THREE GENERATIONS SPEAKEASY: RECENT SEATTLE DANCE HISTORIES
The weekend of February 19, 2016, Velocity welcomed Guggenheim Fellow and Seattle dance luminary, Bill Evans, back to our city for a weekend of performance and discussion rooted in Seattle dance histories.
Velocity Co-Founder KT Niehoff and Seattle dance historian and writer Sandra Kurtz joined Bill on Sunday to discuss their perspectives on our city’s dance history, and the funding and cultural forces that impacted the artists in this region. The discussion ranged from the NEA’s Coordinated Residencies Program and Velocity’s beginnings to recognizing the many dancers, choreographers, supporters, and friends that danced here in Seattle and called this creative community home.
Watch the videos of the conversation below:
Bill Evans Speakeasy-Intro and Bill Evans from Velocity Dance Center on Vimeo.
Bill Evans speaks about how his company, Bill Evans Dance Company, was able to come to Seattle in the 1970s and be successful.
Tonya Lockyer mentions Seattle dance artists worth looking up.
Tonya mentions: Merce Cunningham, Trisha Brown, Robert Joffrey, Marc Morris
Bill Evans Speakeasy-Sandra Kurtz from Velocity Dance Center on Vimeo.
Sandra Kurtz talks about the beginning of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the advent of touring and residencies for dance companies in the United States.
Sandra mentions: Nikolai Lesnikov, Coleman Lemieux & Companie, Hannah Wiley and Chamber First Dance Company, Charles Bennett, Sara De Luis, Flemming Halby, Ray Bussy
Tonya mentions: Danielle Agami, Batsheva Dance Company
Bill Evans Speakeasy-KT Niehoff from Velocity Dance Center on Vimeo.
KT Niehoff Speaks about her experience coming to Seattle with Michelle Miller in 1992 and later founding Velocity in 1996.
KT mentions: Kim Root, Pat Graney, Dance New Amsterdam, Gina Gibney Dance, Joy Kellman, Dale Merrill, Spectrum Dance Theater, Scott Davis
Bill Evans Speakeasy-Discussion from Velocity Dance Center on Vimeo.
