Modern Mentors
Joshua Tuason and Melissa Toogood in Petronio’s Locomotor / Non Locomotor. Photo by Yi-Chun Wu, Courtesy Stephen Petronio Company.
Stephen Petronio’s residency program
Stephen Petronio Company spent much of 2015 looking back, performing works by Merce Cunningham and Trisha Brown. Now, it’s looking forward. Petronio is creating a residency for choreographers in Pawling, New York, two hours north of New York City and near the artistic director’s home. The program will likely start in the summer of 2017. “I wanted to create a place where dancers could be removed from the pressures of New York City, and separate themselves from the daily grind,” says Petronio. For now, it’s a closed selection process: Petronio will choose artists he’s interested in for the inaugural residency.
Urban Bush Women in Zollar’s Walking with ‘Trane. Photo by Christopher Duggan.
Urban Bush Women Choreographic Center
Don’t let the name fool you: Jawole Willa Jo Zollar’s plan for the Urban Bush Women Choreographic Center doesn’t include a physical center. Instead, Zollar plans on partnering with individuals and organizations in different U.S. cities to help support local artists—more specifically, female choreographers of color—across all stages of their careers. At this time, there is no public start date or list of collaborators. But Zollar, who has been known to encourage her company dancers’ choreographic talents, is sure to bring more attention to talented artists who can add new voices to the field.
