Jeanne Ruddy Dance -Susanne Linke at The German Society of Pennsylvania

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GERMAN EXPRESSIONIST AND AMERICAN MODERN DANCE LEGACIES CONVERGE WHEN JEANNE RUDDY DANCE PRESENTS
RENOWNED CHOREOGRAPHER SUSANNE LINKE

Exclusive Lecture Demo/Performance Launches Creative Process For
Linke’s 2008 World Premiere Commission with JRD;
Honors Group Motion’s Manfred Fischbeck, Brigitta Herrmann
And Hellmut Gottschild

PHILADELPHIA, PA – August 3, 2007 -- The legacies of German expressionist pioneer Mary Wigman and American modern dance legend Martha Graham will converge in a unique intersection this fall, when Jeanne Ruddy Dance, founded by former Graham principal Jeanne Ruddy, joins forces with The German Society of Pennsylvania to present an exclusive lecture demo/ performance that will launch the creative process for the company’s 2008 season. Showcasing renowned German choreographer and dancer Susanne Linke with JRD company members, the event is part of a two-week exploratory development workshop that Linke is leading in preparation for choreographing her upcoming world premiere.

Slated for Saturday, October 6 at 5pm at the German Society of Pennsylvania’s Albert & Hete Barthelmes Auditorium, 611 Spring Garden Street in Philadelphia, the event will provide an extraordinary behind-the-scenes glimpse into the process of dance, as well as rare insight into the German expressionist dance movement and the evolution of modern dance. Moderated by Jeanne Ruddy, JRD artistic director, excerpts of Linke’s work will be interspersed with discussion about her philosophy/approach to the art of dance, and how it is rooted in German expressionist dance. The evening will also honor Brigitta Herrmann and Hellmut Gottschild, founders of Gruppe Motion Berlin (who, like Linke, evolved from the Mary Wigman School of Dance) and Manfred Fischbeck, for their outstanding contributions to modern dance in Philadelphia. A champagne reception for high level ticket holders will follow, in The German Society's historic and elegant Horner Library at 6:15pm.

Remarking on the JRD collaboration, Linke said, “It is with great pleasure that I embark on this new adventure of traveling to Philadelphia to set a new work on Jeanne Ruddy’s company. The dancers are strong performers, and it is especially helpful that they are trained in the Graham technique. I can see that this company will be able to absorb and produce what I need, and it is a journey, both geographically and artistically, to which I look forward.”

Linke’s connection with the Gruppe Motion triumvirate goes back 40 years. She and Gottschild studied with Wigman together. Gottschild was one of her early teachers. And Linke was actually a member of Gruppe Motion Berlin in its last year, 1967. Founded as a chamber company, they relocated to Philadelphia in 1968 and were quick to receive critical success - making historic appearances at Judson Church in New York in 1968 and Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in 1969.

Said Fischbeck, who has been a guiding force in contemporary and independent dance for two generations of artists in Philadelphia, “It is exciting to connect with Susanne Linke after 40 years. At that time, we worked together on Gruppe Motion Berlin’s Count Down for Orpheus, which we performed as Group Motion’s American debut at Judson Church (68) and Jacobs Pillow (69), although without Susanne. Thanks to Jeanne, we have the opportunity to meet again and to share where our different paths have taken us since then.” Said Brigitta Herrmann, who has been creating works since 1962 integrating dance, music, media and text into
her own style, “With Susanne, I share the love and admiration for Dore Hoyer who was a guest teacher at the Wigman School of Dance. When we worked together in Berlin, Susanne was an emerging artist. Over time I have seen many of her wonderful works and I look forward to seeing her in Philadelphia. I’m excited that she is working with Jeanne’s company, and I’m curious about her new work.”

Long a seminal figure in Philadelphia dance, Hellmut Gottschild was Mary Wigman’s personal teaching assistant for 6 years, and her last assistant. In 1972 he created ZeroMoving, his performing vehicle here for over two decades. He retired in 1996 from Temple University, where for 28 years he was a pillar of the dance department. “Susanne was my most talented student at Wigman, which is why I asked her to perform with us in Berlin,” said Gottschild, “and she still emphasizes how much of what she learned from me was formative for her as a dancer and choreographer. We’ve kept in touch over the years, although not often, so I am very much looking forward to seeing her.”

Recently honored as the recipient of the German Dance Award 2007 (Deutschen Tanzpreis), for her contribution to dance in Europe and the world, Susanne Linke is one of the greatest representatives of modern German expressionist dance. Now 62, Linke unites in her dance both her origins in the historic German tradition and the development of contemporary German dance theatre. After studying with Wigman, she went to Essen and continued her training at the Folkwang School’s dance department, which was founded by Kurt Jooss. From 1970 – 1973 she was a dancer at the Folkwang Dance Studio under the artistic direction of Pina Bausch, and began to create her own choreographic pieces. She quickly gained international recognition with her solos and group dances, received several awards and gave guest performances all over Europe as well as in India, South and North America. For almost ten years, until the summer of 1985, she directed the Folkwang Dance Studio and went on tour with the group to South America as well as to other countries. Since then, she has worked as a freelance choreographer and dancer and with international ensembles as a guest choreographer, among them the Limón Company in New York, GRCOP at the Paris Opera and the Nederlands Dans Theater.

Established in 1998, Jeanne Ruddy Dance features the work of such preeminent choreographers as Robert Battle, Ann Reinking, Mark Dendy, and many others. Now a mainstay of the region’s dance community, each season’s productions also include new works by Ruddy herself, who continues to explore diverse styles and techniques with her company of nine professional dancers. The company’s renovated studio theatre headquarters at 1515 Brandywine Street, THE PERFORMANCE GARAGE, together with its outreach and touring program and classes, supports JRD’s mission to create a viable youth outreach program for area children and local schools, to nurture new dancers and promote new audiences.

The Susanne Linke project was made possible in part by a grant from Dance Advance, a program of the Philadelphia Center for Arts and Heritage, funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and administered by The University of the Arts. Co-produced by The German Society of Pennsylvania and Jeanne Ruddy Dance, the Susanne Linke event will take place on Saturday, October 6, 2007 at 5pm at The German Society of Pennsylvania’s Albert & Hete Barthelmes Auditorium, 611 Spring Garden Street, Phila, PA. Ticket prices are: Lecture Admission $20; Lecture and Champagne Reception $50; Students and Seniors $15. For tickets, call 215-569-4060 (reservations must be paid in advance by credit card or check, payable to Jeanne Ruddy Dance.)

Jeanne Ruddy Dance's 8th Concert Season will be presented at The Performance Garage, 1515 Brandywine St (one block north of Spring Garden Street between 15th and 16th Streets), April 10 – 19, 2008. Performances are Thurs, April 10 at 7:30pm, Fri-Sat, April 11-12 at 8pm; Thurs and Fri, April 17-18 at 8pm and Sat April 19 at 2pm and 8pm.

Tickets for opening night are $100, all other performances are $25 /$15 for seniors, students w/ID and members of the professional dance community), and can be purchased by calling 215.569.4060 or visiting www.ruddydance.org. $15 tickets are available for groups of 10 or more; $10 for groups of 20 or more. Cash, checks or all major credit cards (MC, Visa, Amex, Discover) accepted.

For more information on Jeanne Ruddy Dance, please call Nina Zucker Associates at 610.667.0706 or email at nzapr@aol.com or visit www.ruddydance.org.

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