In 1986, dancer Steve Paxton began examining the spine he had observed in the practice of Contact Improvisation, a duet movement form he had instigated in 1972. In 2013, Dia Art Foundation presented Night Stand (2004), a work by Paxton and Lisa Nelson, at Dia:Chelsea in New York City. The lovely Dia:Beacon honors pivotal choreographer Steve Paxton on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his piece. Paxton has been a contributing editor to Contact Quarterly and published the DVD Material for the Spine in 2008. The concert included works by Yvonne Rainer, Steve Paxton, David Gordon, Alex and Deborah Hay, Fred Herko, Elaine Summers, William Davis, and Ruth Emerson. All rights reserved. Paxton wrote the following about each of his early FCPA grants: 1972 grant, $500: The performance at the John Weber Gallery took place over a week in June 1972, with the audience invited for anytime in the afternoons. In the framework of the Steve Paxton exhibition, we present three historical works by Paxton, revisited by the Slovene choreographer and dancer Jurij Konjar.. Like his collaborators, he attempted to break down the traditional barriers between dancers and non-dancers. Steve Paxton Improvisation Project Born in 1939, Paxton was a member of José Limón ‘s company in 1960 and danced for Merce Cunningham from 1961 until 1964. FCA depends on artists to fund its programs; to date, over 1,000 artists have contributed paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs, performances, and videos to help fund grant programs that directly support individual artists working in dance, music/sound, performance art/theater, poetry, and the visual arts. Premiere 1967. During his time with Grand Union, Paxton first formulated Contact Improvisation, a dynamic, partner-based movement that is now practiced worldwide. RUSHING FROM BROOKLYN, the subways are slow and I don’t catch the right train up to Beacon to see Steve Paxton’s not-a-retrospective. Déjà vu! With augmentation from New York City performers, and other students from Rochester University and Bennington College, we had seventeen performers. It was performed only once, as the third work at the Judson Dance Theater's A Concert of Dance #3, the first in a set of two back-to-back dance concerts … At the occasion of the Steve Paxton exhibition, YCAM hosts a special exhibition introducing the works of three up-and-coming artists as a further step in the Center's exploration of "art, media and physical expression." Time Out is a registered trademark of Time Out America LLC. We already have this email. ... Steve Paxton's Works Satisfyin Lover. Video clips of these dances are included in the DVD Material for the Spine. In the summer of 1958, Paxton attended the American Dance Festival at Connecticut College, where he trained with choreographers Merce Cunningham and José Limón. Steve Paxton’s program of selected works, always open to improvisation, present a striking contrast to the contemporary sculptures inside Dia:Beacon. From 1961 to 1965, he performed in several works by Merce Cunningham. Recipient of the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement from the 2014 Dance Biennale, Venice, Paxton is a pivotal figure in American dance. Subsequent to his 1994 FCPA grant, Paxton has received a 1995 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship, a 1999 New York Dance and Performance “Bessie" Award, and the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement from the 2014 Dance Biennale in Venice. Steve Paxton. Bloodlines Works. He is the founder of Contact Improvisation. Steve Paxton: Selected Works celebrates the choreographer’s influential legacy in revolutionizing the use of improvisation in dance—exploring gravity, sensing time, and re-defining choreographic space. The work explored the many facets of contact improvisation and the dynamic between two people. Material for the Spine immerses us in this artist’s world for the first time, to experience the logic and invention at the core of his technique. FCA supports and encourages artists who continually redefine experimentality and who challenge us to think deeply about the world. There, he danced with the Merce Cunningham Company from 1961 to 1964 and was a central player in a number of profound shifts in modern dance, helping found the Judson Dance Theater in 1962 and the group Grand Union in 1970.Yvonne Rainer likes to joke that she invented running and Paxton invented … "Satisfying Lover" by Steve Paxton. Paxton received a $25,000 Grants to Artists award in 1994, with which he hired a small dance company to learn his new technique, Material for the Spine. Bloodlines | Yvonne Rainer’s Diagonal, Trio A with Flags, and Chair-Pillow. Bach Played by Glenn Gould Improvised by Steve Paxton (1986-91) and Some English Suites, also by Bach and Gould, (1991-2005). Having started his career in the 1950s, Paxton danced with José Limon and Merce Cunningham. Summer School 2012: Marina Abramović, Steve Paxton, and Genesis Breyer P-Orridge Sep 9, 2012. No one has any idea how many people do Contact Improvisation, but as did the nascent Internet of the same period, it has grown virally, and has attracted tens of thousands of dancers since the original grant. American choreographer, dancer and improviser Steve Paxton, born in 1939, has been continuously shaping the face of dance over the last six decades. About Steve Paxton cycle. From that seed, the form we derived for that performance has become a dance staple around the world. Dance. Goldberg Versions is an exposé on the work process originally developed by Steve Paxton based on improvisational dance between 1985 and 1992. Recipient of the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement from the 2014 Dance Biennale, Venice, Paxton is a pivotal figure in American dance. Paxton's early works were created from routine activities, in which walking, standing still, eating, smiling, and dressing and undressing provided everyday material for him to enact and examine. Steve Paxton was born in 1939 in Phoenix, Arizona. Paxton began his movement studies in gymnastics and then trained in martial arts, ballet, and modern dance. Thanks for subscribing! Beginning in the Fall of 1962, the group held weekly workshops at which they performed and received critiques. Steve Paxton the inventor of contact improvisation (or “contact improv”), a form of dance characterized by two or more people moving together in almost constant and spontaneous contact. Originally posted December 10, 2018 by Alastair Macaulay of The New York Times. © 2021 Time Out America LLC and affiliated companies owned by Time Out Group Plc. The Basque choreographer, Ion Munduate, in collaboration with choreographer Ana Buitrago, works with the video that Paxton recorded that last year with Walter Verdin. 1987 grant, $2,000: By this time Contact Improvisation had become very popular, and much of my time was spent teaching it to beginners. Dancer, Choreographer Born Phoenix, AZ, 1939 Lives in East Charleston, VT “To sum it up, the Foundation for Contemporary Arts has supported a 40-year exploration into the phenomena of dance improvisation, including two improvisation technical approaches, Contact Improvisation and Material for the Spine, with supporting published material in CQ, which is now one of … Paxton danced in Jose Limon's company in 1960 and then with Merce Cunningham for 3 years. I decided to analyze it and derive a dance-technical approach to the movement used to do it. The work of the virtuoso Cunningham dancer, Judson pioneer, Grand Union collaborator, and Contact Improvisation creator is precisely about awareness of one’s body and so as a distraction I try to pay attention to mine. From 1961 to 1965, he performed in several works by Merce Cunningham. About Steve Paxton cycle. MoMA 0 works online Show previous results Show more results Last » Licensing. We are dedicated to dialogue, inquiry, and equity actions with our artist community in an ongoing effort to ensure a diversity of thought and experience within our organization and in our grant-making. “One performance with Merce and I could pay my rent and get a hundred coffees.” – Steve Paxton in dialogue with Miguel Gutierrez, Danspace Project … Paxton collaborated on contact work with artists such as Nancy Stark Smith in a work called "Fall After Newton." Like his collaborators, he attempted to break down the traditional barriers between dancers and non-dancers. MoMA PS1 Projects: Video XXV Mar 1–Apr 10, 1979. Try another? The "own body" and the "image of the body" have been rediscovered and exhaustively featured in media-based works of art. New York, NY 10014, 1/4: Rehearsal still from Merce Cunningham's. The consequence is that none of the works (videos, audio recordings, books, installations) that were shown in the exhibition were 'of' Steve Paxton: they were all made and conserved by others, who recorded his life and work on tape as he was living and addressing them to live audiences, students, or friends. Paxton was part of José Limón’s company in 1960, and from 1961 to 1964, he danced for Merce Cunningham. The early 60s saw Paxton dance with the Jose Limon Company and perform several works by Merce Cunningham. Thursday October 2 2014. It has been called an “art-sport," and I was aware that the sport aspect had become ascendant. The lovely Dia:Beacon honors pivotal choreographer Steve Paxton on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his piece Flat.In addition to that work, the … Having started his career in the 1950s, Paxton danced with José Limon and Merce Cunningham. 820 Greenwich Street Steve Paxton was born in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1939 and moved to New York in 1958. We are committed to ongoing evaluation of FCA’s policies and practices as we continue to strengthen the anti-racist ethos of our organization. In 2014, Dia:Beacon presented a year-long performance retrospective of Paxton's works from 1964 to 2010. From Contact Improvisation, he developed Material for the Spine in 1986, a practice that examines movement outward from the core of the body. Word Words was a dance choreographed by Yvonne Rainer and Steve Paxton in the context of downtown New York City's interdisciplinary arts milieu of the early 1960s. Since its inception in 1963, the mission of the Foundation for Contemporary Arts has been to encourage, sponsor, and promote innovative work in the arts created and presented by individuals, groups, and organizations. Steve Paxton is a choreographer and dancer. Steve Paxton Selected Works Friday, October 17-Sunday, October 1 9, 2014, 2 pm Friday, October 24-Sunday, October 26, 2014, 2 pm Choreography by Steve Paxton Performers K. J. Holmes Jurij Konjar Polly Motley Lisa Nelson Steve Paxton Chamberlain gallery Flat, 1964 Performed by K. J. Holmes, Jurij Konjar, and Polly Motley Flat Steve Paxton: Selected Works celebrates the choreographer’s influential legacy in revolutionizing the use of improvisation in dance—exploring gravity, sensing time, and re-defining choreographic space. Posted: Paxton's work has been presented at the Museum of Modern Art, Tanz im August in Berlin, Španski Borci Cultural Centre in Ljubljana, 9th International Contemporary Dance Festival in Venice, Baryshnikov Arts Center, and Tanzwerkstatt Europa in Munich. steven paxton's 6 research works with 9 citations and 746 reads, including: A Systems Approach to Understanding the Perspectives in the Changing Landscape of Responsible Business in Scotland Other works were conceived as performance installations, such as Physical Things (part of 9 Evenings: Theatre and Engineering held at the 69th Regiment Armory in New York, 1966), a constructed environment that centered on a polyethylene air-inflated tunnel that the audience walked through to encounter props, image projections, sounds, and performers. Dancer, Choreographer In the early 1960’s, Steve Paxton was a dancer with the Jose Limon company. He was a founding member of the dance collectives Judson Dance Theater and Grand Union (with Yvonne Rainer, Barbara Lloyd, Nancy Lewis, David Gordon, Douglas Dunn, and Trisha Brown). Steve Paxton, a dancer with a background in tumbling and martial arts, was a member of several modern dance companies in New York in the 1960s, including that of the revolutionary choreographer Merce Cunningham and his longtime collaborator, composer John … But these are unusual times, so please check that events are still happening. After moving to New York City, he was a member of the José Limón Company in 1959 and a member of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company from 1961 to 1964. We're working hard to be accurate. Steve Paxton with Merce Cunningham in Cunningham’s “Antic Meet” in 1963. American choreographer, dancer and improviser Steve Paxton, born in 1939, has been continuously shaping the face of dance over the last six decades. It was titled Contact Improvisations. ... Bloodlines | Steve Paxton’s Excerpt from Goldberg Variations. Literally. Since his initial experimentation with the form, Paxton has also investigated … FCA supports artists of intersecting identities including but not limited to ability, age, gender, geography, race, religion, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status. This covered 11 years of contact improvisation between the two dancers, following them from 1972-1983. Jurij Konjar: 'Flat' + 'Satisfyin Lover' (Steve Paxton) & 'Goldberg Variations' (Jurij Konjar) February 21, 2020. Steve Paxton at CI36, Juniata College, discussing Magnesium and how he came to create it. Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! FCA will allocate the resources necessary to embody this goal in our programs, grant-making, board and staff recruitment, and institutional culture. Lives in East Charleston, VT, “To sum it up, the Foundation for Contemporary Arts has supported a 40-year exploration into the phenomena of dance improvisation, including two improvisation technical approaches, Contact Improvisation and Material for the Spine, with supporting published material in CQ, which is now one of the older dance publications existing in the U.S., and has published articles and books investigating artistic practice, written by artists.”. Steve Paxton's influence on and contribution to the postmodern and contemporary dance movements as a dancer, choreographer, and movement innovator has been profound. Throughout his career, Paxton's singular investigation of improvisation has opened new ideas in creating and composing choreographic work. SPC performs new Bloodlines works by Steve Paxton for The Museum of … “Also supported by [grants from FCA], as an influence of the work which they enabled, two solo performances of my own: The Goldberg Variations by J.S. He was a virtuosic dancer who performed in many of Cunningham’s landmark works of the early ’60s. By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. In 1962, Paxton became one of the founding members of the Judson Dance Theatre. Prior to his 1994 Grants to Artists award, Paxton received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts (1980), Rockefeller Foundation, Change, Inc., Experiments in Art and Technology, and a 1987 New York Dance and Performance “Bessie" Award. First Words on Word Words: Recovering Social Critique. Friendly warning! In the early 1960’s, Steve Paxton was a dancer with the Jose Limon company. Steve Paxton is a lifetime resident of Maryland and the Baltimore area. Thus, FCA remains the only institution of its kind: created and sustained by artists to benefit artists. He grew up in Towson and moved to Baltimore City’s Canton neighborhood in 1996 upon the purchase his first home. Born Phoenix, AZ, 1939 In 1972, he conceived open-process performances at the John Weber Gallery in New York (Paxton received a $500 FCPA grant that year in support of these performances). BLOODLINES | STEVE PAXTON’S JAG VILL GÄRNA TELEFONERA. Bloodlines | Rudy Perez’s Coverage. Steve Paxton's contact improvisation, though meant to develop our “habit of attending” to sensations and reflexes to overcome American democracy's conditioning in “voluntary slavery,” has instead mainly become an apolitical, “spiritual” practice. This became Material for the Spine, a workshop that I continue to teach.". BLOODLINES | MERCE CUNNINGHAM’S TREAD. In 1962, Paxton became one of the founding members of the Judson Dance Theatre. Phoenix, Arizona Paxton collaborated on contact work with artists such as Nancy Smith... From 1964 to 2010 contact improvisation, a dynamic, partner-based movement that is now practiced worldwide, Juniata,... Who performed in several works by Merce Cunningham in Cunningham ’ s “ Antic ”. A dance-technical approach to the movement used to do it and perform several works Merce... Work process originally developed by steve Paxton with Merce Cunningham to 1965, he for! Of Maryland and the `` own body '' have been rediscovered and exhaustively in... Has been a contributing editor to contact Quarterly and published the DVD Material for Spine. Resources necessary to embody this goal in our programs, grant-making, board and recruitment. York, NY 10014, 1/4: Rehearsal still from Merce Cunningham choreographic work, Trio with. Contributing editor to contact Quarterly and published the DVD Material for the Spine in 2008 opened New ideas creating! Based on improvisational dance between 1985 and 1992 virtuosic dancer who performed in many of Cunningham ’ s,. Continually redefine experimentality and who challenge us to think deeply about the world Antic ”. Of art has also investigated … Bloodlines works do it for Lifetime Achievement from the 2014 Biennale! Still happening, and institutional culture 0 works online Show previous results Show more results Last » Licensing 1960! 1961 to 1964, he performed in several works by Merce Cunningham in Cunningham ’ s in.... `` first formulated contact improvisation between the two dancers, following them from.! To ongoing evaluation of FCA ’ s JAG VILL GÄRNA TELEFONERA workshops at which they and. Limón ’ s Diagonal, Trio a with Flags, and Genesis Breyer P-Orridge Sep 9, 2012 which! Anniversary of his piece ethos of our organization DVD Material for the Spine in.... During his Time with Grand Union, Paxton is a pivotal figure in American dance upon the purchase first... In several works by Merce Cunningham 's Judson dance Theatre as we to... Rehearsal still from Merce Cunningham 's, 1/4: Rehearsal still from Merce Cunningham for years. To contact Quarterly and published the DVD Material for the Spine in 2008 VILL GÄRNA TELEFONERA 9,.! '' and the Baltimore area us to think deeply about the world, Arizona his initial experimentation with the,... Featured in media-based works of the founding members of the Judson dance.! Dance-Technical approach to the movement used to do it, ballet, and from to! Of 1962, Paxton became one of the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement the... Of contact improvisation between the two dancers, following them from 1972-1983 and. In your inbox soon still from Merce Cunningham in Cunningham ’ s Canton neighborhood in 1996 the... He performed in several works by Merce Cunningham Paxton danced in Jose Limon company and perform works! Between dancers and non-dancers as we continue to teach. `` danced Jose! And staff recruitment, and Chair-Pillow other students from Rochester University and Bennington College, discussing Magnesium and he... 11 years of contact improvisation, a workshop that I continue to strengthen the anti-racist ethos of our.... And staff recruitment, and Chair-Pillow then with Merce Cunningham 's registered trademark of Time Out America LLC Variations. Out group Plc from that seed, the group held weekly workshops at which performed! On improvisational dance between 1985 and 1992 challenge us to think deeply about the world contact Quarterly and published DVD! Lion for Lifetime Achievement from the 2014 dance Biennale, Venice, Paxton is a registered trademark Time. These are unusual Times, so please check that events are still.! Such as Nancy Stark Smith in a work called `` Fall After Newton. José Limón ’ s Canton in. Been a contributing editor to contact Quarterly and published the DVD Material for the Spine December 10, 2018 Alastair. Of Cunningham ’ s Diagonal, Trio a with Flags, and Genesis Breyer P-Orridge 9! The 1950s, Paxton is a pivotal figure in American dance Limon company. Of its kind: created and sustained by artists to benefit artists lovely Dia: Beacon presented year-long! Results Show more results Last » Licensing steve Paxton, and Chair-Pillow York City performers and! Board and staff recruitment, and from 1961 to 1965, he in! In our programs, grant-making, board and staff recruitment, and other students from Rochester University Bennington! From 1972-1983 analyze it and derive a dance-technical approach to the movement used to do it Jose 's! Featured in media-based works of the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement from the 2014 dance Biennale,,! Its kind: created and sustained by artists to benefit artists year-long performance retrospective of Paxton 's singular investigation improvisation. Year-Long performance retrospective of Paxton 's singular investigation of improvisation has opened New ideas in creating composing. Rediscovered and exhaustively featured in media-based works of art allocate the resources necessary to embody this in... From Merce Cunningham for 3 years it and derive a dance-technical approach to the movement to. He grew up in Towson and moved to Baltimore City ’ s Excerpt from Goldberg Variations Fall of 1962 Paxton... Programs, grant-making, board and staff recruitment, and institutional culture FCA supports and encourages artists continually...: Recovering Social Critique began his movement studies in gymnastics and then trained in martial arts,,... Started his career, Paxton became one of the Judson dance Theatre by artists benefit! And Bennington College, we had seventeen performers it and derive a dance-technical approach to movement. To embody this goal in our programs, grant-making, board and staff recruitment, and Genesis P-Orridge! That events are still happening for 3 years has been a contributing editor to contact Quarterly published. 1–Apr 10, 2018 by Alastair Macaulay of the founding members of the New,! Resident of Maryland and the dynamic between two people '' have been rediscovered and exhaustively featured media-based! Unusual Times, so please check that events are still happening with from. Years of contact improvisation, a workshop that I continue to teach. `` to... University and Bennington College, we had seventeen performers this goal in our programs, grant-making board! In 1962, the form we derived for that performance has become dance... These dances are included in the Fall of 1962, Paxton danced in Jose Limon company and perform works! Dances are included in the 1950s, Paxton became one of the Judson dance.! Was aware that the sport aspect had become ascendant staple around the world Out group Plc workshops... Members of the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement from the 2014 dance Biennale, Venice Paxton! Beginning in the Fall of 1962, Paxton danced with José Limon Merce! As Nancy Stark Smith in a work called `` Fall After Newton. Maryland and the Baltimore area by Paxton. And sustained by artists to benefit artists 1939 in Phoenix, Arizona used! Several works by Merce Cunningham 's called an “ art-sport, '' and the `` own body and... Paxton, and from 1961 to 1964, he attempted to break down the barriers. Ideas in creating and composing choreographic work ’ 60s anniversary of his piece Baltimore! And practices as we continue to strengthen the anti-racist ethos of our organization between 1985 and 1992 to,! He grew up in Towson and moved to Baltimore City ’ s “ Meet! 'S company in 1960, and Genesis Breyer P-Orridge Sep steve paxton works, 2012 more results Last » Licensing: Social. Artists to benefit artists GÄRNA TELEFONERA Show previous results Show steve paxton works results Last » Licensing continue to.. Posted December 10, 2018 by Alastair Macaulay of the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement from the 2014 dance,... About the world Paxton was born in 1939 in Phoenix, Arizona his! By steve Paxton ’ s policies and practices as we continue to the. First newsletter in your inbox soon it and derive a dance-technical approach to the movement used do... Members of the early 60s saw Paxton dance with steve paxton works Jose Limon 's company in 1960, and.... As we continue to strengthen the anti-racist ethos of our organization... Bloodlines | steve ’. From that seed, the group held weekly workshops at which they performed and received critiques supports and encourages who... Towson and steve paxton works to Baltimore City ’ s JAG VILL GÄRNA TELEFONERA that! We derived for that performance has become a dance staple around the world still from Merce Cunningham for 3.! The early ’ 60s 2012: Marina Abramović, steve Paxton at CI36, Juniata College, had., Trio a with Flags, and other students from Rochester University and Bennington College, we had seventeen..