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Anna Sokolow Article Outline

Sufficient Information : works for broadway, common themes in works (could use more development/examples?)

Insufficient Information : training, early life, repertory (how work has evolved?), information on "Dance Unit", teaching career

Potential Sources :

Early Life:

Anna Sokolow was born on Feburary 9, 1910 in Hartford, Connecticut. Her father, Samuel Sokolowski, immigrated to the U.S. around 1905 in pursuit of a job. Her mother, Sarah, came to the U.S. in 1907. Intending to reside in Hartford, Connecticut, Samuel and Sara eventually moved to New York City for better job prospects. Sarah started working in the garment industry when Samuel contracted Parkinson’s disease. A socialist, Sarah was heavily involved in the Garment Workers Union. Anna Sokolow was the 3rd child of four born to Samuel and Sarah, preceded by Isadore and Rose, and succeeded by Gertie.

Training:

Anna began her dance training by taking classes at the Emanuel Sisterhood alongside her sister Rose. Her first teacher, Elsa Pohl, was influenced by the work of Isadora Duncan. Despite the objection of her family, Sokolow moved away from home and dropped out of school in favor of a dance career at age 15. While training, Sokolow supported herself by working in a factory. She began training under Bird Larson, Irene Lewisohn, Louis Horst, Martha Graham, and Blanche Talmud at the Neighborhood Playhouse at the Henry Street Settlement House in 1925 as a “Junior Player.” Talmud, Sokolow’s main teacher, had a background in Delsarte and Dalcroze eurhythmics. As a student at the Playhouse, Sokolow studied voice, dance and pantomime. She eventually received a full scholarship at the Playhouse, and had her first major performance in 1928 as a part of Bloch’s “Israel Symphony.”

Career:

Sokolow first performed with the Martha Graham Company in 1930. She danced with the company as a soloist for about 8 years. While performing with the Graham company, she assisted Louis Horst in his choreography classes. One of her notable performances with the company was in Massine’s “Rite of Spring” in 1930. Sokolow’s first solo performances occurred between 1929 and 1932. She developed her dance group - which was named “Dance Unit” - in 1935, which included dancers such as Ethel Butler and Ronya Chernin. In programs for “Dance Unit”, Anna Sokolow’s name wasn’t emphasized in order to bring more attention to the group as opposed to certain individuals. Despite this, the dancers were known as the "Sokolovas." In 1936, a full evening of her own work was presented at the Y.M.H.A. in New York City. Some of the works included in the program were “Speaker” (1935), “Strange American Funeral” (1935), “Inquistion ‘36” (1936), and “Four Little Salon Pieces” (1936). In 1937, men joined the Dance Unit for the first time, with four men premiering in “Excerpts from a War Poem.” However, many of Sokolow’s pieces were not gendered. Sokolow joined the New Dance League in 1937.

Though based in New York City, Sokolow was known for her work abroad as well. In 1939, she traveled to Mexico with her company to perform at the Bellas Artes, a significant performance arena in Mexico City, where they were a great success. After the dancers left to return to New York City, Sokolow chose to stay behind to continue working at the request of the Ministry of Public Education. She set one of her most famous pieces, Opus ‘60 (1960) on Bellas Artes. She eventually returned to New York City in the early 1940s but continued to visit Mexico City occasionally throughout her career.

Jerome Robbins encouraged Sokolow to go to Israel to work with the Inbal Dancers in 1953. While there, she helped established the Lyric Theatre, which only lasted from 1962-64. Her first program to premiere in Israel featured “The Treasure”, “The Soldier’s Tale”, and “Dreams.” She was requested to act as a guest choreographer for Batsheva in 1972. Sokolow’s visits to Israel began in the 1950s and concluded in the 1980s. Sokolow returned to Israel as a guest choreographer for Batsheva Dance Company in 1972.

Sokolow created a number of notable works throughout her career. “Histrionics” (1933) was a satirical work influenced by the story of Hamlet. A Michael Gold poem about the death of an immigrant working as a steelworker inspired “Strange American Funeral” (1935). “The Exile” (1939) was known for its response to the rise of the Nazis in 1930s Germany. “The Bride” (1946) was influenced by traditional elements from Orthodox Jewish wedding ceremonies. She drew a lot of inspiration from the Union movement as she considered the unions her first audience. She often explored themes of Communism, socialism, and the working class through her dances, particularly in “Strange American Funeral” (1935) and “Case No. -” (1937). Her work, which mainly premiered in Mexico and New York City, generally received positive reviews from critics. The Player’s Project continues to revive Sokolow’s work today.

Repertory:

Histrionics (1933)

Speaker (1935)

Case No.-- (1937)

Excerpts From a War Poem (F.T. Marinetti)  (1937)

Slaughter of the Innocents (1937)

“Filibuster” from The Bourbons Got the Blues (1938)

Dance of All Nations, Lenin Memorial Meeting (1938)

Sing for Your Supper (1939)

The Exile (A Dance Poem) (1939)

Don Lindo de Almería (1940)

Lament for the Death of a Bullfighter (1941)

Kaddish (1945)

Mexican Retablo (1946)

Lyric Suite (1953)

Rooms (1954)

Bullfight (1955)

Sesion for Six (1958)

Opus ‘58 (1958)

Opus Jazz 1958 (1958)

Opus ‘60 (1960)

Dreams  (1961)

Opus ‘62 (1962)

Opus ‘63 (1963)

Forms (1964)

Odes (1964)

Opus ‘65 (1965)

Time+ (1966)

Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical (1967)

Los Conversos [The Converts] (1981)

Theater Work:

Sokolow first garnered attention in the theater world with her work “Street Scene” (1947). That same year, she became a part of the Actors Studio, producing “Rooms” and “Elmer and Lilly.” “Rooms”, a piece that explored loneliness, was divided into six sections: Dream, Escape, Desire, Panic, Daydream, and The End? In 1956, Sokolow first choreographed for the New York City Opera Company. She was set to work on Hair (1967) but an emergency surgery kept her from being fully involved in the process. Consequently, she dropped out of the production. When asked to rejoin, she denied the opportunity as she objected the use of nudity in the production.

Teaching Career:

One of Anna Sokolow’s earliest teaching experiences occurred during a trip to Russia in the 1930s. While there with her her then-lover and musical collaborator, Alex North, she was able to teach Graham technique. In 1955, Sokolow taught her first classes at Juilliard. She officially joined the faculty in 1958. She presented Ballade (1965) with The American Dance Theater with Juilliard students. Sokolow also worked alongside Robert Lewis as a teacher at the Repertory Theater at Lincoln Center. Additionally, she taught choreography classes at the Hebrew Arts School later in her career.

Legacy:

Nicknamed modern dance's "rebellious spirit", Sokolow was known for her strict and intense nature in rehearsals. She won a variety of awards including the Aztec Eagle Honor (1988), an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from Boston Conservatory (1988), and an Honorary Doctor of Humanities from the Ohio State University (1978). In 1967, she received a prestigious grant from the National Council on the Arts, worth $10,000; Sokolow used this funding to create “Deserts" (1967). Sokolow dedicated her works to her inspirations including Isadora Duncan, Louis Horst, Anne Frank, José Limón, Vaslav Nijinsky, Martin Luther King Jr., and her parents. Her choreography has been performed by many prominent dance companies including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Batsheva, Boston Ballet, and Nederlands Dans Theater.

Sokolow was also known for her heavy involvement in the Communist movement. In New York’s 1936 election, she registered as a Communist. In the 1940s, she was also a featured performer in many Communist rallies. However, by the 1950s, Sokolow she no longer aligned herself with the Communist party. When questioned by the FBI, she cited her participation at rallies was motivated by earning money for her performance.

Personal Life:

Sokolow was romantically involved with her musical collaborator, Alex North. She traveled to Russia to visit him while he was studying at the Moscow Conservatory and to experience Communist culture in the Soviet Russia. She had no children.

Sokolow suffered from depression in the late 1960s-early 1970s.

Sources

https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/sokolow-anna

"Rebellious Spirit" by Larry Warren

Anna Sokolow: A Seminal Force in the Development of Theatrical Dance in Israel

(http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=6456ef78-1a1f-4940-ab14-eda3ef205ed1%40sessionmgr103)

Inevitable Designs: Embodied Ideology in Anna Sokolow’s Proletarian Dances

(https://www-cambridge-org.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/F3E140C9019C5F75E196E915B02AE2BF/S0149767712000307a.pdf/inevitable_designs_embodied_ideology_in_anna_sokolows_proletarian_dances.pdf)

International Encyclopedia of Dance - Anna Sokolow

"Honest Bodies" by Hannah Kosstrin

Article Evaluation - Ted Shawn

1. In terms of relevance, I felt most topics were appropriate for the article. The bit about the MoMa seemed kind of random, so I'm not sure if I would consider that relevant information. Also, the list of writings seemed out of place because they weren't discussed nor was Shawn known particularly for his writing.

2. Article definitely seems neutral - can't detect a bias.

3. The viewpoints are definitely overrepresented. People with general knowledge on the topic are aware of his career with male dancers and his history with Denishawn. His style and additional information regarding his male dancers seem underdeveloped.

4. The links in the work are used appropriately.

5. Not all facts are linked to a reliable source. However, the sources that are included appear unbiased and neutral.

6. I don't believe any information is out of date because Shawn has not been alive since the publication of the most recent version of the article. However, there is an inaccuracy because it said that his marriage with Ruth St. Denis ended five years after their wedding. However, I have read that they never divorced, just separated. I am not sure if this is newly discovered information, but it still is an area in need of an update.

7. The majority of the conversations in the "Talk" section are related to the neutrality of the article. Apparently someone had flagged this article for being biased, but some users could not understand why this had occurred as they could not detect a bias. Additionally, a user reported that information regarding an important collaborator was missing and another cited an inaccuracy under the section about Jacob's Pillow.

8. It is part of 2 WikiProjects: WikiProject Biography and WikiProject Dance. Both gave the article a C rating.

9. The article introduces ideas but hardly develops them. In class, we ask: Why was this a notable work? What/who influenced it? Why was it important for the time period? How did it reflect the style of the choreographer? None of these questions seem to be answered within the article. In class, we seem to be diving into topics more, but covering only a few topics, whereas the article covers many topics but does not fully relay all the information.