Laura Dean (born December 3, 1945) is an American dancer, choreographer and composer.
She is known for her collaborations with
Steve Reich,
a number of commissioned works for the
Joffrey Ballet,
and works for her own dance companies. Dean's earliest works were marked by a
minimalist
In visual arts, music and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in post–World War II in Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Don ...
approach and an affinity for spinning; her later work saw more use of traditional dance methods.
Awards
Dean is the recipient of awards including the 2008
Samuel H. Scripps American Dance Festival
The American Dance Festival (ADF) under the direction of Executive Director Jodee Nimerichter hosts its main summer dance courses including Summer Dance Intensive, Pre-Professional Dance Intensive, and the Dance Professional Workshops. It also hos ...
Award for Lifetime Achievement in Dance. She has also received a "
Bessie" New York Dance and Performance Award for her work with composer
Steve Reich (1986). Dean has been awarded two John Simon Guggenheim Fellowships for choreography (1976 and 1981), the Montgomery Fellowship from
Dartmouth College(1986), the
Dance Magazine
''Dance Magazine'' is an American trade publication for dance published by the Macfadden Communications Group. It was first published in June 1927 as ''The American Dancer''. ''Dance Magazine'' has multiple sister publications, including '' Pointe ...
Award (1982), the
Smithsonian Institution Certificate of Appreciation (1975),
Harvard University's Certificate of Appreciation (1991),
New York City Commission of the Status of Women Special Recognition Award (1984), the
ABSOLUT
Absolut Vodka is a brand of vodka, produced near Åhus, in southern Sweden. Absolut is a part of the French group Pernod Ricard. Pernod Ricard bought Absolut for €5.63 billion in 2008 from the Swedish state. Absolut is one of the largest brands ...
Award for Artistic Achievement (1993), the Staten Island Arts Council Award for Outstanding Achievement (1988), the
Lester Horton
Lester Iradell Horton (23 January 1906 – 2 November 1953) was an American dancer, choreographer, and teacher. Early years and education
Lester Iradell Horton was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on 23 January 1906. His parents were Iradell and Poll ...
Award for Music for Dance (1994), the Brandeis Creative Arts Award for Extraordinary Artistic Achievement in Dance (1986) and an Honorary Doctorate from The College of Staten Island/The
City University of New York (2001).
Laura Dean was awarded The Millennium Grant from The
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...
for her work with The
American Indian Dance Theatre. Ms. Dean has received The National Repertory Dance Grant from The National Endowment on the Arts and The Meet the Composer Grant for her work with The Aman Folk Ensemble. Her company has received funding from The New York State Council on the Arts, The North Carolina State Arts Council, 27 grants from The National Endowment for the Arts, ATT Foundation, The Jerome Foundation, The New York Foundation, The Jerome Robbins Foundation, The Sherman Foundation, The Lila Wallace Reader's Digest Fund, The Rockefeller Foundation, The Philip Morris Foundation and The Mary Duke Biddle Foundation.
Career
Laura Dean has composed thirty music scores and choreographed one hundred and nine dance works. This includes the choreography for her own dance and music company as well as for ballet companies, ice skating companies, other modern dance companies, student dance companies, The American Indian Dance Theatre and The Aman Folk Ensemble. She has choreographed nine works to the music of
Steve Reich with the music played live by Steve Reich and Musicians to five of the works. Laura Dean Dancers and Musicians commissioned Steve Reich for the music ''
Sextet'' for Laura Dean's dance ''IMPACT''. Steve Reich and Laura Dean were awarded a Bessie/New York Dance and Performance Award for IMPACT/SEXTET in 1986.
Laura Dean's company has performed in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Indonesia, India, Europe and Eastern Europe. Works for her company have been commissioned by Het Muziektheater, The Brooklyn Academy of Music, The American Dance Festival, Walker Art Center, The Holland Festival, The Avignon Festival, Dartmouth College, The Styrian Autumn Festival, Graz, Austria.
Dean has created ballets including two works for The
Royal Danish Ballet with the first work DELTA with a commissioned orchestral score from the composer Gary Brooker of Procol Harum, The New York City Ballet SPACE with an orchestral score The Four Sections by Steve Reich, eight ballets for
The Joffrey Ballet
The Joffrey Ballet is one of the premier dance companies and training institutions in the world today. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the Joffrey regularly performs classical and contemporary ballets during its annual performance season at Lyric ...
including CREATIVE FORCE with a commissioned score Ray One by
John Zeretzke. CREATIVE FORCE was seen in the Robert Altman film The . CREATIVE FORCE, as part of the film, was nominated for an American Choreography Award.
Dean stopped choreographing and writing music in 2001. As of 2009, Laura Dean, the choreographer/composer, is no longer arranging and allowing restaging/reconstruction projects of her dance and music works. Dean does not allow the teaching of her choreography or music in classes, lectures, panels or in any way whatsoever.
The archive of Laura Dean's Papers is located at the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library at
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist Jame ...
and includes photographic prints, negatives, slides, clippings, programs, VHS videotapes, and an audio cassette.
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dean, Laura
1945 births
American women choreographers
American choreographers
Living people
People from Staten Island
American composers
21st-century American women