Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company
Encyclopedia
Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company is an American contemporary dance
company based in Salt Lake City, Utah
. Founded in 1964 by University of Utah
dance instructors Joan Woodbury
and Shirley Ririe the company is dedicated to furthering contemporary dance by creating and performing original works of modern dance, and promoting the understanding of and appreciation for the art form of dance through educational outreach programs in public schools and in universities.
and throughout Arizona
, California
and Colorado
.
While at the Tyrone Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis in 1968, Joan accepted a Minnesota Arts Council invitation to perform at four colleges. Woodbury returned to Salt Lake City where she and Ririe choreographed a performance and lecture for the Minnesota tour. In 1971, the show was seen in Canada by members of the first US-Canada dance conference.
A breakthrough came in the following year when the company performed at The Space in New York
through director Alwin Nikolais
. Representatives of the National Endowment for the Arts
attended the performance and accepted the company for the Endowment's Artists In Schools and Dance Touring Programs.
The company's acceptance in these programs offered full-time touring as a national company and the most "Artists In Schools" performances in the United States of any company for 12 years. Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company was chosen to be part of the Dance On Tour state-touring program from 1990 to 1994 and performed in South Carolina
, Kentucky
, Montana
and New Mexico
.
The Company continued to perform internationally. In 1977, the International Congress of Girls' and Women's Sports invited the Company to South Africa for an extended tour of Cape Town
, Port Elizabeth, Johannesburg
and Pretoria
, marking the first time that a nationally and racially diverse performing group had performed in those areas. In 1978, they were chosen by the United States as representatives to the first Dance and the Child International meeting in Canada.
In 1980 Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company was selected as the first U.S. modern dance company to perform in Šibenik
of former Yugoslavia
. The company also performed in Hong Kong
, the Philippines
and Singapore
. In 2002 Ririe-Woodbury became the first modern dance company to perform in Canton
, China.
From 1987-1992 company tours included Europe, American Samoa
, and the former Soviet Union. Just one month before the destruction of the Berlin Wall
, the dancers performed in East Germany and were the first modern dancers to perform in Karl-Marx Stadt in the former Soviet Union and East Berlin in 15 years.
In 1993, the company traveled to Slovenia
. Ririe-Woodbury performed a benefit fundraiser for 70,000 Bosnian war refugees who were seeking shelter in Slovenian collection centers.
Recently, the Nikolais/Louis Foundation for Dance selected Ririe-Woodbury as the dance company to house the works of modern dance innovator Alwin Nikolais
, as his company, Nikolais Dance Theatre was no longer in operation. Ririe-Woodbury's performances of works by Nikolais have received five-star reviews in the New York Times and the LA Times.
In 2004 Ririe-Woodbury was one of five dance companies invited to perform at the Edinburgh International Festival
. In 2006, the company presented Nikolais's "Tensile Involvement" at the Fall for Dance Festival
in New York City.
Contemporary dance
Contemporary dance is a genre of concert dance that employs compositional philosophy, rather than choreography, to guide unchoreographed movement...
company based in Salt Lake City, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. Founded in 1964 by University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
dance instructors Joan Woodbury
Joan Woodbury
Joan Woodbury was an American actress beginning in the 1930s and continuing well into the 1960s.-Early life, entrance into acting:...
and Shirley Ririe the company is dedicated to furthering contemporary dance by creating and performing original works of modern dance, and promoting the understanding of and appreciation for the art form of dance through educational outreach programs in public schools and in universities.
Overview
Before founding Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company in 1964, Shirley Ririe and Joan Woodbury helped create Choreodancers, a company of professional dance performers and teachers. After the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company name became permanent, the company choreographed and performed in UtahUtah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and throughout Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
.
While at the Tyrone Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis in 1968, Joan accepted a Minnesota Arts Council invitation to perform at four colleges. Woodbury returned to Salt Lake City where she and Ririe choreographed a performance and lecture for the Minnesota tour. In 1971, the show was seen in Canada by members of the first US-Canada dance conference.
A breakthrough came in the following year when the company performed at The Space in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
through director Alwin Nikolais
Alwin Nikolais
Alwin Nikolais was an American choreographer.Nikolais studied piano at an early age and began his performing career as an organist accompanying silent films. As a young artist, he gained skills in scenic design, acting, puppetry and music composition...
. Representatives of the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
attended the performance and accepted the company for the Endowment's Artists In Schools and Dance Touring Programs.
The company's acceptance in these programs offered full-time touring as a national company and the most "Artists In Schools" performances in the United States of any company for 12 years. Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company was chosen to be part of the Dance On Tour state-touring program from 1990 to 1994 and performed in South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
and New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
.
The Company continued to perform internationally. In 1977, the International Congress of Girls' and Women's Sports invited the Company to South Africa for an extended tour of Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, Port Elizabeth, Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
and Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
, marking the first time that a nationally and racially diverse performing group had performed in those areas. In 1978, they were chosen by the United States as representatives to the first Dance and the Child International meeting in Canada.
In 1980 Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company was selected as the first U.S. modern dance company to perform in Šibenik
Šibenik
Šibenik is a historic town in Croatia, with population of 51,553 . It is located in central Dalmatia where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea...
of former Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. The company also performed in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. In 2002 Ririe-Woodbury became the first modern dance company to perform in Canton
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
, China.
From 1987-1992 company tours included Europe, American Samoa
American Samoa
American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa...
, and the former Soviet Union. Just one month before the destruction of the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
, the dancers performed in East Germany and were the first modern dancers to perform in Karl-Marx Stadt in the former Soviet Union and East Berlin in 15 years.
In 1993, the company traveled to Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
. Ririe-Woodbury performed a benefit fundraiser for 70,000 Bosnian war refugees who were seeking shelter in Slovenian collection centers.
Recently, the Nikolais/Louis Foundation for Dance selected Ririe-Woodbury as the dance company to house the works of modern dance innovator Alwin Nikolais
Alwin Nikolais
Alwin Nikolais was an American choreographer.Nikolais studied piano at an early age and began his performing career as an organist accompanying silent films. As a young artist, he gained skills in scenic design, acting, puppetry and music composition...
, as his company, Nikolais Dance Theatre was no longer in operation. Ririe-Woodbury's performances of works by Nikolais have received five-star reviews in the New York Times and the LA Times.
In 2004 Ririe-Woodbury was one of five dance companies invited to perform at the Edinburgh International Festival
Edinburgh International Festival
The Edinburgh International Festival is a festival of performing arts that takes place in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, over three weeks from around the middle of August. By invitation from the Festival Director, the International Festival brings top class performers of music , theatre, opera...
. In 2006, the company presented Nikolais's "Tensile Involvement" at the Fall for Dance Festival
Fall for Dance Festival
Fall for Dance is an annual dance festival presented by New York City Center in New York City. Established in 2004 as a means to introduce new audiences to dance, and loosely based on the Delacorte Dance Festival model of the 1960s and 1970s, Fall For Dance showcases as many as five different dance...
in New York City.