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Daniel Nagrin, Solo
In those youthful days when life seemed boundless, one summer
in Connecticut we slept in a pup tent to the sound of chirping
crickets and badgers screeching in the middle of the night.
Daytime was quieter and spent in ballet and modern dance class:
diamond shaped plies contrasted Martha Graham exercises of
contract and release "Breathe in/breathe out." Most, if not
all, of the summer dance teachers and choreographers lived in
New York, the epicenter of the modern dance and theater world.
One day at lunch we said to our teacher Daniel
Nagrin, "It seems all arrows lead to New York."
"You can get stabbed on an arrow," he replied.
Nevertheless, some time later when an opportunity to live and
work in Manhattan arose, we packed our bags for New York
without hesitation.
Lee Nagrin and Daniel Nagrin
In New York we got to know Lee Nagrin who created her
own performance pieces in her studio on Bleecker Street and
performed in those of avant-garde artists like Meredith
Monk and Ping Chong.
Mr. Nagrin eventually moved to Arizona and retired. When a
journalist
asked him in 2007 if he missed New York, he exclaimed, "Ha!
I do, I do, I do."
We will miss Daniel Nagrin. Fortunately his work is preserved
for future generations of dancers to perform and audiences to
enjoy. He is survived by his wife, Phyllis Steele
Nagrin.
Time, Space and Dynamics
The only space that interests me
is the distance
between you and me.
The only time that interests me
is the little we have left
to make a decent gesture.
The only dynamic that interests me
is the tenderness of your embrace
and the memory of the fist
that broke my face.
I look to the time when
there will be sweet air
and room for all.
Then will I have the leisure
to arrange three soft lines
on a sheet of pebbly paper
and listen to them
sing to each other
- Daniel Nagrin, Choreography and the Specific
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