Gawain Garth Fagan, CD (born 3 May 1940) is a

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

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 ...

choreographer Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

. He is the founder and artistic director of Garth Fagan Dance, a modern dance company based in

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

Biography

Early years

Fagan was born in

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley Inter ...

to Oxford educated S.W. Fagan, former Chief Education Officer of Jamaica, and Louise I. Walker. It was a gymnastics class that initially drew his attention to dance early on. While attending Excelsior High school, he studied with Ivy Baxter at the Jamaica National Dance Company and performed at the inauguration of Cuban President

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...

in 1959. Fagan was educated at

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

, Michigan where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with sights on becoming a psychologist.

Career

Fagan worked at several dance companies in Detroit, and moved to Rochester New York in 1970, and there established his dance company originally named the "Bottom of the Bucket BUT ... Dance Theatre" in 1970. He was a Professor, at

State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY, , ) is a system of public colleges and universities in the State of New York. It is one of the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States. Led by c ...

, Brockport starting in 1970. Fagan choreographed for the

Dance Theatre of Harlem Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) is an American professional ballet company and school based in Harlem, New York City. It was founded in 1969 under the directorship of Arthur Mitchell and later partnered with Karel Shook. Milton Rosenstock served a ...

, the

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) is a modern dance company based in New York City. It was founded in 1958 by choreographer and dancer Alvin Ailey. It is made up of 32 dancers, led by artistic director Robert Battle and associate a ...

, and the Limón Dance Company in the 1970s. He has studied the works of

Isadora Duncan Angela Isadora Duncan (May 26, 1877 or May 27, 1878 – September 14, 1927) was an American dancer and choreographer, who was a pioneer of modern contemporary dance, who performed to great acclaim throughout Europe and the US. Born and raised in ...

Martha Graham Martha Graham (May 11, 1894 – April 1, 1991) was an American modern dancer and choreographer. Her style, the Graham technique, reshaped American dance and is still taught worldwide. Graham danced and taught for over seventy years. She wa ...

Pearl Primus Pearl Eileen Primus (November 29, 1919 – October 29, 1994) was an American dancer, choreographer and anthropologist. Primus played an important role in the presentation of African dance to American audiences. Early in her career she saw the need ...

Alvin Ailey Alvin Ailey Jr. (January 5, 1931 – December 1, 1989) was an American dancer, director, choreographer, and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT). He created AAADT and its affiliated Alvin Ailey American Dance Cente ...

José Limón José Arcadio Limón (January 12, 1908 – December 2, 1972) was a dancer and choreographer from Mexico and who developed what is now known as 'Limón technique'. In the 1940s, he founded the José Limón Dance Company (now the Limón Dan ...

, and

Katherine Dunham Katherine Mary Dunham (June 22, 1909 – May 21, 2006) was an American dancer, choreographer, anthropologist, and social activist. Dunham had one of the most successful dance careers of the 20th century, and directed her own dance company for ma ...

. He is also influenced by Caribbean and West African dances. Fagan's choreography incorporates elements of

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

Afro-Caribbean Afro-Caribbean people or African Caribbean are Caribbean people who trace their full or partial ancestry to Sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of the modern African-Caribbeans descend from Africans taken as slaves to colonial Caribbean via the ...

dance, and

social dance Social dances are dances that have a social functions and context. Social dances are intended for participation rather than performance. They are often danced merely to socialise and for entertainment, though they may have ceremonial, competit ...

. Many of his works are autobiographical or include themes of personal relevance. His untitled 1977 work chronicles the dissolution of his marriage, showing a couple beginning a relationship with affection and passion but eventually drifting apart due to inevitable obstacles. ''Griot New York,'' which premiered in 1991 at the

Brooklyn Academy of Music The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a performing arts venue in Brooklyn, New York City, known as a center for progressive and avant-garde performance. It presented its first performance in 1861 and began operations in its present location in ...

, is about the experiences of the underprivileged living in New York City. The piece juxtaposes linear balletic movement with sharp angular gestures, twitching, and erotic partnering to represent the diversity and contrast found in big cities as well as conflict in his own life. In ''Moth Dreams,'' choreographed in 1992, Fagan celebrates his childhood, adolescence, and relationship with his mother.

Personal life

Fagan resides in

, is now divorced, and has two children.

Stage productions

*''From Before'' (1978) *''Oatka Trail'' (1979) *''Prelude'' (1981, revised 1983) *''Touring Jubilee 1924 (Professional)'' (1982) *''Sonata and the Afternoon'' (1983) *''Never Top 40 (Jukebox)'' (1985) *''Passion Distanced'' (1987) *''Time After Before Place'' (1988) *''Until By & If'' (1990) *''Griot New York'' (1991) *''Moth Dreams'' (1992) * ''Draft of Shadows'' (1993) * ''Postcards: Pressures and Possibilities'' (1994) * ''Earth Eagle First Circle'' (1995) * ''Mix 25'' (1996) * ''Nkanyit'' (1997) * ''The Lion King'' (1997) *''Two Pieces of One: Green'' (1998) *''Woza'' (1999) *''Trips and Trysts'' (2000) *''Music of the Line/Words in the Shape'' (2001) *''Translation Transition'' (2002) *''DANCECOLLAGEFORROMIE'' (2003) *''----ING'' (2004) *''Life: Dark/Light'' (2005) *''Senku'' (2006) *''Edge/Joy'' (2007) *''Prelude'' (1993) * ''Phone Tag Thanks and Things'' (2009) * '' The North Star '' (2018) * '' coVid Virtue Victory '' (2022)

Honours and awards

Fagan is a Distinguished University Professor at the

State University of New York at Brockport State University of New York Brockport (also known as SUNY Brockport or Brockport State, and previously The College at Brockport) is a public university in Brockport, New York. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY). History ...

. He has a Bachelor of Arts from

, and earned a

Doctor of Fine Arts Doctor of Fine Arts (D.F.A.) is a doctoral degree in fine arts, may be given as an honorary degree (a degree ''honoris causa'') or an earned professional degree (in the UK). Description Doctoral programmes leading to DFAs are of equivalent level ...

from the

University of Rochester The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The University of Roc ...

in 1986, and holds ''honoris causa'' Doctors degrees from

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 ...

, Hobart College, William Smith College, and Nazareth College. Fagan received a

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...

in 1998, and a three-year Choreography Fellowship from the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

. He was made Commander in the

Order of Distinction The Order of Distinction is a national order in the Jamaican honours system. It is the sixth in order of precedence of the Orders of Societies of Honour, which were instituted by an Act of Parliament (''The National Honours and Awards Act'') i ...

of Jamaica in August 2001, and was presented the Prime Minister's Award by Jamaican Prime Minister P. J. Patterson . In 2005 he received the Artist of the Year Award from the Arts & Cultural Council for Greater Rochester. In 2012, Fagan was named one of America's Irreplaceable Dance Treasures by the Dance Heritage Coalition. In 2021, Fagan was awarded the Eastman Luminary Award from the

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York. It was established in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman. It offers Bachelor of Music (B.M ...

for his achievements in modern Dance ;Awards * 1998 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography – ''The Lion King'' * 1998 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Choreography – ''The Lion King'' * 1998 Tony Award for Best Choreography – ''The Lion King'' * 2000 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Theatre Choreographer – ''The Lion King'' * 2001 Samuel H. Scripps American Dance Festival Award – Lifetime Achievement *2021 Eastman Luminary Award - Lifetime Achievement

References

External links

Garth Fagan Dance official website
* *
Archival footage of Garth Fagan choreography Scene Seen performed by Judith Jamison in 1988 at Jacob's Pillow
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fagan, Garth 1940 births Living people Jamaican choreographers Drama Desk Award winners Helpmann Award winners Jamaican male dancers Jamaican educators Modern dancers National Endowment for the Arts Fellows Commanders of the Order of Distinction Laurence Olivier Award winners People from Kingston, Jamaica Artists from Rochester, New York State University of New York faculty Tony Award winners Wayne State University alumni Bessie Award winners Dance in New York (state)