By JANET MANSFIELD SOARES

Juilliard's Dance Division set a new standard for dance training in the U.S. when it was founded in 1951 under the direction of Martha Hill. Since then, its graduates have been shaping the world of dance in major companies and important schools around the world.

Two panel discussions in January at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center brought the Dance Division's 54 years of history into focus. Janet Mansfield Soares (B.S.'61), who moderated one of those panels, recently spoke with five leading dance professionals—four of whom are alumni and two who have worked closely with Juilliard's current dance students—about their perspectives on the field of dance and the role of Juilliard's Dance Division and its graduates in that field. Lar Lubovitch ('64) and William Forsythe are important choreographers who direct their own companies. Sylvia Waters (B.S.'62) directs Ailey II after a long association with the Alvin Ailey Dance Company. Laura Colby (B.F.A.'84) runs her own management company, Elsie Management. Educator Elizabeth Bergmann (B.S.'60) now heads dance at Harvard, after chairing dance departments at several other universities.

(Photo by Chris Callis)

Lar Lubovitch
Artistic Director, Lar Lubovitch Dance Company

What is your mission as a dancer, choreographer, and company director?

I began a company originally to have a place to dance and choreograph. It was a very different time then, in 1968. There weren't many places to choreograph; one had to create one's own company.

How have the demands on dancers—and on choreographers—changed over the years?

The technical demands for a dancer have been raised experientially by the efforts of choreographers to reach further and further into possibilities. And the expectations of dancers are tremendously more advanced than they were in the mid-'60s, due to the incredible expansion of the choreographic language. At one time, a modern dancer did not tread into the world of ballet. That line was crossed decades ago and is extremely old news now.

Has the mission of dance at Juilliard changed over the years?

I don't think the essential mission has changed, but the criteria have been elevated. And although there are certainly choreographers coming out of Juilliard, I think that the mission has shifted more toward dancers than choreographers—and dancers in a more specific style, which I would define as international. They are all-around dancers who can work with international companies and choreographers using an essential ballet vocabulary.

Is there anything specific you do in working with today's Juilliard-trained dancers?

There is an accent on decibels at Juilliard that has to be dealt with. Of course, when dancers are young, they all tend to dance at 100 percent, but that is not really desirable in an artist-dancer; in real life, you really don't want to dance that way all the time, and I don't think most choreographers expect you to. So one of the first tasks for a guest choreographer is to tame that high-decibel level and bring it into a malleable and expressive tone.

Half of your company is Juilliard-trained. Is that a coincidence?

The dance field is populated with a high degree of talent that comes out of Juilliard now. Most young dancers would probably rate Juilliard as their first choice, so Juilliard naturally has the best dancers to choose from and therefore turns out some of the best dancers in the field. I have to say that if I know they come from Juilliard, I do give them a close look. I want all of that technique and ability, that background that they are getting at Juilliard. It gives me a great deal to draw from.

What attracted you to Juilliard?

I came to Juilliard as a completely naive neophyte. I had no dance background whatsoever, until I was at the University of Iowa. I was advised to go to Juilliard, and I discovered almost immediately that I was in the hands of the great masters of dance at that time in New York. But I didn't know that until I was there. I do not think that is any longer the case … but the dance world was so much smaller and the idea of an academy created by Martha Hill was new then; she drew upon the leading people in the field, and they were available. Martha Graham, Anna Sokolow, Lucas Hoving—these were people that were the very essence of dance then.

Did those encounters influence your sense of dance theater?

Yes, most definitely. And I don't think those people were the greatest teachers. There were probably better teachers—less famous, less profound in the implication of what they deposited in the dance world—but it was being with those people and imbibing those powers, rather than being taught specifically what they did, because those people were operating on a more poetic level, one might say. The way Anna Sokolow taught or Antony Tudor taught, we were certainly not involved in learning where to place your foot, how to straighten your back or find your center. They never spoke of those things. But they embodied something profound, and passed something on to us that is rarely understood in the classroom today.

Did having music classes at the same time enhance your training?

I never liked the music classes, and I ignored them, to some degree. I had a great relationship to music intuitively, and I thought I didn't need it broken down. I understood in my body, and I felt that was the way I needed to experience music. But it was marvelous to be next to that—the caliber of musicians at Juilliard, their dedication and excitement about what they did.

Throughout your career, you have been very conscious of the music you are choosing. Was Juilliard an influence?

Yes … and I have to point to Antony Tudor, because the music he chose was not at all the music other people were choosing. It was more obscure, more delicate—more probing, more intellectually challenging. The way he shaped the phrases was never literal; his relationship to the music was highly poetic. And when he put phrases together, they became enhanced.

To what degree overall did Juilliard shape you as an artist?

The Juilliard experience for me then, and for anybody now, is something that marks one for life—good, bad, or otherwise. I went to Juilliard in the early '60s, and I notice how many people from my class turned out to be "lifers" as well. Having been exposed to that kind of inspiration was like a drug. And I think that the people who drank the Kool-Aid at that time were left drunk forever.

(Photo by Colby Marple)

Laura Colby
Founder/Director, Elsie Management

What is your mission, and how has changed over the years?

My mission is to maximize touring opportunities for my companies, provide them with the proper level of visibility in the global market and help them develop their careers in a consistent, sane fashion. The majority of my roster is dance, but I have recently broadened it to include world music and dance, and special attractions. That has increased our revenue base and opened more doors. As a dancer and dance lover, I'm convinced that dance should be everywhere.

How did you make the move from dancing to management?

I came to this work through my own work as a dancer, and the very first person I worked for as an administrator was Mark Haim, with whom I went to Juilliard. As word got out, people started asking for help and paying me. Primarily that meant helping them produce their New York City seasons and get their résumés and press kits together, and help them write grants (if not just write them myself, point blank). This predated the Internet, and there was no such thing as turning your computer on and searching for a grant application, let alone downloading it or finding out who got it last year.

What directions should dance move in?

American dance needs to be seen on the international platform. There's such a misconception out there; Europeans think that nothing is happening in the U.S., because they have only seen certain styles and genres. As far as what Juilliard can contribute, one of the things I remember most in my time at Juilliard was the international student body. Surely these students go home and take this training with them. … I run into Juilliard graduates all over the planet, wherever I go. A lot of them now are in positions within university dance departments; obviously there's a tremendous amount of power and influence in those seats.

How are things different at Juilliard now?

I can't speak to the curriculum now, but when I was at Juilliard the focus was very much on the traditional forms. I wasn't aware of the downtown scene at all, and that was the scene I ended up living in and working in. Why wasn't I? I'm hoping that Juilliard's curriculum has a current edge to it that mine did not. I hardly suffered, and the training was great, and my exposure was excellent, but I would have appreciated a little more awareness of what was happening on the ground, beyond the walls of the School.

How has the vision changed?

All I know is what I see being commissioned and performed. Certainly there have been younger, living choreographers under 30. My first return to Juilliard in 1988 was to help Mark Haim restage one of his dances—that never would have happened when we were students. Now I see consistently younger choreographers represented on the stage. From what I understand, the technique notch has been turned up a few volumes. I read about graduates getting into ballet companies, and that was certainly not something that was happening in the '80s when I was there. Also, my understanding is that there is a real promotion of the dancers now, which did not occur with us. We graduated and then were told, "Go do it." Go do what?

What were the strengths and weaknesses of the program when you were here?

Juilliard trained me in terms of stamina and discipline. We were rigorously trained in traditional techniques, but not in other forms. There was a sense that the only forms that were valid were Graham and Limón. I did study classical Indian with Indrani, which at the time I thought was pure torture. But I fell in love with the Spanish classes that Hector Zaraspe and Gloria Marina taught. Later I returned to Flamenco training, and what a thrill, to rediscover that in my 40s!

(Photo by Stephan Floss)

William Forsythe
Artistic Director, The Forsythe Company

What drew you to dance?

I think I had a tremendous amount of joyous desire. I love to move. I loved to dance. I know it sounds like a terrible platitude, but dancing is something to really love. I truly enjoy it. I love watching it when it's good and I enjoy making it good to watch.

How is the dance world different now for a young Juilliard graduate, compared to when you were just starting out as a choreographer?

People will expect dancers now to be much more participatory in the process of making a work, I would suspect. They'll be expected to be far more involved in the collaborative process. Not that every choreographer wants that, but I think that every choreographer expects thoughtful feedback from the dancer on some level.

How does dance at Juilliard compare to European institutions?

There are lots of very awake people—very aware, intelligent, critical, and able. I would have to say Juilliard is unique in some respects. I think the proximity of the other practices in the performing arts—acting and music—and the quality of those other students make it a unique conservatory. … Juilliard is focused on motion, and other schools are concentrated more on theory in relationship to motion, so Julliard's students are extremely well kinetically informed.

How does one train choreographers?

It's a funny thing. It would be like saying we have a bunch of students who are musical and we'd like to emphasize piano playing. It doesn't make sense. Either you have the talent for piano or you don't. It might be you are a talented violinist. Choreography is really a specific talent. There are many great dancers who can't choreograph. I think that, if you feel at an early age that you want to choreograph and you feel it very strongly, then the best thing to do is go out and look at as much choreography as conceivably possible. Everything.

Can dancers learn ways of choreographing from repertory?

Yes, if the choreographer is able to impart some of the original process onto the dancer in the process of mounting the work. This was possible with my Limb's Theorem Part III at Juilliard, because it is basically a series of choreographic instructions. So they understood, right from the beginning of the process, how it was made.

Is it still fairly unusual for schools to offer a balance of ballet and modern, as Juilliard does?

The modern tends to get neglected in ballet academies, and ballet in other academies. Good ballet is really hard to teach and hard to learn. The body takes a long time to learn those patterns. But now we often see those traditions combined with ballet. For example, the PARTS [Performing Arts Research and Training Studios] school in Brussels, Belgium, has such a program. The idea is they learn ballet and release technique. They teach Trisha Brown and Deborah Hay. The students learn it all. A school like Ohio State University is probably more balanced, too.

What suggestions do you have for Juilliard dance in the future?

I think it could probably include popular forms like hip-hop. Definitely. I think it's really important. And if the Juilliard dancers could learn how to krump, that would be just excellent!

(Photo by Ting-Yu Chen)

Elizabeth Weil Bergmann
Director of Dance and Lecturer at Harvard University

What drew you into teaching?

I wasn't going to be a teacher, but when José Limón went to South America with his company, I was invited to teach for him at his studio at Dance Players downtown. I was a junior at Juilliard. I loved seeing the change with someone right in front of me, whereas as a performer, it felt like here was this black hole and I had no idea who I was dancing for; I didn't see the results. Teaching was so much more satisfying, having that real effect on people.

How was the situation different for Juilliard dancers graduating in your day?

We were looked at as extremely desirable for college positions back then. I was 23 with only a bachelor's degree, and I was offered a full-time job at the University of Michigan. This would be unheard of today. The field has changed, with colleges now more likely to hire well-trained dancers from liberal arts backgrounds who have been in the academic scene and understand it.

Are dancers facing different expectations in the performing world as well?

Nowadays, you have to be adaptable and do everything. The people who trained us at Juilliard grew famous as dancers with choreographers they happened to link up with, and I don't think that happens much anymore. You go in and learn the repertory, what's already done. You have to fit the costume; you're not creating. It's really hard, and people are hopping around from company to company trying to do it all. But if you are a Juilliard-trained dancer, the expectation is that you can fit into any company.

How is teaching dance at Harvard different from teaching in other university settings?

When I came to Harvard six years ago, I didn't know there were going to be so many dancers here—good dancers who have chosen not to go to conservatories or be dance majors. This semester we're giving some Graham, some Balanchine, some Limón, and some Fosse, and that's big stuff for these people. And they're very bright; in some colleges it took me six weeks to get across a choreographic concept, but in this class, it got across right away. More important, what I'm finding is that, because we don't have a dance major, everybody dances. They're not doing this for academic credit, but for fun.

Are there weaknesses in current university dance programs?

At Juilliard, we had music every single semester. I don't even see any music courses for dancers at universities anymore. I'm finding a very uneducated group of people musically, and I think that's really hurting our field. We keep turning out these students, and they get jobs and they're teaching the next generation. It's all a pop-culture thing. Nothing wrong with pop culture, but I'd like to see more informed musical choices.

Has contemporary dance failed, in a way, because it hasn't reached young students in the private studios?

I think so. It's all ballet, jazz, and hip-hop. I've been talking to some experienced modern-dance professionals who are very frustrated now in the college system. They don't want to become chairs of departments, and there's no place to go. If some of us had opened modern studios, the scene would have been very, very different. Our generation dropped the ball on that one. It didn't occur to any of us that we could open centers to train young children in modern dance. I think we looked down at it.

(Photo by Roy Volkmann)

Sylvia Waters
Director, Ailey II

What is your mission as director of Ailey II?

To give these young dancers as emerging artists the most challenging experience, to prepare them for what I call the real world. They are getting a unique opportunity not just to perform and work with choreographers seasoned and emerging—they have opportunities to teach, they tour extensively, they interact with people one-on-one. You become a family, hopefully, although it doesn't always pan out that way.

Did your training at Juilliard influence what you are doing now?

Absolutely. While I was a student in the early '60s, there wasn't an inch of the performing experience that there is now and has been for several years. I spent a lot of time there wondering where I was going to put all of this. There wasn't as much of a focus on performing. But Juilliard also taught me that consistency in my classes and excellence in all of the opportunities we did have there was very important and time-consuming. Juilliard gave me a very solid sense of myself.

Has the mission of Juilliard's Dance Division changed?

I think it has intensified, in a good way. The focus is broader. There is more nurturing of chorography. The European choreographers that they bring in are opening outlets, and dancers are going to perform in those companies. Companies here are struggling to stay open and don't have the same means of support as those in European companies. Maybe the field has gotten a little narrower here, with companies closing down, or struggling to stay open. But the dance community at large is global.

Are the challenges facing dancers different today?

Many of the challenges are the same: they have to come here and learn to live, and eat and pay for it. It's just as competitive for a dancer today. The Ailey II dancers don't make a lot of money, but they are treated well here. There wasn't any such thing as a second company connected to a school when I got out of Juilliard. And if you do have an opportunity to hone these skills, to be onstage, to continue to grow and develop, it's really a gift.

What are Juilliard's responsibilities in training today's dancers?

Helping a dancer focus on what they need first of all—start from your center with a strong base. Also nurturing their tastes in dance from very broad experiences, and choosing very carefully who they have do work for the kids and what kind of experience this brings to them. And really preparing them to be able to meet the challenges—not just to be wonderful dancers and artists, but great human beings who are generous with their art.

What special characteristics do you find in the Juilliard dancers you have hired?

They are very knowledgeable about their own bodies. They are very smart and alert. Their sensibilities are not defined by one way of moving. They are willing to explore; they've been exposed to that. I think every dancer has to learn how to bend; working with a choreographer is always a two-way street, and every choreographer is different.

How important is the choice to go to a four-year institution?

I think that's very important these days. People want to continue making a living when they stop performing, and dancers are not getting the salaries of athletes. And there is a whole world out there that you want to bring to your art, to your dance, to the drama of life, that you have to learn about. It doesn't all have to be in the studio.

Janet Mansfield Soares recently retired as chair and artistic director of Barnard College, Columbia University's dance department. She was a member of Juilliard's dance faculty from 1962–87.