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Celebrating Bessie's Legacy.


This month marks the centennial of Bessie Schonberg (1906-1997), vital teacher of choreography for much of the 20th century, and her legacy is being passed down in all forms of media. Schonberg taught at, among other places, Sarah Lawrence College Sarah Lawrence College, at Bronxville, N.Y.; primarily for women; chartered 1926, opened 1928 as Sarah Lawrence College for Women; renamed 1947. It is noted for its creative arts program. , Juilliard, and Dance Theatre of Harlem Dance Theatre of Harlem, the first black classical ballet company. The group was founded in Harlem, New York City, by Arthur Mitchell, then of the New York City Ballet, the first black principal dancer of a classical company of international standing. , and was an advisor for the Jose Limon Dance Foundation.

In September the 2006 New York New York, state, United States
New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of
 Dance and Performance Awards, better known as the Bessies, honored their namesake by showing her 1988 acceptance speech of receiving her own award. Wally Cardona, winner of a choreography award this year said seeing her back then made him "sit up straight."

This summer, Jacob's Pillow held a panel discussion, and The Yard and the American Dance Festival The American Dance Festival is a six-week summer festival of modern dance performances, and a school for dance currently held at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.  showed D.A. Pennebaker's excellent documentary, Bessie: A Portrait of Bessie Schonberg. Juilliard screened the film in October and has dedicated their December concert series to her--"Composers and Choreographers Plus," on Dec. 8-9, and "New Dances at Juilliard Edition 2006," Dec. 14-17, which will include works staged on the students by David Parker David Parker is the name of:
  • David Parker (politician) (born 1960), New Zealand politician
  • David Parker (director) (born 1947), Australian cinematographer
  • David Parker (climatologist), head of climate monitoring at the Hadley Centre
, Matthew Neenan, Doug Varone, and Aszure Barton.

Schonberg, who led the Sarah Lawrence College dance program from 1938-1975, was honored by the school with a panel discussion of former students Carolyn Adams Carolyn Adams, (born May 6, 1946),[] later known as Mountain Girl and Carolyn Garcia, was a Merry Prankster and the wife of Jerry Garcia. After growing up in Poughkeepsie, New York, Adams met Neal Cassady in 1965; Cassady immediately gave her the name , Elizabeth Keen, and Beverly Emmons among others in November. The college's winter dance concerts, Dec. 8-10, will be dedicated to her memory.

Another of Schonberg's former homes, Dance Theatre of Harlem--where she directed the Choreographer's Workshop in the late 1980s--will honor her at their open house on Dec. 10 by inviting back former students, including Ronald K. Brown, Donald Byrd, and Neta Pulvermacher.
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Copyright 2006, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

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Title Annotation:ACROSS THE FLOOR
Author:Macel, Emily
Publication:Dance Magazine
Date:Dec 1, 2006
Words:269
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