Alfred Brooks, also known as Alfred Brooks Pew or Al Brooks (October 19, 1916 – December 15, 2005) was an American early influencer of

counterculture A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. Hou ...

, founder of a

modern dance Modern dance is a broad genre of western concert or theatrical dance which included dance styles such as ballet, folk, ethnic, religious, and social dancing; and primarily arose out of Europe and the United States in the late 19th and early 20th ...

company called Munt-Brooks, and later founder of the

experimental theatre Experimental theatre (also known as avant-garde theatre), inspired largely by Richard Wagner, Wagner's concept of Gesamtkunstwerk, began in Western theatre in the late 19th century with Alfred Jarry and his Ubu Roi, Ubu plays as a rejection of bot ...

group, The Changing Scene.

Early life and education

Alfred Brooks Pew was born in

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...

on October 19, 1916, the youngest of five children born to John Brooks Pew and Maysie Virginia Pew. Brooks attended the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

with B.A and M.A. degrees in

musical composition Musical composition can refer to an original piece or work of music, either vocal or instrumental, the structure of a musical piece or to the process of creating or writing a new piece of music. People who create new compositions are called ...

. As a student at Juilliard he was first exposed to modern dance, and he studied dance with

Hanya Holm Hanya Holm (born Johanna Eckert; 3 March 1893 – 3 November 1992) is known as one of the "Big Four" founders of American modern dance. She was a dancer, choreographer, and above all, a dance educator. Early life, connection with Mary Wigman Bo ...

Career

In 1952, Brooks opened Munt-Brooks dance studio in New York City with his wife Maxine Munt. In 1968, Brooks and Munt opened the non-profit, theatre/dance school called ''The Changing Scene'' in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, Colorado, after closing the Munt-Brooks

dance studio A dance studio is a space in which dancers learn or rehearse. The term is typically used to describe a space that has either been built or equipped for the purpose. Overview A dance studio normally includes a smooth floor covering or, if used fo ...

in New York a few years prior. Everything was volunteer based and was devoted to presenting not just dance and theatre but new work in all media. ''The Changing Scene'' was the first to have featured profanity, nudity and sexual situations on a Denver stage and in 1968 they were raided by the Denver vice squad because, Brooks said, "officers misunderstood what an offering called ''Organum'' must have been about". Brooks was a co-founder of the ''Colorado Theatre Guild''. After Maxine Munt's death in January 2000, ''The Changing Scene'' closed. The Changing Scene influenced a new generation of

bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...

theatre including the Changing Scene Northwest, created by a former board member after they moved to Washington.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brooks, Alfred 1916 births 2005 deaths Modern dance companies Modern dancers Juilliard School alumni American dance groups Counterculture communities People from Kansas City, Missouri Artists from Denver