Research Catalog

Interview with George Faison

Title
Interview with George Faison [videorecording] : / interviewer, Robert Greskovic.
Publication
c2009.

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Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Performing Arts Research Collections to submit a request in person.

Moving imageUse in library *MGZIDVD 5-3958Performing Arts Research Collections - Dance
Request Appointment

Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Performing Arts Research Collections to submit a request in person.

Moving imageSupervised use *MGZMT 3-3958Performing Arts Research Collections - Dance

Details

Additional Authors
  • Faison, George, 1945-
  • Greskovic, Robert.
  • Ward, Penny
  • Hines, Kay
  • New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Dance Collection.
  • Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
Description
1 videodisc (NTSC) (93 min.) : sd., col.; 4 3/4 in. +
Summary
George Faison (choreographer) speaks with Robert Greskovic about growing up in Washington, D.C.; attending Dunbar High School; studying dance at age 13 with Maryrose Allen and Carolyn Tate; the American Light Opera Company and members; his love of musical theatre; watching Ed Sullivan and dreaming; studying with Ethel Butler; spending time in Georgetown; studying at Howard University; seeing Alvin Ailey Dance Theater perform for the first time in 1964; how inspired he was by the Ailey performance; leaving Howard University to pursue dance in New York City; dancing for Arthur Mitchell at the Dance Theatre of Harlem; staying with relatives and commuting from Brooklyn into Manhattan; studying show dancing with June Taylor; dancing at the Harkness House; modern dance and jazz dance with Jack Cole; his hero, Jerome Robbins; dealing with the resistance and stigma that goes with being a black, male dancer; his love of moving through space, defying gravity, and pushing his aptitude to learn dance; his first job on television as Lauren Bacall's dance partner in the first integrated telling of dance history "ABC Stage 67"; learning to understand and know his body within a certain framework; understanding being centered; learning liturgical dance on Capitol Hill; the need for male dancers when he was starting out; joining HARYOU (Harlem Youth Opportunities Unlimited); touring as a company under Thelma Hill; auditioning for Alvin Ailey in 1967; cleaning houses to afford dance classes; 1976-1970 with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; touring Europe; touring ten countries in Africa; how Africa affected him and the resulting piece "Gazelle"; about Alvin Ailey; finding expression outside of heritage and legacy dances; importance of his American musical heritage, his exposure to blues music, and his exposure to classical music; expressing one's self with only body and space; being unafraid to interpret anything; proposing "Gazelle" to Ailey; making his debut on Broadway in "Purlie"; gathering dancers, staging, and making costumes himself and presenting work as the George Faison Dance Ensemble (later became the George Faison Universal Dance Experience); "Suite Otis" premiering in 1971 at the Manhattan Theater Club; using his Broadway money to continue presenting his choreographic visions; keeping going as long as he could support himself; process of working on "The wiz" in 1974; "The wiz" as a stepping stone; his experiences on Broadway; touring with "The wiz"; creative motivation for "Suite Otis"; how "Suite Otis" has not changed except for the addition of the whistle from "Sitting on the dock of the bay"; how dancers have changed over time; his dedication to Thelma Hill; gathering different senses of discipline and harmony from playing the french horn; the importance of understanding how one fits both together and separate from the rest.
Subjects
Genre/Form
  • Dance.
  • Video.
  • Interviews.
Access (note)
  • Transcripts may not be photographed or reproduced without permission.
Credits (note)
  • Director of photography, Penny Ward ; production assistant, Kay Hines ; editor, Kay Hines/Dekart Video.
Event (note)
  • This interview was videotaped at the oral history studio of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts in New York City on April 7, 2009.
Funding (note)
  • Recording made possible by a grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
System Details (note)
  • DVD, transferred from DVCAM cassette.
Call Number
*MGZIDVD 5-3958
OCLC
320779782
Title
Interview with George Faison [videorecording] : / interviewer, Robert Greskovic.
Imprint
c2009.
System Details
DVD, transferred from DVCAM cassette.
Event
This interview was videotaped at the oral history studio of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts in New York City on April 7, 2009.
Credits
Director of photography, Penny Ward ; production assistant, Kay Hines ; editor, Kay Hines/Dekart Video.
Performer
Interviewee, George Faison.
Funding
Recording made possible by a grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
Restricted Access
Transcripts may not be photographed or reproduced without permission.
Added Author
Faison, George, 1945- interviewee.
Greskovic, Robert. Interviewer
Ward, Penny, videographer.
Hines, Kay, production personnel.
Hines, Kay, editor of moving image work.
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Dance Collection.
Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
Research Call Number
*MGZMT 3-3958
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