Daniel Nagrin Memorial Tribute Monday, June 8, 2009 Danspace Project Second Avenue at 10th Street 6:00 p.m. A memorial program honoring modern dancer, choreographer, actor, and teacher Daniel Nagrin will be held on Monday, June 8, 2009, at Danspace Project. Mr. Nagrin died in Tempe, Arizona, on December 29, at the age of 91. The program will include videos of Mr. Nagrin performing selected solos, live performance, and reminiscences from his former colleagues, students, and friends. Reservations are not required. Danspace Project will open at 5:30 p.m. for seating. Biography: Daniel Nagrin began his career in the company of Anna Sokolow and was a featured dancer on Broadway, where he most frequently appeared in shows choreographed by Helen Tamiris. The best known of these was Annie Get Your Gun, and its Indian ceremonial. Mr. Nagrin and Tamiris were married for 25 years, and formed the Tamiris-Nagrin Dance Company, which performed from 1960 to 1965. Mr. Nagrin left Broadway and began a career as a choreographer and dance soloist in 1957. When the body of his work grew to encompass full length concerts, dance critic Walter Terry wrote: "The fingers of one hand (possibly two) would be sufficient to count the number of dancers capable (artistically, not merely physically) of carrying off a solo recital. . . Now a new name must be added to this very special list, Daniel Nagrin." Mr. Nagrin´s work was marked by a focus on what it means to be a human being, with social and political dimensions. When asked by Dance Magazine´s John Gruen how he made his dances, he responded: "I read books, I look at people, I listen to music. I´m often dealing with certain moments in life, where an individual has to face up to something or to do something that entails personal responsibility. In a certain context, you could say that the spine of my work is what is happening between people. That´s what I deal with. Sometimes, it may have a political context. I know that in our field this area is regarded as somewhat questionable. In the early days, all the modern dancers were terribly aware of historical context and historical movement. Well, I believe that any aesthetic gesture is also a social or political gesture. Much of modern dance movement wants to disclaim this and say that it is interested only in pure movement, or pure beauty, or whatever. But I say, what is more political than the love between a man and a woman? " Mr. Nagrin continued to make and present work in New York and, on tour, across the United States, in Europe, and Asia, until his retirement from performing in 1982. During that time, Dance Magazine referred to him as " the great loner of American Dance. " Based in part on his enthusiasm for jazz and improvisation, Mr. Nagrin, founded the Workgroup in 1970, an improvisational training and performance ensemble, which presented events through 1974. For many years, Mr. Nagrin taught at the American Dance Festival and around the world. From 1982 to 1992, he was professor of Dance at Arizona State University in Tempe. In 1993, he received a fellowship awarded to master teachers and mentors by the National Endowment for the Arts. His books include: Dance and the Specific Image: Improvisation; The Six Questions: Acting Technique for Dance Performance; Choreography and the Specific Image, all published by the University of Pittsburgh Press, and How To Dance Forever: Surviving Against the Odds, published by William Morrow & Company. A scholarship to assist male dancers has been established in Mr. Nagrin´s honor at Arizona State University. Memorial contributions may be made payable to the ASU Foundation, attention "Daniel Nagrin Scholarship in Dance." Mail to: Development Office, Herberger College of the Arts, Arizona State University, PO Box 872102, Tempe, AZ 85287-2102. Contributions may be made via credit card by calling Christine Austin (480) 727-7785. Mr. Nagrin is survived by his wife, Phyllis Steele Nagrin.