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“Nikolais’ students, his company dancers, and his creative colleagues are deeply grateful for his generous giving of his vision and his artistry — to us and to the world. We thank Nik for being our teacher, guide, and inspiration.”  —Ruth E. Grauert |
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Bearnstow Journal is an online publication, offering articles on the Nikolais esthetic and the arts. Editor Ruth Grauert worked for Alwin Nikolais for forty years. She has created lighting designs for many dancers in that discipline. A published poet and essayist, Ms. Grauert is the executive director of Bearnstow, an arts and nature summer place in Mt. Vernon, Maine.
Bearnstow Journal is published by Bearnstow, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation. The site’s development and maintenance are dependent on your tax-ductible contributions. You may contribute online though PayPal (PayPal membership not requred); click PayPal button on the right. Or mail checks to Bearnstow, 83 Sanford Place, Jersey City, NJ 07307. See also
Bearnstow Journal on facebook.
|  Fable of the Donkey Photo: Playhouse Dance Company, ca. 1950–51 Courtesy Nikolais-Louis Dance Collection, Ohio University Click image to enlarge. See previously featured historical photos. |
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Pictured is the Fable of the Donkey (originally created in Colorado Springs in 1946). From left: Martha Howe, Murray Louis, Nancy Robb, Gladys Bailin (on the floor), Luke Bragg and Al Srnka (with arms raised), Sheldon Ossosky (the donkey), Jack Spencer (on the floor), Toby Glanternick (with her hair held up), Ruth Grauert, Anita Lynn, Phyllis Lamhut, and Gino Mortenghi.
To give his Playhouse students performing experience Nikolais produced dance plays for children. The first to be produced at the Playhouse was the Fable of the Donkey (Aesop) in 1948 and was followed in the 1950s by such varied productions as The Lobster Quadrille (Alice in Wonderland) and numerous original works: Indian Sun, St. George and the Dragon, Tale of the Winds, and Merry-Go-Elsewhere. These dance plays were presented not only at the Playhouse but also in school auditoriums throughout the Metropolitan area and in such prestigious venues as the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History, and the Philadelphia Academy of Music.
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News and Announcements
- June 11–22, New York City (class location to be announced)
- Faculty: Alberto del Saz, Phyllis Lamhut, Kim Gibilisco, and Peter Kyle
- Course includes Nikolais/Louis Technique, Improvisation, Composition, and Repertory
- Schudule: 9:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m, Monday–Friday, with special presentations on Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m.
- For more information and application form, go to Nikolais/Louis Summer Dance Intensive
Nikolais/Louis Foundation for Dance Announces Summer 2012 Intensive
DANSER SA VIE23 november 2011–2 april 2012
Galerie 1, Level 6
The Pompidou Center in Paris is currently presenting an unprecedented exhibition devoted to the relationship between dance and the visual arts, from 1900 to the present. The work of Alwin Nikolais is included in a section on “The Abstraction of the Body.”
The exhibition runs though April 2, 2012.
For more information, see the press release from the Pompidou Center (PDF).
Former Nikolais Student Martha Howe Dies at 84 in Vermont
We recently learned of the death of Martha Howe Gogel on August 11. She studied with Alwin Nikolais at the Henry Street Playhouse in 1949, and is pictured in the photo above on the far left. She was the cofounder of Land’s Sake, an organization whose mission is to connect people to the land. See obituary.
In Memoriam ~ Annelise Mertz, 1918–2011
Professor Emerita, Performing Arts Department, Washington Univerity, St. Louis, Annelise Mertz was a celebrated teacher, performer, choreographer, and champion for the arts. See obituary and memorial service tribute.
Essays
With Susan Buirge’s The Laurel Leaf we open a new section in Bearnstow Journal — Essays. Susan’s essay details a path to creating a dance and in the final paragraphs describes thoughts during performance.
Choroscript: a System of Dance Notation by Alwin Nikolais
As a Sergeant in the Army during World War II, Nikolais scribbled notes to himself in the foxholes of France. From these notes came a system of movement analysis and notation he called Choroscript. After the war he copyrighted and published the system. An article by Ruth Grauert and a research paper by Shanon Elliot have been recently posted. Go to Choroscript.
The Alwin Nikolais Centennial Alumni Concerts
The Nikolais Centennial Alumni Concerts, produced by Bearnstow, were held at Hunter College in New York City on December 3 and 4, 2010. See slide show of photos and program.
The Nikolais Centennial Souvenir Booklet, created especially for the Alumni Concerts held at Hunter College in New York City on December 3 and 4, 2010, is offered post-paid for $10 (or $7.60 for Nikolais-Louis alumni). The Booklet contains previously unpublished pictures of Nik at work, plus photos and bios of the concert participants. Purchase it online.
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 Composite photograph for Art of Motion, Coppelia, children’s production, 2008 |
On June, 2010, the artwork of Ruth Grauert was on display in the Alumni Weekend Art Exhibition at her alma mater, Ursinus College. Viewers were treated to a slideshow of cyclorama projections Ruth has created for dances she has designed. The images have been made a permanent part of the Berman Museum of Art collection on the college campus. See a review of Ruth's exhibit by Virginia (Laidlaw) Dillon and an online version of the slide show: Décor for Dance.
Alwin Nikokais Centennial Celebration, 1910–2010
See photos of From the Horse’s Mouth: Remembering Nik, held at the Henry Street Settlement Playhouse (Abrons Art Center) on April 30, 2010. Slide show photos by Lynn Lesniak and links to photos by Joe Zina and Whitney Browne.
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 Ruth and Susan in Japan |
In December 2009, Ruth visited long-time Nikolais alum Susan Buirge in Japan, where Susan is now studying the choregraphic process of Kagura. See Ruth's report and photos: Ten Days in Japan.
Report from the Field — Suzy McDermaid Fridell and “The Magnum Force”
Suzy McDermaid Fridell (Nikolais ’69–’78) reports on her annual production number for the Sonoma Valley Harvest Wine Auction.” See The Magnum Force.
The Conference on the Nikolais Aesthetic
Held at Bearnstow in Mount Vernon, Maine, in August 2009, the Conference on the Nikolais Aesthetic brought together a wide range of Nikolais alums to explore various aspects of his teaching and to share their experiences with Nik. See more on the Conference.
- Essays on the art of Alwin Nikolais, by Ruth E. Grauert, comprise Volume I. Included are Nikolais’ use of light, sound, properties, and motion; a comparison between Nikolais and the Bauhaus; and a brief historic overview and current thought on stage lighting and dance. Go to the Index of Volume I articles.
- Essays on Mary Wigman: We are pleased to present Volume II of Bearnstow Journal, devoted to essays on Mary Wigman. These include Wigman’s own article on her early experience with Rudolph von Laban, Susan Buirge’s interview with Hanya Holm about Hanya’s early experiences at the Wigman School, Joan Woobury’s and Beverly Blossom’s accounts of their school year with Wigman in Berlin, reprints of Joan Woodbury’s 1956 articles on Wigman from Dance Observer, notes from Peggy Chambers, Julie Hamilton Pleus, and John Wilson, and finally excerpts from Mary Wigman’s letters to Joan Woodbury from 1957 to 1970.
- A Dance Course Curriculum by Dale Thompson. Dale Thompson (NDT 1978–1983) has developed a sixteen-week dance curriculum, which also includes a comprehensive reading list. Click for more information and downloading links.
Journal Articles
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  Alwin NIkolias and Ruth Grauert in a lighting rehearsal for Vaudeville of the Elements at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis in 1965 |
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The Chatterbox
Read the e-mail discussion forum of former Nikolais/Louis dancers, students, and technical staff members.
Special Links on This Site
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You may submit articles, contributions to The Chatterbox, and poetry for inclusion on this site by e-mail to Ruth Grauert. Please include a short biography and any other information you may consider pertinent. This Web site (BearnstowJournal.org) is maintained by Jim Van Abbema, who was associated as sound engineer and stage manager / technical director with the Nikolais and Louis companies from 1968 to 1975. He is currently a Webmaster and copy editor. For questions about this Web site, e-mail Jim. Kay Anderson, Coral (Martindale) Aubert, Gladys Bailin, Tandy Beal, Anne Sherman Berry, Bob Beswick, Dorothy Scott Bostwick, Janet Connor, Kitty Cunningham, Virginia Dillon, Louise Eckerson, Suzy McDermaid Freidell, Mimi Garrard, Claudia Gitelman, Sheila Mason Gonzales, Jan Justis, Paul Lawton, Patricia Mayer, Mark Needle, Helen Kent Nicoll, Sara Pearson, Chris Reisner, Frances (Goldie) Stone, and Joan Woodbury have helped us maintain the Bearnstow Journal over this past year. All images and written material on Bearnstow Journal are copyrighted. Reproduction of any item from this site is prohibited without prior written permission from Bearnstow. |