TQW scholarship awarded to SEAD student
Sophia Papanikandrou

SEAD-Studentin Sophia Papanikandrou (GR/A) erhält, neben Yi Yi Wang vom Konserveratorium Wien, das Trainingsstipendium 2012/2013 vom Tanzquartier Wien.

Die vom TQW initiierten Trainingsstipendien haben zum Ziel, den tänzerischen Nachwuchs in Österreich zu fördern und den angehenden TänzerInnen den oftmals schwierigen Einstieg ins Berufsleben und in die Tanzszene zu erleichtern.

Sophia konnte in den Bereichen Tanztechnik, Improvisation und dem Zeigen eines eigenen Solos die Jury von ihren Qualitäten überzeugen.

Bei der Audition am 5. Mai sind sieben AbsolventInnen der österreichischen Tanzinstitute SEAD – Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance, Konservatorium Wien Privatuniversität und IDA – Institute for Dance Arts / Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität angetreten. Die diesjährigen Juroren waren Lance Gries (USA), Bettina Kogler (A), Sabine Parzer (A) und Katrin Roschangar (D/A).

Nähere Infos hier

Susan Quinn chosen as
a Cunningham Fellow for year 2012

The Legacy of Merce Cunningham supports the work of Merce Cunningham by bringing in former Cunningham dancers to research and teach works from the repertory under the guidance of Robert Swinston, director of choreography. These dance reconstructions serve as an impetus to study anew, individual works, that are part of a magnificent seventy year span of choreography.

Susan Quinn, director of SEAD in Salzburg, will begin her residency in August 2012, in New York City, researching pieces from the time when she danced with the company (1981 to 1987). The pieces of work she will focus on are "Inlets" and "Fielding Sixes" (both: music by John Cage). She will hold rehearsals during her New York residency and return to Salzburg to teach Merce's repertory to the chosen dancers of SEAD.

The conclusion of this historical research project will be presented in SEAD's theatre.

Merce Cunningham (1919-2009) was a pioneer of the American avant garde in dance. He is regarded as one of the most revolutionary and important choreographers in the development of modern dance. He is also known for his risk taking collaborations with artists of various creative disciplines and for breaking established dance composition rules. He had an insatiable hunger for movement possibilities. John Cage was Merce's partner in life as well as in his company, and John was the musical director of Merce Cunningham Dance Company until his death in 1992. Together they questioned the relationship between music and dance, proposing that each can be created independent of one another but still share time and space. This notion was considered controversial and John and Merce became famous radical figures in the music and dance scene. They employed chance procedure for the steps of the choreography, notes for their compositions and abandoned narrative form. Merce Cunnigham was interested in dance as being the main subject in his dances.