Daniel Nagrin (May 22, 1917 – December 29, 2008) was an American

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 ...

r, choreographer, teacher, and author. He was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. Nagrin studied with Martha Graham,

Anna Sokolow Anna Sokolow (February 9, 1910, Hartford, Connecticut – March 29, 2000, Manhattan, New York City) was an American dancer and choreographer known for the social justice focus and theatricality of her work, and for her support of the developm ...

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 ...

, Bill Matons and

Helen Tamiris Helen Tamiris (born Helen Becker; April 24, 1905 – August 4, 1966) was an American choreographer, modern dancer, and teacher. Biography Tamiris was born in New York City on April 23, 1902. She adopted Tamiris, her stage name, from a fragment ...

whom he later married. In addition to work as a modern dancer, Nagrin also performed on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

in ''

Plain and Fancy ''Plain and Fancy'' is a musical comedy with a book by Joseph Stein and Will Glickman, lyrics by Arnold Horwitt, and music by Albert Hague. One of the first depictions of an Amish community in American pop culture, it includes a traditional barn ...

'', ''

Up in Central Park ''Up in Central Park'' is a Broadway musical with a book by Herbert Fields and Dorothy Fields, lyrics by Dorothy Fields, and music by Sigmund Romberg. The musical, originally called "Central Park" before Broadway (see image of sheet music), was ...

'', and '' Annie Get Your Gun,'' among other musicals. His 1950 dance ''Dance in the Sun'' was adapted by filmmaker

Shirley Clarke Shirley Clarke (née Brimberg; October 2, 1919 – September 23, 1997) was an American filmmaker. Life Born Shirley Brimberg in New York City, she was the daughter of a Polish-immigrant father who made his fortune in manufacturing. Her mother w ...

for her 1953 film of the same name. In June 1954 he formed the Dance-Percussion Trio with David Shapiro and Ronald Gould (who would go on to form the New York Percussion Trio), and the group toured the United States in June and July of that year. Nagrin and his wife formed the Tamiris-Nagrin Company in 1960. When Tamiris died in 1966, Nagrin concentrated on a solo career. In the early 1970s Nagrin formed "The Workgroup", a performance company with a focus on improvisation. Nagrin's better known choreographic works include "The Peloponnesian War" (with music by

Eric Salzman Eric Salzman (September 8, 1933 – November 12, 2017) was an American composer, scholar, author, impresario, music critic, and record producer. He is known for advancing the concept of "New Music Theater" (in his compositions and his large ...

), "Strange Hero", "Man of Action", "Spanish Dance", and "Jazz, Three Ways". Additionally, he choreographed for the 1954 film '' His Majesty O'Keefe''. In 1985, a 15-hour compilation of Nagrin's work, ''The Nagrin Videotape Library of Dances'', was assembled. It is held in the Dance Collection at the

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, is located in Manhattan, New York City, at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side, between the Metro ...

. Nagrin, who held a B.S. in Education from City College in New York, taught at

C.W. Post College LIU Post (formally, the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University, and often referred to as C.W. Post) is a private university in Brookville, New York. It is the largest campus of the private Long Island University system. The campus is nam ...

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

, the

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 ...

, and Arizona State University. He was the author of several books, including ''How to Dance Forever: Surviving Against the Odds'' (1988) and ''Choreography and the Specific Image'' (2001). Nagrin died on December 29, 2008"Daniel Nagrin Dies at 91; Modern Dancer and Choreographer" ''The New York Times'', January 3, 2009
/ref> in

Tempe, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Vale of Tempe , image_skyline = Tempeskyline3.jpg , imagesize = 260px , image_caption = Tempe skyline as se ...

Selected choreography

* Private Johnny Jukebox (1942) * Spanish Dance (1948) * Strange Hero (1948) * Man of Action (1948) * Dance in the Sun (1950) * Faces from Walt Whitman (1950) * Man Dancing (1954) * Progress (1957) * Indeterminate Figure (1957) * Three Happy Men (1958) * Jazz, Three Ways (1958) * For a Young Person (1958) * A Dancer Prepares (1958) * An American Journey (1960) * Two Improvisations (1962) * The Man Who Did Not Care (1963) * In the Dusk (1965) * Not Me, But Him (1965) * Path (1965) * A Gratitude (1965) * Why Not (1965) * The Peloponnesian War (1968) * The Ritual (1971) * Rondo (1971) * Rituals of Power (1971) * Signs of the Times (1972) * Ritual for Two (1972) * Ritual for Eight (1972) * Wounded Knee (1972) * Sea Anemone Suite (1972) * Hello-Farewell-Hello (1973) * Steps (1973) * Jazz Changes (1974) * Sweet Woman (1974) * Nineteen Upbeats (1975) * The Edge is Also a Center (1975)

References

Bibliography

*Chujoy, Anatole (1967), ''The Dance Encyclopedia''. Simon and Schuster. *McDonagh, Don (1976), ''The Complete Guide to Modern Dance''. *Nagrin, Daniel (1988), ''How to Dance Forever: Surviving Against the Odds''. New York: HarperCollins. *Nagrin, Daniel (1994), ''Dance and the Specific Image: Improvisation''. Pittsburgh: Univ. of Pittsburgh Press. , *Nagrin, Daniel (1997), ''Six Questions : Acting Technique for Dance Performance'' (1997 edition). Pittsburgh: Univ. of Pittsburgh Press. , *Nagrin, Daniel (2001), ''Choreography and the Specific Image: Nineteen Essays and a Workbook''. Pittsburgh: Univ. of Pittsburgh Press. , *Schlundt, Christena L. (1997), ''Daniel Nagrin: A Chronicle of His Professional Career''. University of California Publications: Catalogs and bibliographies, vol. 13. Berkeley, California: University of California Press.

External links

Daniel Nagrin official site
*
Arizona State University Site on Daniel Nagrin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nagrin, Daniel 1917 births 2008 deaths American choreographers Modern dancers Arizona State University faculty City College of New York alumni