An innovator of modern dance, Alwin Nikolais (1910-1993) created the choreography, sound scores, and scenic designs for more than a hundred productions. After studying at the Bennington School of Dance and serving in the armed forces, he established a longtime association with New York’s Henry Street Playhouse in 1948. The Playhouse served as home base for the Nikolais Dance Theatre for 22 years, with Murray Louis as the leading dancer and associate director. Louis established his own company in 1953, but the careers and personal lives of Nikolais and Louis remained closely intertwined. The two companies merged after Nikolais’s death, continuing to present the works of both choreographers, and the performance seen here was part of a retrospective program entitled The Magic of Alwin Nikolais.
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