Anthony Shay
Encyclopedia
Anthony Shay is a dancer and choreographer specializing in dances from Eastern Europe
, the Middle East
, North Africa
, and Central Asia
. In 50 years of work he has created over 200 choreographies.
Shay created and directed several dance groups: Village Dancers, AMAN Folk Ensemble (AMAN International Music and Dance Company, Los Angeles, California, 1963–1977), and AVAZ International Dance Theatre (since 1977).
In 1977 Shay earned a Ph.D. in dance history and theory from the University of California, Riverside
, where he teaches dances of Iranian culture and M.A. degrees in anthropology
, folklore
and mythology
from California State University, Los Angeles
and UCLA.
On November 18, 1995, Shay received commendations from President Bill Clinton
and the City Council of Los Angeles
for excellence of his choreographies, honoring his forty years as a choreographic artist, during which he created over 150 works. The Kaleidiscope Festival has designated him as Distinguished California Artist in 1997.
Dr. Anthony Shay has been awarded a James Irvine Fellowship in Dance for 1998 as one of the eight top choreographers in California
with a $30,000 fellowship for research in Iranian art.
In 1999, he received the Dance Resource Center of Greater Los Angeles Lester Horton award for Outstanding Achievement for the Staging of Traditional Dance. He is a five-time recipient of choreographic fellowship awards from the National Endowment for the Arts. He is also an author of several books about dance, and has published numerous articles in the Oxford Encyclopedia of Dance, the Journal of Iranian Studies, Dance Research Journal, and the Journal of Visual Anthropology.
In 2002, the California Arts Council awarded him the Lifetime Achievement Award for “His Incomparable Service to the Art of Dance.” Congress on Research in Dance honored, among others, Anthony Shay in 2003 (Dance Magazine
, September 2003).
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
, the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
, and Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
. In 50 years of work he has created over 200 choreographies.
Shay created and directed several dance groups: Village Dancers, AMAN Folk Ensemble (AMAN International Music and Dance Company, Los Angeles, California, 1963–1977), and AVAZ International Dance Theatre (since 1977).
In 1977 Shay earned a Ph.D. in dance history and theory from the University of California, Riverside
University of California, Riverside
The University of California, Riverside, commonly known as UCR or UC Riverside, is a public research university and one of the ten general campuses of the University of California system. UCR is consistently ranked as one of the most ethnically and economically diverse universities in the United...
, where he teaches dances of Iranian culture and M.A. degrees in anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
, folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
and mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
from California State University, Los Angeles
California State University, Los Angeles
California State University, Los Angeles is a public comprehensive university, part of the California State University system...
and UCLA.
On November 18, 1995, Shay received commendations from President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
and the City Council of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
for excellence of his choreographies, honoring his forty years as a choreographic artist, during which he created over 150 works. The Kaleidiscope Festival has designated him as Distinguished California Artist in 1997.
Dr. Anthony Shay has been awarded a James Irvine Fellowship in Dance for 1998 as one of the eight top choreographers in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
with a $30,000 fellowship for research in Iranian art.
In 1999, he received the Dance Resource Center of Greater Los Angeles Lester Horton award for Outstanding Achievement for the Staging of Traditional Dance. He is a five-time recipient of choreographic fellowship awards from the National Endowment for the Arts. He is also an author of several books about dance, and has published numerous articles in the Oxford Encyclopedia of Dance, the Journal of Iranian Studies, Dance Research Journal, and the Journal of Visual Anthropology.
In 2002, the California Arts Council awarded him the Lifetime Achievement Award for “His Incomparable Service to the Art of Dance.” Congress on Research in Dance honored, among others, Anthony Shay in 2003 (Dance Magazine
Dance Magazine
Dance Magazine is an "influential" American trade publication for dance, currently published by the Macfadden Communications Group. It was first published in June 1927 as The American Dancer. William Como was its editor-in-chief from 1970 to his death in 1989. Wendy Perron became its editor-in...
, September 2003).
External links
- AVAZ website at stanford.edu