Daniel Nagrin
Encyclopedia
Daniel Nagrin was an American
modern dance
r, choreographer, teacher, and author. He was born in New York City
.
Nagrin studied with Martha Graham
, Anna Sokolow
, Hanya Holm
, and Helen Tamiris
whom he later married. In addition to work as a modern dancer, Nagrin also performed on Broadway
in Plain and Fancy
, Up in Central Park
, and Annie Get Your Gun
, among other musicals. His 1950 dance Dance in the Sun was adapted by filmmaker Shirley Clarke
for her 1953 film of the same name.
In June 1954 he formed the Dance-Percussion Trio with David Shapiro and Ronald Gould (who would go on to form the New York Percussion Trio
), and the group toured the United States in June and July of that year. Nagrin and his wife formed the Tamiris-Nagrin Company in 1960. When Tamiris died in 1966, Nagrin concentrated on a solo career. In the early 1970s Nagrin formed "The Workgroup", a performance company with a focus on improvisation
.
Nagrin's better known choreographic works include "The Peloponnesian War", "Strange Hero", "Man of Action", "Spanish Dance", and "Jazz, Three Ways". Additionally, he choreographed for the 1954 film His Majesty O'Keefe
.
In 1985, a 15-hour compilation of Nagrin's work, The Nagrin Videotape Library of Dances, was assembled. It is held in the Dance Collection at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
.
Nagrin, who held a B.S. in Education from City College
in New York, taught at C.W. Post College
, New York University
, the American Dance Festival
, and Arizona State University
. He was the author of several books, including How to Dance Forever: Surviving Against the Odds (1988) and Choreography and the Specific Image (2001).
Nagrin died on December 29, 2008 in Tempe, Arizona
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
modern dance
Modern dance
Modern dance is a dance form developed in the early 20th century. Although the term Modern dance has also been applied to a category of 20th Century ballroom dances, Modern dance as a term usually refers to 20th century concert dance.-Intro:...
r, choreographer, teacher, and author. He was born in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Nagrin studied with Martha Graham
Martha Graham
Martha Graham was an American modern dancer and choreographer whose influence on dance has been compared with the influence Picasso had on modern visual arts, Stravinsky had on music, or Frank Lloyd Wright had on architecture.She danced and choreographed for over seventy years...
, Anna Sokolow
Anna Sokolow
Anna Sokolow was a Jewish American dancer and choreographer.-Training:...
, Hanya Holm
Hanya Holm
Hanya Holm is known as one of the “Big Four” founders of American modern dance...
, and Helen Tamiris
Helen Tamiris
Helen Tamiris was an American choreographer, modern dancer, and teacher.-Biography:A founder of American Modern Dance, Tamiris originally trained in free movement at the Henry Street Settlement. She danced with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet and the Bracale Opera Company before studying briefly...
whom he later married. In addition to work as a modern dancer, Nagrin also performed on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in Plain and Fancy
Plain and Fancy
Plain and Fancy is a musical comedy with a book by Joseph Stein and Will Glickman, lyrics by Arnold Horwitt, and music by Albert Hague. One of the first depictions of an Amish community in American pop culture, it includes a traditional barn-raising and an old-fashioned country...
, Up in Central Park
Up in Central Park
Up in Central Park is a Broadway musical with a book by Herbert Fields and Dorothy Fields, lyrics by Dorothy Fields, and music by Sigmund Romberg...
, and Annie Get Your Gun
Annie Get Your Gun (musical)
Annie Get Your Gun is a musical with lyrics and music written by Irving Berlin and a book by Herbert Fields and his sister Dorothy Fields. The story is a fictionalized version of the life of Annie Oakley , who was a sharpshooter from Ohio, and her husband, Frank Butler.The 1946 Broadway production...
, among other musicals. His 1950 dance Dance in the Sun was adapted by filmmaker Shirley Clarke
Shirley Clarke
Shirley Clarke was an American independent filmmaker.-Early life:Born Shirley Brimberg in New York City, Shirley Clarke was the daughter of a Polish-immigrant father who made his fortune in manufacturing. Her mother was the daughter of a multimillionaire Jewish manufacturer and inventor. Her...
for her 1953 film of the same name.
In June 1954 he formed the Dance-Percussion Trio with David Shapiro and Ronald Gould (who would go on to form the New York Percussion Trio
New York Percussion Trio
The New York Percussion Trio was a three-member musical group consisting of two percussionists and one pianist, active in the New York City area from the early 1950s until the mid-1970s....
), and the group toured the United States in June and July of that year. Nagrin and his wife formed the Tamiris-Nagrin Company in 1960. When Tamiris died in 1966, Nagrin concentrated on a solo career. In the early 1970s Nagrin formed "The Workgroup", a performance company with a focus on improvisation
Improvisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
.
Nagrin's better known choreographic works include "The Peloponnesian War", "Strange Hero", "Man of Action", "Spanish Dance", and "Jazz, Three Ways". Additionally, he choreographed for the 1954 film His Majesty O'Keefe
His Majesty O'Keefe
His Majesty O'Keefe is a 1954 adventure film starring Burt Lancaster. The film was directed by Byron Haskin and Otto Heller and included choreography by Daniel Nagrin...
.
In 1985, a 15-hour compilation of Nagrin's work, The Nagrin Videotape Library of Dances, was assembled. It is held in the Dance Collection at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
.
Nagrin, who held a B.S. in Education from City College
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
in New York, taught at C.W. Post College
Long Island University C.W. Post Campus
The C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University is a private institution of higher education located in Brookville in Nassau County, New York, United States...
, New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, the American Dance Festival
American Dance Festival
The American Dance Festival is a six and four-week school for dance and a six-week summer festival of modern dance performances, currently held at Duke University and the Durham Performing Arts Center in Durham, North Carolina....
, and Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
. He was the author of several books, including How to Dance Forever: Surviving Against the Odds (1988) and Choreography and the Specific Image (2001).
Nagrin died on December 29, 2008 in Tempe, Arizona
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...
.
Selected choreography
- Private Johnny Jukebox (1942)
- Spanish Dance (1948)
- Stranger Hero (1948)
- Man of Action (1948)
- Dance in the Sun (1950)
- Faces from Walt Whitman (1950)
- Man Dancing (1954)
- Progress (1957)
- Indeterminate Figure (1957)
- Three Happy Men (1958)
- Jazz, Three Ways (1958)
- For a Young Person (1958)
- A Dancer Prepares (1958)
- An American Journey (1960)
- Two Improvisations (1962)
- The Man Who Did Not Care (1963)
- In the Dusk (1965)
- Not Me, But Him (1965)
- Path (1965)
- A Gratitude (1965)
- Why Not (1965)
- The Peloponnesian War (1968)
- The Ritual (1971)
- Rondo (1971)
- Rituals of Power (1971)
- Signs of the Times (1972)
- Ritual for Two (1972)
- Ritual for Eight (1972)
- Wounded Knee (1972)
- Sea Anemone Suite (1972)
- Hello-Farewell-Hello (1973)
- Steps (1973)
- Jazz Changes (1974)
- Sweet Woman (1974)
- Nineteen Upbeats (1975)
- The Edge is Also a Center (1975)