Happy Birthday, Judson Dance Theater

By Victoria Looseleaf

Fifty years ago this month (July 6, 1962, to be precise), modern dance stepped into a new era. That’s when Yvonne Rainer (below), David Gordon, Steve Paxton and a few other choreographers got together at the Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village to perform their own works. Dubbed avant-garde “downtown” artists, they gave birth to postmodernism, with pedestrian movement ruling (and Paxton creating contact improvisation), as the Judson Dance Theater.

From the first concert through 1964, Judson spawned such seminal artists as Trisha Brown, Lucinda Childs, Simone Forti, Meredith Monk, Deborah Hay and our very own Rudy Perez. (Click here to read about Perez, who has called Los Angeles home for the last 30 years; click here to read our 2011 Montpellier Dance Festival coverage, which includes our Dance Magazine review of Deborah Hay; click here and here to read our recent Dance Magazine coverage of the Venice Dance Biennale, which included a student performance of Brown’s Line Up.)

Having just returned from our latest European sojourn (Utrecht, Amsterdam, Venice and Montpellier, more to come…), we almost forgot that our interview with Steve Paxton (left), was in the July issue of Dance Magazine. He was in residence at The Wooden Floor last March, teaching his class, Material for the Spine. And we gotta admit, it was worth the drive to and from Orange County to observe this master at work. Click here, then, to read the full story.

We could use a bit of Paxton ourselves now, as our sciatica is killing us – oy – which is why we’re keeping this short.

About Victoria Looseleaf

Victoria Looseleaf is an award winning arts journalist and regular contributor to the Los Angeles Times, KUSC-FM radio, Dance Magazine, Performances Magazine and other outlets. She roams the world covering dance, music, theater, film, food and architecture. Have pen - and iPad - will travel! Her latest book, "Isn't It Rich? A Novella In Verse" is now available on Amazon. Thank you for reading! Cheers...
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