Dance Featured Guest Artists
2008-2009
Dance Division awarded American Masterpieces Grant for Sarah Stackhouse to restage José Limón’s La Malinche
“American Masterpieces: Dance,” a program of the National Endowment for the Arts, administered by the New England Foundation for the Arts with Dance/USA, just awarded a $10,000 grant to the University of Kansas Dance Division in the School of Music and the School of Music. The grant will be used to reconstruct José Limón’s 1949 modern dance masterpiece, “La Malinche.” La Malinche, a seminal work of Mr. Limón, is a fascinating yet rarely seen dance. Although the Native American La Malinche died in 1528, when the Limón Company performed the work in Mexico in 1951, “tempers flared in the audience and in the press both pro and con.” It deals with issues of identity, political and religious precession that are still relevant today. La Malinche, who spoke Spanish and several local languages, was the interpreter and strategist of Cortez. In doing so she was instrumental in his conquest of Mexico.
Sarah Stackhouse, a former soloist in Limón’s New York company and a former assistant to Limón, will set the work on selected members of the University Dance Company next fall for performances at the Lied Center. This will be her third visit to mount a work of Jose Limón. Ms. Stackhouse will also teach master classes for KU students during her residency from October 27-November 21. Outreach activities in conjunction with this project will include open rehearsals, a panel discussion, and lecture-demonstrations for the public.
Twyla Tharp’s The Fugue to be restaged by Shawn Stevens for Spring 2009 performances
The Fugue, originally choreographed in 1970, represents the start of a new direction in the Tharpian canon. Since its creation, this trio has become a Tharp classic, in which the rigorously plotted choreography draws audiences inside its intriguing workings. Set to the percussive beat of the dancer’s own feet on a miked floor, The Fugue's primary phrase of movement is a 20-count theme that one, two and/or three of its dancers variously execute by way of reversals, inversions, and resequencings, all shaded by individually graded "attacks and coordinations."
Shawn Stevens, originally from Houston, Texas, was chosen by George Balanchine to join the New York City Ballet in 1982. During her time with the Company, she performed principal roles in Balanchine's ballets including Symphony in Three Movements, The Four Temperments and Symphony In C. In 1991 Ms. Stevens joined Twyla Tharp's Company where she performed for five years. With Tharp's Company she performed old works of Twyla as well as new principal works. More recently, Ms. Stevens was asked to perform in Twyla's hit Broadway musical Movin' Out. At present, she is teaching ballet at several different schools, universities and companies. Ms. Stevens is approved by The George Balanchine Trust to restage George Balanchine works and to stage works by Twyla Tharp. She will be at KU staging The Fugue and teaching master classes in February 2009.
