CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
Within ten gallery spaces the Museum presents five permanent installations, the Art in the Foyer series, and a range of annually rotating exhibitions, including two each year that showcase the newest Hall of Fame inductees. Outdoor installations are also part of the Museum’s exhibition programming.
ART OF THE DANCE
POSTERS FROM HOLLYWOOD’S GOLDEN AGE
An unprecedented one hundred thirty dance movie posters from the collection of veteran producer Mike Kaplan are on view in three of the Museum’s galleries. This rare and exceptional collection includes several American and international versions of Hollywood film posters which range in date from 1918 to the 1980s with the majority from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. Art of the Dance opened on Fred Astaire’s 120th birthday – May 10, 2019. It includes a special section devoted exclusively to Astaire’s unparalleled career on the silver screen as well as a special section highlighting members of the Museum’s Hall of Fame.
ART IN THE FOYER
ON BEING STILL: PORTRAITS BY JOANNE SAVIO
Renowned photographer Joanne Savio has been documenting the arts community through portraiture since the 1980s. She has captured some of the most influential dancers and choreographers of our time including Mikhail Baryshnikov, Pina Bausch, and Elizabeth Streb in addition to several members of the Hall of Fame such as Merce Cunningham, Mark Morris, Gregory Hines, Bill T. Jones, and Trisha Brown. Her stunning, iconic portraits of dancers and choreographers are on view in the Foyer.
Geoffrey Holder, Dancer and Choreographer.
Photo ©Joanne Savio
DANCERS AFTER DARK
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JORDAN MATTER
Dancers After Dark features photographs from Jordan Matter’s 2016 book in which he documents nude dancers in iconic locations around the world. This exhibition also includes exclusive video from the making of Dancers After Dark. Jordan Matter is the New York Times best-selling author of the highly-acclaimed book Dancers Among Us.
Photo ©Jordan Matter
A TRIBUTE TO 2019 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
Carmen de Lavallade
2019 Hall of Fame Inductee Carmen de Lavallade made her professional debut at age seventeen with the Lester Horton Dance Theater. Over the course of her sixty-year career, she was a principal dancer with the Metropolitan Opera and guest artist with American Ballet Theatre. Numerous ballets have been created for her by major choreographers and she has choreographed for companies such as Dance Theatre of Harlem, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and the Metropolitan Opera. She has also had an extensive acting career performing in both film and theater. Lauded by numerous institutions, Carmen has received the Dance Magazine Award and a Kennedy Center Honor, among others.
Frederick Ashton
2019 Hall of Fame Inductee Sir Frederick Ashton (1904-1988) studied with Léonide Massine and Marie Rambert and was greatly influenced by choreographer Bronislava Nijinska in Paris. In England he choreographed and danced for the Rambert Company and pursued a successful career as a dancer in musicals and revues. He became resident choreographer for Ninette de Valois’ Vic-Wells Ballet (now The Royal Ballet) and eventually its longtime Director. He created nearly one hundred ballets in all and worked in opera for over fifty years. He was knighted by The Queen and invited to become a member of the Order of Merit. Among his many honors are France’s Legion d’Honneur.