Honoring a Master of Dance
Paul Taylor Protégé Mary Cochran to Participate in January
Intensive
This month, Learning From Performers joins forces with the Office for
the Arts Dance Program to sponsor Ruth Page Visiting Artist Mary Cochran,
former principal dancer with the Paul Taylor Dance Company. Continuing
the tradition of the Dance Program’s "January Intensive"
series during Reading Period, Cochran will teach master classes January
7-11 from 4-6 pm daily (enrollment is free; for more information, contact
the Dance Program at 617-495-8683). On Friday, January 11, at 8 pm Cochran
will share her experiences about working with legendary choreographer
Taylor during an interview moderated by Dance Program Director Elizabeth
Bergmann. Presented in association with the Harvard Graduate School of
Education’s Arts in Education Program, "Dancing for Paul Taylor"
is open to the general public free of charge (no tickets necessary) and
will take place in Askwith Lecture Hall, 13 Appian Way, at the Harvard
University Graduate School of Education. This discussion, illustrated
with video clips, continues the Learning From Performers and OFA Dance
Program "Dance Legacy" series, which has included evenings dedicated
to ballet master George Balanchine and modern dance pioneer Martha Graham.
Paul Taylor first thrilled dance audiences with his masterful "3
Epitaphs" in 1956. After studying dance at Julliard, he was a soloist
with the Martha Graham Dance Company and then formed his own company in
1954. After "3 Epitaphs" he created a string of classic dances,
and today he is recognized as a living legend and one of history’s
creative giants. In 1993 Taylor formed Taylor 2, a company of six dancers
who represent the next generation in the Taylor tradition. Mary Cochran,
renowned as "an interpreter of Paul Taylor’s work who absorbs
technique into her bones," was a principal dancer with the Paul Taylor
Dance Company from 1984-1996 and directed Taylor 2 during its 1998-99
season. Under her direction, Taylor 2 toured for 26 weeks, performing
and conducting outreach in every conceivable venue from the Yerba Buena
Center for the Arts in San Francisco to the Pella Window and Door Factory
in Pella, Iowa. Cochran is a certified reconstructor of the Paul Taylor
repertory and has staged numerous Paul Taylor works for Taylor 2 and for
dance departments throughout the country.
As a choreographer, Ms. Cochran has been commissioned to create works
for the Oakland Ballet, Tenth Street Danceworks, Full Force Dance Productions,
the University of Michigan, Purchase College, Southern Methodist University,
Mills College, and Agnes Scott College. Her works have been produced in
New York City, domestically, and abroad. Currently director of the Mills
Repertory Dance Company, Ms. Cochran is the former Artistic Director and
co-founder of NCNY Dance, the repertory dance company of An Appalachian
Summer Festival working exclusively with the festival’s resident
musicians, the Broyhill Chamber Ensemble. During the summer of 2000, Cochran
directed the modern dance company of the Roanoke Summer Institute for
the North Carolina School of the Arts, creating and performing an entire
evening of new work. Cochran continues her performing career as a guest
artist with Sara Hook Dances. Currently Assistant Professor at Mills College,
she has been a visiting professor at the University of California at Berekeley,
the University of Michigan, Agnes Scott College, and at Mills during the
1997-98 academic year. Additionally, Cochran was a member of the Nikolais
Dance Theatre from 1981-83 and trained at the North Carolina School of
the Arts and with her mother, Jerry Bywaters Cochran.LFP at a Glance:
Monday-Friday, January 7-11, 4-6 pm: Master classes featuring Ruth Page
Visiting Artist Mary Cochran, former principal dancer with the Paul Taylor
Dance Company. Rieman Center for the Performing Arts. Information and
free registration: (617) 495-8683.
Friday, January 11, 8 pm: "Dancing for Paul Taylor," lecture-discussion
featuring Mary Cochran, moderated by OFA Dance Program director Elizabeth
Bergmann. Askwith Lecture Hall, 13 Appian Way, Harvard University Graduate
School of Education. Admission free and open to the public (no tickets
or reservations required).
Wednesday, February 6, 7 pm: "The State of the Art in Live Music
Performance Technology," lecture-demonstration featuring Clifton
Visiting Artist Teresa Marrin Nakra’’92. Adams House Pool Theater.
Admission free and open to the public (no tickets or reservations required).
Saturday, February 23, 8 pm: Concert of new works by Teresa Marrin Nakra
and Harvard students. Adams House Pool Theater. Tickets ($5; students,
$3) and information: (617) 496-2222.
Wednesday, February 27, 8 pm: Singer/songwriter Bobby McFerrin in concert
with Harvard undergraduate performers. Sanders Theatre. Tickets ($30,
$25; Harvard students, $10) and information: (617) 496-2222.
Friday, March 1 - Sunday, March 17: Reason, a new performance piece created
and directed by Peter Ivers Visiting Artist Ping Chong in collaboration
with Harvard undergraduates. Market Theater, One Winthrop Square. Tickets
on sale in February. Information: (617) 495-8676.
The schedule of Learning From Performers events is subject to change.
For more information, call the Office for the Arts, 617-495-8676, or visit
the site.
