Choreographer Garth Fagan (1940- ) founded his Rochester-based company in 1970, originally calling it Bottom of the Bucket, BUT… Dance Theater. Eventually it became Garth Fagan’s Bucket Dance Theater, then Garth Fagan Bucket Dance, and finally Garth Fagan Dance. The company’s Pillow performances span several decades, beginning in 1974, and he used the Ted Shawn Theatre stage to create a definitive film of his Oatka Trail. Fagan’s singular dance language draws on many sources: the sense of weight in modern dance, the torso-centered movement and energy of Afro-Caribbean, the speed and precision of ballet, and the experimental spirit of the post-moderns. His choreography for The Lion King can be seen on Broadway and in various other productions worldwide, and he has also created works for other companies and dancers such as the New York City Ballet and Judith Jamison. Set to a commissioned score by Wynton Marsalis, the full-evening Griot New York has been called “Fagan’s master statement about the African diasporic experience.”
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