ELLEN CORNFIELD

Artistic Director Cornfield Dance 535 East 5th Street, #6C NY, NY 10009 212.982.7803 info@cornfielddance.org

I N F OR M AT ION

M I S SION
The mission of Cornfield Dance is to support the creation and performance of the choreography of Ellen Cornfield, bringing her work to both experienced and uninitiated dance audiences alike, performing her work in traditional and non-traditional spaces worldwide.

PH I L O S OPH Y
Choreographer Ellen Cornfield has been honing her work for over two decades, creating pieces rich with lush and unexpected dancing, supported by her sophisticated close-up, bringing into focus emotional subtleties, framing the landscape of human interactions with wit, playfulness, passion and beauty. As an alum of the Merce Cunningham Company, she has a keenly developed appetite for full out dancing and an appreciation of the power of movement independent of any story. However, Cornfield has also long been fascinated with human emotion, its variety and range, and the stories and dramas generated within each person and in our relationships to others. This interest has prompted her to invite and include every day movements and facial expressions into her work, portraying the physical and emotional texture of our everyday experiences, the feelings and thoughts behind a moment in time. The friction between Cornfields more abstract dance language and the out-of-life pedestrian movements is what establishes the backbone of her current work. P H I L O S OP H Y M I S SION & articulation of space. In her recent work, Cornfield zooms into

C OM PA N Y H IST ORY
Cornfield Dance has been active in New York City and throughout the world since its formation in 1989, with its original performance outdoors at Cooper Union Square. Choreographer Ellen Cornfields interest in making her work available to a wide spectrum of audience has been realized in much of the companys work since that time, performing in alternative spaces - gardens, museums, plazas as well as inside traditional theater spaces. International venues for her choreography include the International Dance Festival in Festival, St. Petersburg, Russia, and three venues in Japan over a two-week tour, with performances in Tokyo and Okayama. Venues within New York City include the Abrons Art Center, the Ailey Citigroup Theater, Playhouse 91, Danspace Project at St. Marks Church and the Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors Festival; venues outside of NYC include the Stephens Institute in NJ, The University of Maryland, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Jacobs Pillow in Massachusetts, and The Yard in Massachusetts. Support for Cornfields work has come from numerous sources. In 2008 she participated with the Jos Limn Company as part of a two-week MANCC residency hosted at Florida State University, developing material on the Limn dancers. A duet from her repertory was performed in the Limn Companys Gala at the Joyce Theater, NYC. She has received commissions from the 92nd St. Y New Works in Dance Fund, Fete de la Musique, Danspace Project, Buskers Fare, and the Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors Festival, among others, and has received funding from the American Music Center, Pentacle Help Desk, the Asian Cultural Council, Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust, Joyce Mertz Gilmore Fdtn., Meet the Composer, Manhattan Community Arts Fund, Harkness Foundation for Dance, American Express Company, and the Sidney Stern Memorial Trust. H I ST ORY C OM PA N Y Bytom, Poland (four times), the C. Munch Theatre, Paris, The Place Theatre in London, the OPEN LOOK

BIO GR A PH Y
Ellen Cornfield, choreographer, dancer, teacher, has been working in her field for over forty years. Her childhood was spent playing and singing in the expansive outdoor space of the Virginia countryside. She began modern dance training (Graham Technique) in 1968 at the University of California at Berkeley, performed in the University Company, and by her fourth and last year was teaching Graham technique to a beginning class. She moved to New York City to study and perform with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company (19741982), with whom she toured the world and earned a reputation as one of the foremost Cunningham dancers of her generation. Following her tenure with MCDC, Ellen worked as a guest artist at numerous universities throughout the US and with several small companies, choreographing, teaching and performing. She formed Cornfield Dance in 1989 to support her choreographic investigations. Cornfield has traveled with her company throughout the US, Canada, Europe and Japan, bringing her lush and elegant choreography to new audiences, performing in theaters, universities, as well as outdoor taught at many of the words major dance institutions, including North Carolina School of the Arts, Harvard Summer Dance Center, SUNY Purchase, Ohio State University, Hofstra University, and the University of California at Berkeley. Internationally she has taught at The Place and the Laban Institute in London, at the Rotterdamse Dansacademie in Holland, and for several European companies including Ballet Rambert in London, Companie Emile Dubois in Grenoble, France and for Charlesleroi Danses in Charleroi, Belgium. Cornfields superb dancers embrace and illuminate the dynamic, athletic, and legible movement language that supports the arc of Cornfields choreographic investigations. She has a BA in History from UC Berkeley and an MA in Performance Studies from New York University. B IO E L L E N C OR N F I E L D and public spaces. She is a master teacher, and has

R E SU M E
EDUCATION 2000 1971 PERFORMANCE 1989 to Present 19741982 TRAINING 1977 to Present 19922012 20042010 19711998 19741986 19681972 Joan Witkowski (Body Conditioning) Martha Yoshida (Resistive Band Training) Lynn Martin (Breathing Coordination) Merce Cunningham Margaret Craske (Cecchetti Ballet) David Wood (Martha Graham technique) Cornfield Dance Merce Cunningham Dance Company NYU MA Performance Studies UC Berkeley BA History

ELLEN CORNFIELD Artistic Director of Cornfield Dance

R E SU M E E L L E N C OR N F I E L D

TEACHING ACTIVITIES 2012Winter 2011Fall 2010Spring 2008Spring 2006Spring 20042005 2004Spring NYU Gallatin Dance Series Guest Residency University of Florida Gainseville Scranton Civic Ballet, Scranton PA Jos Limn Dance Company 92nd Street Y, NYC Peridance Studio, NYC technique Cornfield Dance Studio, NYC breathing and alignment

19722003 2003February 2002October 2001Summer 2000Fall 2000Summer 1999Fall 1999Summer 1998Fall June/July February 1997August June/July Spring 1996Spring 1994Fall 1992Aug/Sept Jan/April 1991Fall Aug/Sept 1990Aug/Sept

Merce Cunningham Dance Studio, NYC North Carolina School of the Arts technique and repertory Dartmouth University technique and choreography commission Session House, Tokyo, Japan technique and composition Hofstra University, South Hampton, New York South Carolina Governors School technique and composition VIII Dance Conference and Performance Festival, Poland Session House, Tokyo, Japan technique and composition Hofstra University, South Hampton, New York Webster University, Summer Intensive, St. Louis, Missouri University of California at Berkeley Intl Dance Conference and Performance Festival, Poland Charleroi Danse, Belgium Session House, Tokyo, Japan technique and composition Intl Dance Conference and Performance Festival, Poland State University of New York at Purchase State University of New York at Purchase North Carolina School of the Arts Studio 303, Montreal, Canada Columbia Teachers College, New York City Russell Sage Collage, Troy, New York Studio 303, Montreal, Canada Intl Course for Choreographers and Composers, England R E SU M E E L L E N C OR N F I E L D South Carolina Governors School technique and composition

Aug/Sept September June 1989March 1988November March/October April/June February 1987Aug/Sept July June January 1986December November August Jan/April 1984Oct/Nov July/August 1983September September 1982July 1974July 19711972

Rambert Dance Company, London, England TOC, dance studio in Cologne, Germany Studio 303, Montreal, Canada Ohio University, Athens, Ohio Rambert Dance Company, London, England Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio Reflex Dance Company, London, England Rambert Dance Company, London, England Rotterdam Dance Academy, Holland TOC, dance studio in Cologne, Germany CAL Arts, Los Angeles, California Rotterdam Dance Academy, Holland Pineapple Dance Studios, London La Group Emile Dubois, Grenoble, France Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri University of Montana, Missoula, Montana The YARD, Marthas Vineyard, Massachusetts George Washington University, Washington, D.C. The Dance Place, Washington, D.C. Ecodans, private studio in Lyons, France American University, Washington, D.C. University of California, Berkeley (Graham Technique) R E SU M E E L L E N C OR N F I E L D Randolph Macon Womens College, Lynchburg, Virginia

1985Sept/June 86 The Laban Centre, London, England

CU RR E N T R E PE RT ORY #1
SMALL STAGES (2013) Choreography: Ellen Cornfield Music: Andreas Brade (the score is a mix of live and pre-recorded sound) Costumes: Ellen Cornfield Choreographer Ellen Cornfields newest dance work Small Stages zooms into close-up, framing the development of relationships in small stages attraction and courtship, a solitary figure relating to an empty chair, the negotiation and tussles built into a long-term relationship, the playfulness among friends. With humor, exuberance, conflict, passion and tenderness, this work creates a large canvas in a small space, a landscape of human emotion and interactions. Performed on and around a 6' X 6' stage, Small Stages is supported by the music, five performers, and a robust movement vocabulary from the everyday to the sophisticated. In addition to the portable small stage, the set includes furniture placed at either side of the stage. There are two chairs on one side, with a young man sitting and relating to the empty chair next to him, longing for his imaginary sweetheart. On the other side is a small table with a seated older couple, engaged in situations revealing some of relationships challenges a struggle over reading and sharing the morning newspaper, and jealousies resulting from a casual flirtation.

Performance Venue Possibilities: This versatile piece is suited to any venue stage, studio, alternative/ site-specific, outdoor locations, neighborhood cafes. Its footprint is about 20' X 15' Number of Dancers: 3 dancers, 2 non-dancing performers R E P E RT ORY C U R R E N T

CU RR E N T R E PE RT ORY #2
FURNITURE SUITE (2012) Choreography: Ellen Cornfield Music: Andreas Brade (the score is a mix of live and pre-recorded sound) Costumes: Ellen Cornfield Slinking and slicing through the space, two women wrap themselves on, around and over two sturdy stools, creating a mercurial study in kaleidoscopic emotions. From elegant movement to pixie play, this duet beguiles and provokes, providing an ever-changing portrait of the two women and their interactions. Furniture Suite creates a marriage of narrative and abstraction, juxtaposing recognizable everyday movements and situations with dance phrases full of beauty and liquid energy.

Performance Venue Possibilities: Appropriate for stage, studio, or alternative space locations. Originally performed in a hotel lobby R E P E RT ORY C U R R E N T Number of Dancers: 2 dancers

C OM M I S SIONS
Scranton Civic Ballet, Scranton PA 2010 La Mama Moves!, NYC 2009 Chen Dance Center, NYC 2009 Jos Limn Company MANCC* Residency 2008 Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY 2003 Dartmouth University, Hanover, NH 2002 Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ 2000 92nd Street Y, New Works in Dance Fund, NYC 1999 Fete de la Musique, NYC 1998 Danspace Project, St. Marks Church, NYC 1997, 1990 Buskers Fare (LMCC), NYC 1996 Russell Sage College, Troy, NY 2000, 1993199 6 Pat McKeown, Pittsburgh, PA 1993 Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors Festival, NYC 1991 Reflex Dance Co., Holland 1988 Burning Feet Dance Co., St. Louis, MO 1985 The Yard, Marthas Vineyard, MA 1984 *Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography, University of Florida at Tallahassee

GR A N T S
Low Road Foundation 2011 Sidney Stern Memorial Trust 19992013 Manhattan Community Arts Fund 1991, 1995, 20082009 Meet the Composer 1990, 19941996, 1998, 2008 American Express Matching Grant 19982002 Harkness Dance Foundation 19972000, 2002 Asian Cultural Council 2000 Pentacle Help Desk 2000 Mary Flagler Charitable Trust 1998 Joyce Mertz Gilmore Foundation 19911992 Hambro International Cultural Grant 19911992 GR A N T S C OM M I S SION S & American Music Center 2008

QUOT E S PR E S S PA RT 1
(The dancers move) less by intent than by instinct the way birds feeding alone will suddenly flock and fly up at change in the wind. Their forays are rich and full of variety from wild allegro to serenity in the blink of an eye. Village Voice, 2002 Cornfield Dance gives us dancing! a kinetic balance between grace and athleticism that makes clear their passion and spot-on training. iDanz, 2009 Fault Lines combines visual clarity with an ongoing springiness. People leap across the space. are whirled off their feet The accomplished dancersmove on strong, articulate legs. Cornfield skillfully varies their big, bold patterns breaking out a trio here, a duet event there, a burst of individual steps. Village Voice, 2007 QUO T E S S E L E C T E D Women race toward men and

QUOT E S PR E S S PA RT 2
Cornfield Dance has an internal power generated from the abstraction of the choreography. It was fascinating. I was intoxicated from the combination of the tension and release of the dancing, as I drank in the space and time the dancers created through their bodies. Dance Magazine Japan, 1997 Rich choreographic imagination. youthful passion and energy. Zachodni Newspaper Poland, 1998 Cornfields dances frankly celebrate the highly trained dancer as an exemplar of human its invigorating to see complex movement that can surprise us with unexpected dynamic shifts or startling collusions of individuals and body parts Every gesture is elegantly rendered and the product of elegant choices. Village Voice, 1996 QUO T E S S E L E C T E D thought, ingenuity, and vitality

QUOT E S OT H E R
There are so many delightful surprises, unexpected directions, a sense that the dancers are tremendously present with an almost animal alertness. One comes away feeling that a clear wind has passed through the space, purifying it and cleaning it of any debris. This is dancing that is satisfying by being purposefully non-referential, dancing about dancing and being alive in the most elemental sense. Joan Finkelstein Former Director 92nd St. Y Harkness Dance Center Presented with the challenges of a small space, many choreographers would attempt to downsize their movement in an attempt to make it fit. The opposite happened in Ellen Cornfields Dance for a Small Room. Known for works that consume whatever space they inhabit, Cornfield and her dancers each of whom could cross the Abrons Centers proscenium with a single leap pulled off a kind of spatial sleight-of-hand. Rather than miniaturizing or minimizing the movement, the dancing instead grew larger, more forceful, refuting and indeed dissolving the small rooms boundaries. Lise Friedman Freelance Writer Primeramazed at every turn wonderful depth of texture, contrasting elements that informed each other groupings that intrigued, emotional tones that came suddenly and vanished as quickly. David Zarko Artistic Director Electric Theater Co., Scranton PA Ellen Cornfield offers us a rare blend of poetry and kinesthetic excitement. Watching her dances is the unexpected is the norm. Carla Maxwell Artistic Director Jos Limn Dance Company QUO T E S S E L E C T E D to enter into a special world where

R EV I EWS

R E V I E W S

L ET T E R S OF R E C OM M E N DAT ION #1
24 May 2009 R E C OM M E N DAT ION L E T T E R S OF To Whom It May Concern: It is with great pleasure that I write on behalf of Ellen Cornfield. I have known Ellen and her work for close to two decades and can wholeheartedly say that she is a very special and rare artist. Ellen is a true original, an artist whose work exemplifies investigation, quality, craft, musicality and humanity. She is a poet in the dance. Ellen is also a woman of enormous dedication to not only advancing the dance field through producing her own work, but giving back to the world around her. Her interest in bringing dance and theater arts out of traditional theater spaces and into public spaces, speaks to her vision of how we may re-integrate the arts into society. Besides her enormous creativity and energy, Ellen is also a person who meets her commitments, and knows how to manage her time and resources. She is more than ready to take advantage of the opportunity to have her choreography and teaching abilities brought to a larger community. I cannot think of a more deserving artist. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Thank you. Sincerely, Carla Maxwell Artistic Director, Jos Limn Dance Company Contact: carlamaxwell7@gmail.com

L ET T E R S OF R E C OM M E N DAT ION #2
July 6, 2007 R E C OM M E N DAT ION L E T T E R S OF Letter in support of Ellen Cornfield I first met Ellen in 1977, when I joined the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, with which she had been dancing for several years. Our close proximity to each other, and our shared experience of working with the intense environment of a major dance company, meant that we soon became well acquainted. Ellen was an ideal colleague: genial, supportive, and attentive. And her dancing, which she approached with energy, intelligence, and care, had tremendous verve and style. When she began to make her own choreography which I had the pleasure of watching in my subsequent roles as a freelance dance writer as well as editor, of Dance Ink magazine these same qualities were immediately apparent. She has, over the years, developed and refined a unique sensibility and kinetic approach. Her dances reflect her natural joie de vivre they are frequently joyous in spirit as well as her understanding of the body as a tool for expression. Her dancers, clearly in tune with their choreographer, telegraph intent. The steps are never enough for Ellen. Her work resonates because she instills purpose as well as movement in her dancers. Her most recent choreography goes deeper. Her vocabulary is richer and more refined, and her themes are more ambitious, more intriguing theatrically. While the body and its infinite possibilities are paramount, equally intriguing is her ability to capture mood and emotion. Her work with designers and musicians has also developed, giving her work greater dimension and underscoring its admirable scope. I am happy to discuss Ellens work further. Lise Friedman Contact: lisefri@gmail.com

L ET T E R S OF R E C OM M E N DAT ION #3
November 11, 2002 R E C OM M E N DAT ION L E T T E R S OF To Whom It May Concern, I am writing in support of the choreographer Ellen Cornfield and her company Cornfield Dance. As director of the 92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Center for the past ten years, I have known Ms. Cornfield for much of that period. We first presented her several times on our informal Fridays @ Noon performance series, mixed bills with discussion of the pieces interwoven throughout the hour; then on our showcase performance series, Sundays @ Three, where she presented a full program of her works followed by a discussion; and finally as part of our fully produced Harkness Dance Project festival in 1999, for a weeklong series of performances. A marvelous dancer/choreographer who is a veteran of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Ms. Cornfield has developed her own unique aesthetic vision. True to her love of abstraction, she has a keen sense of movement relationships in time and space; but she infuses her dances with humor and human warmth, making a general audience feel comfortable wit this sophisticated form of expression that might otherwise be unfamiliar to them. Her choreography is always full of wonderful small surprises, and dance images that remain with the viewer long after the dance is done, like the after-image left on the retina when an object is viewed in bright sunlight. Her most recent works have combined the dance with lighting, sound and film elements to great effect. Ms. Cornfield is a teacher with long experience. She is articulate about the work and encouraging but demanding with her students. The results are real progress in technique and performance. Please accept my warm recommendation of Ellen Cornfield to you for your programming. Cordially, Joan Finkelstein Director, 92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Center Contact: JFinkelstein2@schools.nyc.gov

L ET T E R S OF R E C OM M E N DAT ION #4
October 1, 2007 R E C OM M E N DAT ION L E T T E R S OF To Whom it May Concern; It is a pleasure to recommend choreographer, Ellen Cornfield, for your consideration in choosing artists with fresh and original creativity. Ms. Cornfield has a rich and well documented history of professional experience as a dancer, teacher, creative experimenter, and artistic director of her own company that spans over thirty successful years in the field. It has been a privilege to observe her progress over the many years I have known her, first as my student at University of California Berkeley, then as a member of the UC faculty, and now as a fellow artist in the profession developing her own unique voice in contemporary dance. Ms. Cornfields professional performing years are highlighted by her tenure with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, but simultaneously and subsequently she has remained active as an independent artist, choreographing a body of works with a distinctly personal flavor drawn from her own resources. Her gestural language and movement dynamic have evolved from her Cunningham background into her own expressive vocabulary and one sees both a physical and dramatic originality in her work. I believe Ms. Cornfield would have truly engaging material to offer any group as they expand their horizons with different artists. Her teaching and inventive skills are extensive. Perhaps one of the more important aspects of setting up a relationship with a choreographer relies on establishing a positive working interaction. The many years that Ms. Cornfield has taught and performed nationally and internationally, set work on her own and other companies, and choreographed in long as well as short term projects all bear witness to her well sustained ability to connect with her dancers and craft new material successfully. I believe a most interesting work would unfold from collaboration with Ms. Cornfield. I hope you will give it every consideration. Sincerely. Marnie Thomas Director Emerita and Current Faculty, Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance Contact: marniw@berkeley.edu