Fall, 2005

Being Mom, Being a Dancer

For a woman, it is a natural thing to become a mother. However, it becomes a big decision for her if she has a job. And if the occupation is that of a dancer-in which her body is her job-an even larger wall seems to stand before her. What does being a parent mean for a female dancer? The Arts Cure talked to a couple and to two women who are in the profession of dance.

Photo: Andrew Eccles

Ohad Naharin
Choreographer, Batsheva Dance Company

Born in Israel, to a mother who teaches dance and composition and a father who is a psychologist specializing in psychodrama, Ohad Naharin began his training as a dancer with the Batsheva Dance Company (founded by Martha Graham and Baroness Batsheva De Rothschild in 1964). A year later, at the invitation of Martha Graham he came to New York to join her company as well as to make use of a scholarship to the School of American Ballet. After a year with the Graham company, Naharin elected to continue his studies at the Juilliard School of Music as well as with Maggie Black and David Howard. He then joined the Maurice Bejart Company in Brussels for one season. He made his choreographic debut in 1980 at the Kazuko Hirabayashi studio in New York. Between 1980 and 1990, he performed and worked with his own group in New York. In 1990, Naharin was appointed Artistic Director of the Batsheva Dance Company.

Photo: Gadi Dagon

NYAFF '05 Stays Strong in its Fourth Year　

After a surprise comeback last year, this year's New York Asian Film Festival continued the trend by bettering its numbers. Based on the results, it appears that the NYAFF will be around for some time to come, expanding along the way with more films and venues.

KAMIKAZE GIRLS (Japan, 2004)

Martha Graham
Another Challenge, Another Turnaround

"We are just discovering how to move into a different future for ourselves. Martha's work is a world treasure that we have been dedicated to keeping alive for decades." Christine Dakin's sorrowful words spurted from my computer screen. This was her reply to an e-mail I had sent her the day before, after learning, to my great surprise, that she and Terese Capucilli, formerly the Artistic Directors of the Martha Graham Dance Company, had been suddenly terminated from their positions on May 19, right after the company's successful spring season at City Center in New York.

Photo: Takako Nakasu







◆Report

The Japan Foundation, New York Office

If you're Japanese and a dancer, you probably often hear the Japan Foundation mentioned. However, a surprising number of people wonder, "What kind of organization is that?" The Arts Cure spoke to Kenji Matsumoto, the Assistant Director and also head of the Culture and the Arts Department of the Japan Foundation's New York office. Getting to know this organization is recommended, not just if you are Japanese, but for anyone interested in Japan and Japanese culture, regardless of nationality.





◆Review Dance

Matthew Bourne/ New Adventures
The Dancers and Musicians of Cambodia's Royal University of Fine Arts, Phnom Penh
American Ballet Theatre 　
Christopher Caines Dance Company
Mark Foehringer Dance Project
The Bolshoi Ballet
Dana Tai Soon Burgess & Co
Nai-Ni Chen

◆Review Theater
Modern Noh Plays
Luna/Penguin 　




◆Review Film
Howl's Moving Castle
Mad Hot Ballroom

◆Preview Film
Ballets Russes