Sally Banes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sally Banes
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(1985)
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| Born | October 9, 1950 |
| Died | June 14, 2020 (aged 69) |
| Nationality | American |
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| Spouse(s) | Noël Carroll |
Sally Rachel Banes (born October 9, 1950 – died June 14, 2020) was a famous dance historian, writer, and critic. She studied and wrote a lot about dance, especially a style called "post-modern dance."
Contents
Early Life and Dance Journey
Sally Banes grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, near Washington, D.C. From a young age, she loved studying dance, especially ballet. She went to the University of Chicago and finished her degree in 1972. Her studies covered criticism, art, and theater.
While in college, Sally worked behind the scenes. She helped with lighting and costumes for shows. She also joined a group called The Collective in 1970. This group of actors met often to create theater pieces together. They performed these works in workshops and public shows.
After college, Sally stayed in Chicago. In 1974, she started the Community Discount Players. This was a group of actors, dancers, filmmakers, and artists. Like The Collective, they worked together to create performances. She also founded MoMing, a theater owned by artists. Here, dancers and actors could teach classes and work on new projects. This is where she first performed for Kenneth King. She also performed in a dance-theater show called Paris/Chacon by Meredith Monk and Ping Chong.
In 1976, Sally moved to New York City. She kept exploring the world of post-modern dance. She took workshops with dancers from Judson Dance. She also performed for famous artists like Simone Forti, Kenneth King, and Meredith Monk. Sally always kept taking dance classes. She studied ballet and modern dance in both Chicago and New York. She even helped raise money for a big multicultural celebration. In 1978, she made a film of Yvonne Rainer's 1966 dance piece "Trio A."
While in New York, she continued her education at NYU. She earned her PhD by writing about Judson Dance Theater. This work later became her book, Democracy’s Body: Judson Dance Theater, 1962–1964. She learned from many important dance experts during her studies.
Personal Life
Sally Banes was married to Noël Carroll, who was also a philosopher of art and film. Sadly, Sally faced serious health challenges later in life. She passed away on June 14, 2020.
Creative Dance Works
Sally Banes created her first dance piece, A Day in the Life of the Mind: Part 2, with dancer Ellen Mazer. This was a day-long performance that started in a park and ended at a local bar. The audience followed the performers, listening to music and having soybeans thrown at them. The performance even went through Sally's apartment! It ended with dancers appearing in the windows of a library at night. This work celebrated her neighborhood and showed how everyday life could be art.
Sally also worked with Ellen Mazer on pieces about a made-up 19th-century woman named "Sophie." Sophie was sometimes a ballerina and sometimes a communist. In one piece, Sophie Eats Shrimp, Sally and Ellen moved boxes on and off a truck. In another, the stage had an old washing machine and broken glass. Sally continued to explore Sophie's story in New York with her piece Sophie Heightens the Contradiction in 1983.
Writing and Research
Sally Banes started working for the Chicago Reader in 1973. She first wrote reviews for theater and restaurants. She also reviewed books for the Chicago Tribune. Her first published book was Sweet Home Chicago: The Real City Guide.
One day, a friend asked her to write a book about modern dance. Sally took on the project. She decided the best way to learn about dance writing was to practice. So, she convinced her editor at the Chicago Reader to let her write dance reviews. She eventually became the Dance Editor. This project led to her famous book, Terpsichore in Sneakers: Post-Modern Dance, published in 1980. She worked at the Reader until she moved to New York in 1976.
In New York, she continued to write about dance for the Village Voice, the SoHo Weekly News, and Dance Magazine. She also edited the Dance Research Journal from 1982 to 1988. Over the years, she wrote eight major books about dance, often focusing on the post-modern era.
Besides writing, Sally Banes taught at many universities:
- Florida State University (1980)
- SUNY Purchase (1981-1986)
- Wesleyan University (1986-1988)
- Cornell University (1988-1991)
- University of Wisconsin – Madison (1991 onwards), where she was a special professor of Theater and Dance Studies. She also led the dance program there from 1992 to 1996.
Sally was also a past president of the Society of Dance History Scholars. She gave talks at their conferences in 1989 and 1998.
Key Books by Sally Banes
- Terpsichore in Sneakers: Post-modern Dance (1987)
- This book explores the history and ideas of post-modern dance. It looks closely at specific choreographers and their unique styles.
- Democracy's Body: Judson Dance Theater, 1962–1964 (1993)
- This book tells the story of the groundbreaking Judson Dance Theater. This group's work marked the beginning of the post-modern dance movement.
- Greenwich Village 1963: Avant-garde Performance and the Effervescent Body (1993)
- This book focuses on the year 1963 in Greenwich Village, New York. It shows how the art world was changing, especially in performing arts.
- Writing Dancing in the Age of Postmodernism (1994)
- This book is a collection of Sally's essays and talks about dance from the 1970s onwards. It shows how post-modern dance changed over time.
- Dancing Women: Female Bodies on Stage (1998)
- In this book, Sally retells dance history from a feminist point of view. She looks at how women are shown in dance, from old ballets to modern dance.
- Subversive Expectations: Performance Art and Paratheater in New York 1976–1985 (1998)
- This book collects Sally's reviews and articles about performance art in New York. It covers a time when performance art was very popular.
- Reinventing Dance in the 1960s: Everything was Possible (2003)
- This book is a collection of essays about the exciting and experimental art world of the 1960s. It includes essays by Sally and statements from famous choreographers.
- Before, Between, and Beyond: Three Decades of Dance Writing (2007)
- This book brings together many of Sally's dance reviews. It covers a wide range of dancers and choreographers, from early performances to new styles like breakdancing.
Awards and Honors
In 2003, Sally Banes received the Lifetime Achievement Award for her amazing work in dance research. This award came from the Congress on Research in Dance. The Society of Dance History Scholars also gave her a similar lifetime achievement award. She also won a Bessie Award for her contributions to dance criticism.
There is also a special award named after her: the Biennial Sally Banes Publication Prize. This prize gives $500 to a publication that best explores how theater and dance or movement connect. The first prize was given in 2009.
