Laura Dean (born December 3, 1945) is an American dancer, choreographer and composer. She is known for her collaborations with

Steve Reich Stephen Michael Reich ( ; born October 3, 1936) is an American composer best known as a pioneer of minimal music in the mid to late 1960s. Reich's work is marked by its use of repetitive figures, slow harmonic rhythm, and canons. Reich descr ...

, a number of commissioned works for the

Joffrey Ballet The Joffrey Ballet is an American dance company and training institution in Chicago, Illinois. The Joffrey regularly performs classical and contemporary ballets during its annual performance season at the Civic Opera House, including its annual ...

, 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 the post-war era in western art. The movement is often interpreted as a reaction to abstract expressionism and modernism; it anticipated contemporary post-mi ...

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 ho ...

Award for Lifetime Achievement in Dance. She has also received a " Bessie" New York Dance and Performance Award for her work with composer

(1986). Dean has been awarded two John Simon Guggenheim Fellowships for choreography (1976 and 1981), the Montgomery Fellowship from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...

(1986), the

Dance Magazine ''Dance Magazine'' is an American trade publication for dance. It was first published in June 1927 as ''The American Dancer''. ''Dance Magazine'' is currently part of Dance Media, led by longtime arts publisher Joanna Harp as president, and has mu ...

Award (1982), the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

Certificate of Appreciation (1975),

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

's Certificate of Appreciation (1991),

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

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 (equivalent to € in ) from the Swedish state. Absolut ...

Award for Artistic Achievement (1993), the Staten Island Arts Council Award for Outstanding Achievement (1988), the

Lester Horton Lester Iradell Horton (January 23, 1906 – November 2, 1953) was an American dancer, choreographer, and teacher. Early years and education Lester Iradell Horton was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on January 23, 1906. His interest in dance was ...

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 The City University of New York (CUNY, pronounced , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven ...

(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 feder ...

for her work with The

American Indian Dance Theatre American Indian Dance Theatre is a professional performing arts company presenting the dances and songs of Native Americans in the United States and the First Nations of Canada. History The group was founded in 1987 with Hanay Geiogamah as directo ...

. 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 New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) serves to foster and advance the arts, culture, and creativity throughout New York State, according to its website. The goal of the council is to allow all New Yorkers to benefit from the contribution ...

, The North Carolina State Arts Council, 27 grants from The National Endowment for the Arts, ATT Foundation, The

Jerome Foundation James Jerome Hill II (March 2, 1905 – November 21, 1972) was an American filmmaker and artist known for his award-winning documentary and experimental films, one of which won him an Academy Award. Career Hill was the child of railroad executiv ...

, The

New York Foundation The New York Foundation is a charitable foundation which gives grants to non-profit organizations supporting community organizing and advocacy in New York City. History 1909–1919 The New York Foundation was established in 1909 when Louis ...

, The Jerome Robbins Foundation and Trust, The Sherman Foundation, The

Lila Wallace Reader's Digest Fund The Wallace Foundation is a national philanthropic organization based in New York City that seeks to foster improvements in learning and enrichment for disadvantaged children and the vitality of the arts for everyone. The foundation aims to devel ...

, The

Rockefeller Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The foundation was created by Standard Oil magnate John D. Rockefeller (" ...

, 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

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 A sextet (or hexad) is a formation containing exactly six members. The former term is commonly associated with vocal ensembles (e.g. The King's Singers, Affabre Concinui) or musical instrument groups, but can be applied to any situation where six ...

'' 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 The Royal Danish Ballet ( Danish: ''Den Kongelige Ballet'') is an internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Danish Theatre in Kongens Nytorv, Copenhagen, Denmark. It is one of the oldest ballet companies in the world a ...

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 an American dance company and training institution in Chicago, Illinois. The Joffrey regularly performs classical and contemporary ballets during its annual performance season at the Civic Opera House, including its annual ...

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 university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

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 Musicians from Staten Island American composers 21st-century American women