EUGENE LANG COLLEGE HONORS THE WORK OF LEGENDARY CHOREOGRAPHER MARTHA GRAHAM

Eugene Lang College The New School for Liberal Arts to Present
Martha Graham’s “Steps In The Street” under the direction of Yuriko Kikuchi
Friday, May 5 and Saturday, May 6 at The Ailey Citigroup Theater

New York City, April 11, 2006—Eugene Lang College The New School for Liberal Arts will present a special performance of Martha Graham’s “Steps in the Street” on May 5 and 6 at The Ailey Citigroup Theater as part of the school’s 20th anniversary celebration, as well as the 80th anniversary of the Martha Graham Dance Company. The piece will be directed by Yuriko Kikuchi, former soloist and rehearsal director for Martha Graham, and former associate artistic director for the Martha Graham Dance Company.

Graham’s connection to The New School is longstanding. She organized a revolutionary modern dance series at the university in 1933, and is one of the many avant-garde artists The New School has nurtured since its founding. Looking to that tradition, the dance program at Lang aims to foster the work of emerging artists. In addition to “Steps in the Street,” the student performance will also feature five original pieces, conceived and directed by Lang faculty members Joao Carvalho, Rebecca Stenn, Todd Williams, and Karla Wolfangle and Lang alumna Mary-Claire Hogan in collaboration with students and other artists.

“Steps in the Street” is an excerpt from a longer work, Chronicle, which premiered in 1936. It is about homelessness, exile, the emotional devastation of war, and the ways in which the spirit can be healed. To prepare for their performance, students studied the Martha Graham technique, as well as the historical, political, and social influences of her work, under the careful eye of Ellen Graff, visiting faculty member and director of programs at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance. “Eugene Lang College provides the perfect place to teach Martha Graham’s work,” said Graff. “Not only does Martha Graham have a history here, but the social issues that ‘Steps in the Street’ addresses have a counterpart in Lang’s academic philosophy.”

After educating students on the context of the piece, Lang invited Yuriko Kikuchi to serve as an artist-in-residence for the spring semester and teach the students the choreography. A distinguished dancer, teacher, and choreographer, as well as a close colleague of Graham’s, Yuriko’s experience, detailed work, and hands-on approach offered students a singular opportunity. On working with the students, Yuriko said: “From day one, the students have given this their all and have never complained. In some ways, it’s easier to work with them than with professional dancers who can be more set in their ways. Here, the rehearsal process is fluid, and I can really work with the students on creating what I believe is language through movement.”

As the four-year undergraduate liberal arts division at The New School with small, seminar-style classes, Eugene Lang College allows students to pick courses from innovative and challenging paths of study—including the arts. The dance program is one of four tracks in the arts, and balances the fundamentals of dance with a vast selection of liberal arts courses. Courses focus on technique, choreography, and performance, as well as critical writing in dance and the arts. With a faculty of working professionals, the program broadens students’ knowledge of dance and develops the skills and tools necessary for them to find a career path in dance, the arts, or other professions.

“Lang is dedicated to the arts, but we are not a conservatory,” said Jonathan Veitch, dean of Eugene Lang College. “The interweaving of scholarship, a sense of history, and training in the arts gives students a deeper understanding of what they are studying from all perspectives.”

Performances will take place Friday, May 5, at 8:00 p.m., and Saturday, May 6, at 2:00 and 8:00 p.m. at The Ailey Citigroup Theater at The Joan Weill Center for Dance, 405 West 55th Street (at 9th Avenue), New York, NY. Tickets can be purchased through the New School Box Office, located at 66 West 12th St., open Mon.–Thurs. 1:00–8:00 p.m. and Fri. 1:00–7:00 p.m. or call 212.229.5488 or email [email protected]. Admission is $10 for the general public and $5 for students.

With a diversity of students, faculty, and academics, Eugene Lang College The New School for Liberal Arts is designed to foster a unique academic experience. Remaining consistent to its founding philosophy, Eugene Lang College grew out of a highly progressive freshman-year program developed at The New School in 1973. The school was originally known as the Seminar College, reflecting the style of teaching adopted by its faculty. In 1985, the college was renamed Eugene Lang College, following a generous contribution from philanthropist Eugene Lang and his family. Now called Eugene Lang College The New School for Liberal Arts, the school offers intensive liberal arts study as well as a faculty committed to teaching undergraduates in an interdisciplinary context. Paths of study include: Cultural Studies & Media; The Arts; Literature; Writing; Philosophy; Religious Studies; Science; Technology & Society; Social and Historical Inquiry; and Urban Studies. For more information, visit www.lang.newschool.edu.

“Steps in the Street” is presented by arrangement with Martha Graham Resources, a division of the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance.