Dance

Dancer and choreographer Edward Villella. Villella's new autobiography, "Prodigal Son," chronicles his rise as one of the best known male dancers and choreographers in the history of American ballet. It also looks at his often stormy working relationship with choreographer George Balanchine. (It's published by Simon and Schuster). (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Farrell had a deep, complicated relationship with her choreographer, George Balanchine. She spent over twenty years with the New York City Ballet. Farrell's new memoir about her career is called is "Holding on to the Air"

Choreographer and dancer Laura Dean. Her company's performing a two-week retrospective at the Joyce Theater in New York (through May 6).

Dancer and choreographer Bill T. Jones. For years, Jones collaborated and performed with his partner/lover Arnie Zane. After Zane's death from AIDS in 1988, Jones has continued to dance with the company he and Zane formed. The company is based on a philosophy that disdains the formal training of ballet and draws on athleticism, discovery, and the beauty of the movements of "everyday people."

Choreographer Eliot Feld. He founded the Feld Ballet in 1974 as a place where classical ballet and modern dance could exist together. The company is still going strong, touring throughout America and overseas. Feld has also created ballets for many of the world's great companies, among them the American Ballet Theatre, the National Ballet of Canada, and the New York City Ballet.

Dancer and choreographer Jacques d'Amboise (dahm-bwasz). d'Amboise has done more than anyone alive to bring the joy of dance to the public. For over 30 years, he was principal dancer with the New York City Ballet, and a protege of choreographer George Balanchine. While still with NYCB, d'Ambrose founded the National Dance Institute (NDI) as a vehicle to teach dance and other arts to children. d'Amboise has more recently extended his classes to children with physical and emotional disabilities.

Dancer and choreographer Murray Louis. He's spent 40 years pioneering modern dance, and recently he merged his company with that of his mentor, Alwin Nikolais (nik-oh-lie).

Dancer and choreographer Marta Renzi. Typical of her work is "Mountainview," a half-hour dance narrative that premieres this Thursday, August 3 on the PBS program "Alive From Off Center." "Mountainview" is set at the bar of rundown resort run by three generations of the same family. The families loves and jealousies are played out to the sounds of the jukebox, which features the music of Bruce Springsteen, Tammy Wynette and Aretha Franklin. RENZI choreographed the dances and other movements and collaborated with filmmaker John Sayles on the camera work.

Hines started tap dancing at the age of five, and worked in clubs with his brother and father. He made a career on Broadway, and later appeared in movies like The Cotton Club and White Knights. His new movie is called Tap.

Lewitzky is based in Los Angeles where, early in her career, she danced in a number of motion pictures. Her choreography for the stage conveys simplicity of movement, divorced from any suggestion of narrative. Lewitzky performed until the age of 62.