Dance

Dancer and actress Marge Champion starred in some of the great musicals of the 1950s, including the films Show Boat and Mr. Music, as well as several stage productions and television shows, along with her partner Gower Champion. She acted in some notable films, including The Swimmer (1968). Her career spans many decades and she was most recently in a Broadway revival of Follies. Champion teaches classes at Jacob Pillow Dance Festival.

Dancer/Choreographer Mark Morris. Early in his career, Morris performed with a variety of companies. In 1980, he founded the Mark Morris Dance Group creating over 90 works for the troupe. He has also staged over a dozen commissions for other ballet companies, including the San Francisco Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, and the American Ballet Theatre. From 1988-1991, Morris was Director of Dance for the national opera house of Belgium in Brussels. Morris was named a MacArthur Fellow in 1991, and he is the subject of a biography by Joan Acocella (Farrar, Straus and Giroux).

Principal dancer for the Houston Ballet, and the first African-American to be a principal dancer, Lauren Anderson. She began studying at the ballet’s academy at the age of 7, and working with Stevenson at the age of 11 when he was hired by the ballet. Stevenson choreographed “Cleopatra,” for her.

Artistic director for the Houston Ballet, Ben Stevenson. He’s been with the ballet for over 25 years, turning it into a premiere dance company. The New York Times’ dance critic said of Stevenson, (he) “is one of the most original figures in the development of regional ballet in America.” Stevenson’s own choreography for the Houston ballet include the full length works: “Swan Lake,” “Cinderella,” “Peer Gynt,” “Dracula,” and “Cleopatra.” Stevenson is a native of Britain.

She played the humorless shrink, Lilith, on the television show "Cheers" for which she won two Emmy Awards and has appeared in many films, including "Bugsy," "Malice," and "Jumanji." Now Neuwirth is starring in the hit broadway musical "Chicago" a comedy set in the Roaring Twenties. She won a Tony award for her performance as Nickie in "Sweet Charity."

Film Director and choreographer Stanley Donen He directed "On the Town," "Singin' in the Rain," "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," "Funny Girl," and more. He collaborated with Gene Kelly as dance director on such films as "Cover Girl," and "Anchors Away." There's a new biography of Donen, Dancing on the Ceiling: Stanley Donen and his Movies (Knopf), written by Stephen M. Silverman.

Hip-hop dancer Adesola Osakalumi otherwise known as D'Incredible. He's performed on the American Music Awards and in music videos. He comes from a family of dancers. His parents formed the group Africa I Dance Theatre. Osakalumi and other pioneering hip-hop groups formed Ghettoriginal Productions. Their production "Jam on the Groove" is at the Minetta Lane Theatre in New York until February 18th.

Choreographer Elizabeth Streb. Her troupe, "The Ringside Company" is currently on national tour, with "PopAction." Streb's works combine dance, athletics, daring and precision. Her dancers work on and around such props as scaffolding towers, trampolines, and walls. One reviewer described it as "dazzling speed, wit and daring." (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Dancer and choreographer Bill T. Jones. He founded the acclaimed Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company with his partner and lover, Arnie Zane. Their partnership lasted 17 years until Zane's death in 1988 from AIDS-related complications. Jones has been a recipient of the MacArthur "Genius" Award. His recent work, "Still/Here" is what he terms a "poem" about death. It's based on a series of "survival workshops" he conducted with people across the country who are dealing with illness and death.

Tharp studied ballet with George Balanchine, and modern dance with Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, and Paul Taylor. In 1965 she formed her own company, Twyla Tharp Dance, which she ran for more than 20 years with over 70 works created and performed. She's collaborated with Mikhail Baryshnikov and David Byrne. She has a new autobiography, "Push Comes to Shove."