Garth Fagan Dance

Garth, we thank you for the human you are and the art you gift us. Eighty-one years strong, you overflow with warmth, welcoming, and understanding, while cultivating and demanding the best from yourself, your dancers, and your world. Here's to 81 YEARS, and many more!... HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Hope you're leaping for love of dance today. Garth certainly was, in this #throwback of him in 1968! Happy International Dance Day! #internationaldanceday2021 #garthfagandancecompany #tbt #faganatfifty

Summer Movement Institute is ON! And this summer, there are 3 ways you can dance at SMI: In-Person Live Virtual Pre-Recorded Video lessons ... Here’s how it will work: In-person Attend 4 classes per day in small groups: The Fagan Technique A Dance related activity (i.e. Afro-Caribbean dance, yoga, nutrition, costumes, makeup, stagecraft ) Composition - learn the art of making up dances Repertory - learn one of Mr. Fagan’s works! Live-Streamed Virtual Receive live feed of the Fagan Technique and Repertory classes, with a designated teacher giving you feedback. Pre-recorded Access the recorded Fagan Technique classes, which will be posted each evening for you to view. No teacher will monitor. Register online: https://www.garthfagandance.org/smi2021

Happy Birthday Steve! Having danced with us since age 19, we are wishing our longtime friend, colleague, and brother Steve a very happy birthday today! Steve, you are a beacon of strength, artistry, perseverance and commitment, a pillar to the technique, and a testament to "Discipline is Freedom." We hope you enjoy this small compilation of some of the big things you've done! https://vimeo.com/536318980/7db108804a... In recognition of Steve's contributions and his dedication to Garth Fagan Dance, please consider a donation in his honor. We have a generous donor willing to match all gifts in Steve's honor up to $10,000 this month. Will you donate $19 for 19 years? $50 for GFD's 50 years, or any amount to honor one of our Originals? #garthfagandancecompany #originaldancer #bessieawardwinner

#TechniqueTuesday -- PARALLEL FOURS! The mantra Discipline is Freedom is integral to Fagan Technique. The technique features a continuous hour-long warm-up sequence that dancers perform daily to train their proprioception, strength, endurance, flexibility and musicality. The Parallel Fours floor exercise is a full-body exercise counted in increments of 4. ... Starting with legs parallel, knees drawn up, feet on the floor, and the back vertical, the dancer straightens the legs while stretching the torso over the legs. The dancer then rolls with a rounded back onto the floor, eventually laying the back flat on the floor with the knees to the chest. They then extend their legs from the knees, then bend them again while bringing the torso and legs back to the starting position. This exercise strengthens the core, legs and hip flexors, and increases spinal articulation. Try this once daily and watch the discipline pay off! Dancer: Akeem Edwards Instructor: Natalie Rogers-Cropper

We're back to work! Gratitude! Excitement! Standing bounces and sore calves! YESTERDAY marked our first day officially back to work since our hiatus last March. Thank you to all who gave financial support, counsel, services, and well-wishes to help Garth Fagan Dance Company return to training and creating. Special thanks to Executive Director Bill Ferguson, and GFD School Director Natalie Rogers Cropper, who worked tirelessly to secure the funds for dancer salaries and COVID...-safe procedures that made this possible! #backtowork #theshowmustgoon #garthfagandancecompany

Did you hear? We are hiring! Are you a professional level dancer who wants to be part of an internationally acclaimed contemporary American dance company? Garth Fagan Dance is hiring male and female dancers for full-time salaried positions. Dancers should have a strong technical background at a professional level and be able to begin employment May 17, 2021 or as soon as possible thereafter.... Requirements include: Relocation to Rochester, New York Minimum two-year agreement with GFD Position details: Health benefits begin after a minimum 3-month period Retirement benefits are offered after two years Submission criteria: To apply, you will need to send a headshot, resume, and a 3-minute or less video link of your dancing. Dance video must include the following: Musicality is a must, big jumps, a variety of dynamics, turns (on one leg and chainees), and some floor work. Please do not wear black tights or leggings as they make it hard to see your body. Please do not wear socks. Black dancer/biker shorts are acceptable. Please keep hair pulled back. Your submission materials will be reviewed by our Artistic Director, Garth Fagan, and/or our Rehearsal Director, Norwood Pennewell, and Assistant Rehearsal Director, Natalie Rogers-Cropper. Upon approval, you will be asked to audition in person for a period of 3 days at Garth Fagan Dance studios in Rochester, New York Visit www.garthfagandance.org/careers for details and to apply today!

We want to congratulate one of our finest, Natalie Rogers-Cropper, for being honored as one of the Rochester Business Journal's Women of Excellence. Natalie was recognized for her professional experience, community involvement and commitment to inspiring change. She is a woman of excellence every day at GFD and we are thrilled for her well-deserved recognition. The virtual recognition celebration is May 25. To buy tickets visit https://rbj.net/events/women-of-excellence/... "The 2021 Women of Excellence honorees are at the pinnacle of their careers. They are making a difference at work, at home and in their communities," said Suzanne Fischer-Huettner, group publisher of the Rochester Business Journal. "In addition, they are mentoring other women to achieve greatness. We at the Rochester Business Journal are pleased to celebrate their many accomplishments." #RBJEvents #WomenOfExcellence #ROC #GarthFaganDance

#Techniquetuesdays! Ever wanted to know more about the technique that sets Garth Fagan Dance Company apart? Check us out on Instagram every Tuesday for a crash course! LESSON 1: What is technique? Technique is method the way we carry out a task. There are millions of movements in Contemporary dancing, including bends, jumps, turns and kicks, but the way these movements are done make up the technique. Good techniques help us move more safely, efficiently, and beautifully!... Garth Fagan developed specific methods for executing contemporary dance movements, plus specific movements that are done nowhere else! These constitute the Fagan Technique. Join us next #Techniquetuesday for your bite-sized lesson in Fagan Technique! #garthfagandancecompany #contemporarydance #dancetechnique

We embody a trillion degrees of difference, and we embrace them all. Diversity is beauty. But unity in diversity, is power. April is Celebrate Diversity Month, dedicated to recognizing, honoring and celebrating our differences and similarities, so we understand each other more deeply. Let's appreciate the diversity that surrounds us all! Happy Celebrate Diversity month! #garthfagandance #diversityandinclusion... PC: Yi-Chun Wu From: Hylozoic choreographed by Norwood PJ Pennewell