| Amanda McKerrow, Répétiteur, On Teaching Tudor's Choreography to Young Dancers: |
Amanda McKerrow | On March 18, my husband John Gardner and I had the lovely opportunity to introduce Antony Tudor to the youngest group of dancers ever!
A colleague of ours from ABT, Melissa Allan Bowman, has a wonderful school in southern California called The California Conservatory of Dance. We had all worked with Mr. Tudor at ABT in the 1980's, and Melissa very much wanted her students to learn about Tudor and his works.
Both John and I always felt the best way to teach anyone about Mr. Tudor is through his choreography. We found in our experience working with today's dancers that they begin to have a real curiosity about who this man was only after learning some of his choreography.
Our big challenge this time was the age level of some of the students. Out of the 24 who signed up for the 3 day seminar quite a few were only 14 or 15 years old, and there was even 1 exceptional 10 year old! While this fact would make it much more difficult, we were all very pleased with their interest and definitely wanted to encourage them. We therefore decided to teach them the three ladies dance from "Continuo." This would give them a chance to experience Mr. Tudor's subtle musicality, work together in a group and explore some of his challenging spacing patterns.
Amanda McKerrow with students of The California Conservatory of Dance |
To our great delight, they more than met these challenges, and demonstrated focus and concentration beyond their years. Despite their youth, the response to Mr. Tudor's genius was the same we had witnessed so many times before, and their insightful questions and interesting observations were thoughtful and intelligent. We were so pleased, and through this experience realize how relatable Antony Tudor's work is to all ages, even the very young; and, what a valuable opportunity it provides in keeping his works alive for generations to come.
We look forward to many more of these seminars in the future, and thank Melissa Allan Bowman and the CA Conservatory of Dance for facilitating this wonderful weekend.
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| LAST CHANCE TO ORDER FIRST EDITION TUDOR CENTENNIAL BOOK! |
Tudor Centennial Book/DVD |
After two years in the making, The Antony Tudor Ballet Trust is about to publish our Antony Tudor Centennial Book and DVD.
This important collection of photos and written remembrances by Tudor dancers and students will be printed as a first edition collector's item. This is the LAST CHANCE to order this first, limited run, collector's edition. Be sure to order your copy before April 30 to ensure receipt of this exclusive offering. Delight in hundreds of Tudor remembrances and exclusive photos from world renowned dancers and choreographers.
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April Blog |
Sally Brayley Bliss |
Sally Brayley Bliss, Trustee, traveled extensively in February and March. Sally shares her thoughts on David Parson's "Remember Me" at East Village Opera Company, a performance by River North Chicago, Paul Taylor's 80th Birthday Gala in NYC and her review of Butler University's performance of Dark Elegies.
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| Sneak Peak at Centennial Remembrances: |
Antony Tudor | | |
Eliot Feld - "Tudor invented the arabesque - not the name, but the purpose."
Hilde Morales - "I have to say that to this day I see him standing behind me. He would say, 'but why are you doing that?' and 'why do you think I asked you this question?' He could see right through you. Now, when I teach my students, I do the same things he did."
Jennifer Muller - "...the level of awareness of not just doing steps, but the complete surround. The surround of being aware of all the elements that went into it, space, and subtlety, finesse, excellence. It's not just to do a step this way, but how you did the step. What you put into it, the taste of it, the smell of it, the whole animal the step was, the dynamics..."
John Gardner - "The great thing about Mr. Tudor is that it wasn't just his ballets, he affected your whole life. And there's not a day that goes by that he's not still a part of my experience."
Kathleen Moore - "It was an important part of my career because he was so specific - truth in movement was a fantastic place to be..."
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