Robert Cohan is part of the pantheon of American
contemporary choreographers which includes Alvin Ailey
and Paul Taylor. Like them he follows in the tradition
of their teacher Martha Graham whose works were grounded
in finding through dance a way to express the human
condition, in all its forms. This he has done in over
fifty works, from early solos and duets to large group
works which have been performed by contemporary and
ballet companies around the world. A distinguished
teacher, choreographer and advocate for dance, he has
shaped the lives of generations of dance artists. Robert
Cohan joined the Martha Graham Dance Company in 1946 and
left it 23 years later when he was invited by Robin
Howard to become the first Artistic Director of the
Contemporary Dance Trust in London and as such was the
founder Artistic Director of The Place, London
Contemporary Dance School and London Contemporary Dance
Theatre, which he directed for over 20 years. As
director of LCDT he created many works for the Company
in collaboration with leading composers and designers,
including the classics, Cell, Stabat Mater, Forest and
Nymphaeas. No one has had a greater influence on the
development of dance in Britain than Cohan. Having
pioneered the teaching of contemporary dance technique
in Britain, he was instrumental in the development of a
vast following, not only for the repertory of LCDT but
through his pioneering residencies held throughout the
country, for the many other British companies which
followed. Without him there would be no Robert North,
Richard Alston, Siobhan Davies, Lloyd Newson, Rosemary
Butcher, Dharshan Singh-Bhuller, Anthony van Laast: the
list could go on and include choreographers and dancers
in every part of the world. From 1980 to 1990 he acted
as the Artistic Advisor to the Batsheva Dance Company
and choreographed several works for them and the Bat Dor
Company in Israel. He has been continually in demand as
a director of choreographic courses, notably the
International Course for Professional Choreographers and
Composers which he directed six times. Since 1989 he has
been working freelance and has choreographed ballets for
Scottish Ballet as well as companies in Germany and
Italy. This book is based on extensive interviews with
Cohan, his family, friends and colleagues. Drawing
together his life in dance around the world, it provides
the first in depth study of this seminal figure in the
dance world. The author: Paul Jackson trained in both
music and dance and has worked in both subjects
internationally. He is a past Chair of the Standing
Conference for Dance in Higher Education, the umbrella
organisation for British university dance departments.
From 1[zasłonięte]997-20 he was head of music at Northumbria
University where he also founded both dance degrees. He
worked previously at the Arts Educational Schools,
Islington Arts Factory, Central School of Ballet and at
Walter Nicks' school the CFPD in Poitiers, France.
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