Jonathan Wolken
Encyclopedia
Abraham Jonathan Wolken was one of the original dancers and a co-founder of Pilobolus
dance company in 1971, which The New York Times
in his obituary calls "one of the most popular modern-dance companies in the world". Wolken served as one of the company's three artistic directors.
Wolken was born on the date of July 12, 1949, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
, son of biophysicist Jerome Wolken
. He attended Dartmouth College
, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy (1971). While attending Dartmouth, he took a modern dance
class taught by Alison Becker Chase
. Together with Moses Pendleton
, a fellow student in the Dartmouth dance class, Robby Barnett
, and Lee Harris, Wolken formed the Pilobolus dance company, which was named for a fungus
that shoots its spores as much as several feet away, having seen a demonstration from his father during his youth. Chase and Martha Clarke
joined the group in 1973; and Michael Tracy was added the following year, replacing Lee Harris. Clarke left the group in 1978 and Pendleton in 1983, each going off to form dance companies of their own.
With almost no practical experience in dance, the group developed its own unique visual slapstick style. A review by dance critic Anna Kisselgoff
of The Times in 1971 said the troupe's enthusiasm "suggest an interest in dance that can only be applauded", noting their "amazing physical fearlessness, humor, inventiveness and unselfconsciousness", creating "witty and theatrical shapes" and "kinetic gags" using their body movements and groupings. This early performance evidenced the Pilobolus style that would last for decades that used the movements of the human body and interlinkings between members to create a form of kinetic art
.
Wolken ended his dance career several years after the troupe was formed but continued to choreograph performances including "Pseudopodia" (1973), "B'zyrk" (2007), and "Razor: Mirror" (2008). His final production, "Hitched", began performances in summer 2010 during the company's annual month-long series at the Joyce Theater
in New York City
and were dedicated to his memory. Wolken choreographed a production of A Selection in conjunction with its author Maurice Sendak
that was the subject of a 2002 documentary by Mirra Bank.
A resident of Washington, Connecticut
, Wolken died in Manhattan
's Mount Sinai Hospital
at age 60 on June 13, 2010, from complications of stem cell treatments
for his myelofibrosis
.
Pilobolus (dance company)
Pilobolus is a contemporary dance company whose origins are traced to a 1971 Dartmouth College dance class taught by Alison Becker Chase. The group first began performing in October 1971....
dance company in 1971, which The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
in his obituary calls "one of the most popular modern-dance companies in the world". Wolken served as one of the company's three artistic directors.
Wolken was born on the date of July 12, 1949, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, son of biophysicist Jerome Wolken
Jerome Wolken
Jerome Jay Wolken was an American biophysicist who used his research in vision in deep sea creatures to develop a kind of eyeglasses that used specially designed lenses to gather more light, which provided vision to some people who were legally blind.Jerome Jay Wolken was born in Pittsburgh on...
. He attended Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy (1971). While attending Dartmouth, he took a 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:...
class taught by Alison Becker Chase
Alison Becker Chase
Alison Becker Chase taught the dance class at Dartmouth that led to founding of Pilobolus Dance Theater in 1971. As a founding artistic director of Pilobolus she worked with the company from 1971 to 2006....
. Together with Moses Pendleton
Moses Pendleton
Moses Pendleton is a choreographer, dancer and the artistic director of MOMIX. MOMIX is a dance company that he formed in 1981 as an offshoot of the ground-breaking Pilobolus, which he had co-founded while a senior at Dartmouth College in 1971. He remained a full-time member with the company...
, a fellow student in the Dartmouth dance class, Robby Barnett
Robby Barnett
Robby Barnett is one of the founders of the dance company Pilobolus. He and other students in a dance class at Darthmouth College started using a unique weight-sharing approach to partnering, what Robby called four men twisted together like proteins...
, and Lee Harris, Wolken formed the Pilobolus dance company, which was named for a fungus
Pilobolus
Pilobolus is a genus of fungi that commonly grows on herbivore dung.-Life cycle:The life cycle of Pilobolus begins with a black sporangium that has been discharged onto a plant substrate such as grass. A herbivorous animal such as a horse then eats the substrate, unknowingly consuming the...
that shoots its spores as much as several feet away, having seen a demonstration from his father during his youth. Chase and Martha Clarke
Martha Clarke
Martha Clarke is an American theater director and choreographer noted for her multidisciplinary approach to theatre, dance, and opera productions. She is the creator of plotless, dreamlike works that are perhaps described by the term "moving paintings. Her work frequently emphasizes striking...
joined the group in 1973; and Michael Tracy was added the following year, replacing Lee Harris. Clarke left the group in 1978 and Pendleton in 1983, each going off to form dance companies of their own.
With almost no practical experience in dance, the group developed its own unique visual slapstick style. A review by dance critic Anna Kisselgoff
Anna Kisselgoff
Anna Kisselgoff is a dance critic and cultural news reporter for the New York Times. She began at the Times as a dance critic and cultural news reporter in 1968, and became its Chief Dance Critic in 1977, a role she held until 2005...
of The Times in 1971 said the troupe's enthusiasm "suggest an interest in dance that can only be applauded", noting their "amazing physical fearlessness, humor, inventiveness and unselfconsciousness", creating "witty and theatrical shapes" and "kinetic gags" using their body movements and groupings. This early performance evidenced the Pilobolus style that would last for decades that used the movements of the human body and interlinkings between members to create a form of kinetic art
Kinetic art
Kinetic art is art that contains moving parts or depends on motion for its effect. The moving parts are generally powered by wind, a motor or the observer. Kinetic art encompasses a wide variety of overlapping techniques and styles.-Kinetic sculpture:...
.
Wolken ended his dance career several years after the troupe was formed but continued to choreograph performances including "Pseudopodia" (1973), "B'zyrk" (2007), and "Razor: Mirror" (2008). His final production, "Hitched", began performances in summer 2010 during the company's annual month-long series at the Joyce Theater
Joyce Theater
The Joyce Theater is a 472-seat dance performance venue located in the Chelsea area of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The Joyce Theater Foundation, the organization founded in 1982 that operates the theater, also owns the Joyce SoHo dance center located in a former firehouse on Mercer...
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...
and were dedicated to his memory. Wolken choreographed a production of A Selection in conjunction with its author Maurice Sendak
Maurice Sendak
Maurice Bernard Sendak is an American writer and illustrator of children's literature. He is best known for his book Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963.-Early life:...
that was the subject of a 2002 documentary by Mirra Bank.
A resident of Washington, Connecticut
Washington, Connecticut
Washington is a rural town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, in the New England region of the United States. The population was 3,596 at the 2000 census. Washington is known for its picturesque countryside, historic architecture, and active civic and cultural life...
, Wolken died in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's Mount Sinai Hospital
Mount Sinai Hospital, New York
Mount Sinai Hospital, founded in 1852, is one of the oldest and largest teaching hospitals in the United States. In 2011-2012, Mount Sinai Hospital was ranked as one of America's best hospitals by U.S...
at age 60 on June 13, 2010, from complications of stem cell treatments
Stem cell treatments
Stem cell treatments are a type of intervention strategy that introduces new cells into damaged tissue in order to treat disease or injury. Many medical researchers believe that stem cell treatments have the potential to change the face of human disease and alleviate suffering...
for his myelofibrosis
Myelofibrosis
Myelofibrosis, also known as myeloid metaplasia, chronic idiopathic myelofibrosis, osteomyelofibrosis and primary myelofibrosis is a disorder of the bone marrow...
.