92NY Celebrates Its Rich Dance History as a Birthplace of Modern Dance

The 92nd Street Y, New York is one of the most storied dance-history destinations in New York City. When people think of iconic dance spaces over the decades, they might imagine Lincoln Center or Judson Church. But 92NY was where Alvin Ailey premiered Revelations,and its studios were home to Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, Charles Weidman, and Hanya […]

a male dancer standing on an outdoor stage lifting his arms over his head

The New York Public Library’s “Border Crossings” Exhibit is Part of a Developing Conversation About Modern Dance’s Radical Roots

For decades, the development of American modern dance was largely seen as a reaction to classicism. But many other forces drove modern pioneers’ art. “At the heart of modernism, there is trauma,” says art historian Bruce Robertson. Robertson­ and dance historian Ninotchka Bennahum are the curators behind the New York Public Library for the Performing­ Arts’ exhibit “Border Crossings: Exile and American Modern Dance, 1900–1955,” which recognizes the foundational—and often overlooked—contributions that marginalized dancers, including Limón, made to the development of American modern dance.