates from Boston Conservatory and Ohio State University. In 1967, she received a special grant to create her dance Deserts (1967).

Sokolow was inducted into the National Museum of Dance's Mr. & Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Hall of Fame in 1998. She was also recognized by the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1993. Sokolow dedicated her works to people who inspired her, like Isadora Duncan, Louis Horst, Anne Frank, and Martin Luther King Jr.. Her dances are still performed by the Sokolow/Theatre Dance Ensemble and by dance groups and schools worldwide.

Anna Sokolow's Personal Life

Sokolow was in a relationship with Alex North, who created music for her dances, for seven years. Even after their relationship ended, they continued to work together. She did not have any children.

Sokolow faced personal challenges in the late 1960s and early 1970s. She passed away at the age of 90 on March 29, 2000, in New York City.

See Also

In Spanish: Anna Sokolow para niños