Anna Halprin is known as the “mother” of the postmodern dance movement. She started her artistic work in collaboration with her husband, the landscape architect, Lawrence Halprin, envisioning dance as an environmental study, dancing in and with nature.

In the 1960’s, she was one of the first artists in the USA to have a mixed-race dance company. She developed democratic methods of creating dance works and endowing non-dancers with an artistic vision and power.

She developed rituals for communities around the world as vehicles for protesting and celebrating urgent issues.

The biblical stories about Eve, Sarah, Hagar, Rebecca, Leah, Rachel, Deborah, Lot’s wife, and Jeptha’s daughter are the springboard of this presentation. Following a brief introduction to these nine iconic women’s stories as written in the Old Hebrew Testament, we will be looking at choreography created by Sarah Pearson, Pearl Lang, Margalit Oved, and Ze’eva Cohen, whose reactions to these stories range from sad and angry to lighthearted and imaginative.

This presentation will review nine major 20th century choreographers, from George Balanchine to Merce Cunningham, who worked very closely with a range of music, composed between the 17th and the 20th century.

Most of the stylistically diverse dances that we will view were either created for existing music or set to music that was rearranged for the dance, or to music that was specifically created for the dance in collaboration with the choreographer.

This presentation will focus on the evolution of jazz dance, tracing its roots from African slave dances accompanied by homemade music on Southern plantations to its development in vaudeville and minstrel shows, and eventually to early tap dance. Tap dance emerged as a distinctive hybrid American art form, combining British, Irish, and Scottish step dancing with the rhythmically complex, percussive footwork of African traditions. The presentation will also examine how jazz dance ultimately succeeded in breaking racial boundaries among audiences and performance venues.

From the lively social dances of the Swing Era—celebrated with the big band jazz music of the early 1940s—to contemporary professional performances and hip-hop, we will examine jazz dance samples that reflect cultural shifts in the USA. We will delve into works from Broadway, film, concert dance, and social and street dancing, highlighting contributions from iconic dance artists such as Bob Fosse, Jerome Robbins, and Gregory Hines. We’ll also explore the new hybrid movement language evident in today's theater dance performances, which showcases the rich diversity of urban cultures and transcends the traditional boundaries between "high" and "low" art.

The work of five legendary African American dancers, choreographers, and social activists whose work expanded the field of dance and culture in the USA will be the focus of this session.

The presentation includes photographs, interviews, and archival videos. We will look at Josephine Baker, working in Paris in the early 20th century; Pearl Primus and Katherine Dunham, dancers and anthropologists who studied local dance in Africa and the Caribbean, which they later taught and developed in the USA; Judith Jamison, former artistic director and longtime lead dancer of the Alvin Ailey Company; and Misty Copeland, the first black woman principal dancer in American Ballet Theater’s 75-year history.

Mexican dance mirrors the country’s rich and diverse history that encompasses various cultural influences and traditions. It is deeply rooted in the country’s heritage that often blends indigenous and European influences, while also preserving the unique, ancient dances, that are still practiced today. We will look at some of these indigenous practices, as well as the glamorous theatrical adaptations of the regional folkloric dances that represent Mexico abroad and are much enjoyed at home. We will also look at a few contemporary choreographers seeking connections with the global contemporary dance scene.

Sergei Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet" Ballet brings the drama and emotions of Shakespeare’s play to life through expressive melodies, rich orchestration, and vivid characters. Prokofiev’s score is known for its dramatic intensity and thrilling lyricism. Both his music and the original Lavrovsky choreography of 1940 were innovative in extending the expressive and dramatic aspects of narrative music and dance of their time. This talk includes excerpts from several versions by renowned choreographers and ballet companies.

How people dance during religious services and rites is determined by powerful attitudes towards the body that are shaped by religious beliefs. This talk illuminates the use of dance in the three monotheistic Abrahamic religions. Each of the religions has a different view on the attainment of spiritual bliss through the dancing body. It includes video samples and comments made by religious authorities, journalists, practitioners, and dance scholars. Come and feel the bliss.

Sylvia Glasser revolutionized the world of contemporary South African dance starting in the late 1970s, and her choreography changed the conversation around gender, race, and social equality issues. During the apartheid era, her mixed-race company challenged segregationist politics, as well as Western-based aesthetics by developing the Afrofusion dance style. Her seminal work “Tranceformations,” was inspired by the San Bushmen trance dances and their ancient rock paintings. Glasser’s artistic and humanitarian work transformed the lives of hundreds of young South Africans.

This presentation explores two key aspects of the Paris Opera, while focusing on the city’s two major opera houses, the Palais Garnier and the Opéra Bastille.

It examines both the exterior and interior architecture of each building, considering their design and purpose in relation to the historical periods in which they were created. Particular attention will be given to the rich history and extravagance of the Palais Garnier.

 The second part gives and overview of the evolution of the Paris Opera Ballet Company, beginning at the court of King Louis XIV. It includes photographs, interviews, and video excerpts, as well as historical and contemporary performances by the Opera Ballet Company.

Through photographs, music, and videos, this presentation will explore Yemenite-Jewish history and culture, highlighting the evolution of the immigrants’ authentic traditions, and their influence on Israeli folk dance, concert music, and contemporary theatrical performances.

The presentation will also include the screening of excerpts from the dance, “Mothers of Israel,” as performed by Ze’eva Cohen, and choreographed by the legendary Yemenite-Israeli dance-theater artist, Margalit Oved. The choreography delineates the Hebrew Bible’s Matriarchs – Sarah, Rebecca, Leah, and Rachel – focusing on the pivotal events that changed their lives and the lives of generations that followed.

Celebrations of water and its gift for the sustainability of life were, and still are, ubiquitous worldwide. These are often celebrated in context of long-lived religious rituals, in general community gatherings where traditional and newly created dances are performed, and in theatrical performances.

Highly diverse dances from around the world will be viewed, including both ancient traditions and newly created works by all members of the community. Through music, mental imagery, rhythms, and communal folk-inspired movement, this talk will explore the many ways dance can honor and celebrate water.

Cohen will discuss and screen two short legacy films about her professional life as a dancer, choreographer, and educator.

1. The film, “Ze’eva Cohen: Creating a Life in Dance,” is a model of how an artist can survive in the dance world by carving out a unique and independent path for herself.

2. “Passing It On: Four Princeton Alumni Look Back” includes conversations with Jose Mateo, David Rosseve, Jill Sigman, and Mariah Steele, who reflect on Ze'eva's teaching and profound influence on their careers as dancers, choreographers and educators.