Research Catalog

Title

Interview with Neil Greenberg [sound recording]

Author

Greenberg, Neil, 1959-

Publication

1995.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

• Kraft, Susan, 1961-
• DHCA

Description

7 sound cassettes (9 hr., 30 min.) +

Alternative Title

• Dance Oral History Project.
• Dance Audio Archive.

Subject

• Cunningham, Merce
• Klein, Susan T
• Panetta, Janet
• Stiller, Michael
• Parkins, Zeena
• Juilliard School. Dance Division
• Feld Ballet
• Merce Cunningham Dance Company
• Wooster Group
• Kitchen Center for Video, Music, Dance, Performance, Film, and Literature (New York, N.Y.)
• Cunningham, Merce. Channels/Inserts
• Cunningham, Merce. Fielding sixes
• Not-about-AIDS-dance (Choreographic work : Greenberg)
• MacGuffin (Choreographic work : Greenberg)
• Cunningham, Merce. Sounddance
• Amnesty (Choreographic work : Greenberg)
• Disco project (Choreographic work : Greenberg)
• Modern dance > Technique > Cunningham
• AIDS (Disease)
• AIDS (Disease) and the arts
• Disco dancing
• Dance > Philosophy
• Modernism (Aesthetics)
• Klein technique

Note

• Interviewed by Susan Kraft at the Dance Collection of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts and other locations.
• For transcript see *MGZMT 3-1886.

Access (note)

• Transcripts may not be photographed or reproduced without permission.

Local note

• Preservation master cassette in: *MGZTCO 3-1886.
• Archival transcript in: *MGZMTO 3-1886.

Call Number

*MGZMT 3-1886

OCLC

NYPY96-R3

Author

Greenberg, Neil, 1959- Interviewee

Title

Interview with Neil Greenberg [sound recording]

Imprint

1995.

Summary

Cassette 1 (90 min.). Recorded Feb. 27, 1995. Mr. Greenberg discusses his childhood in Minnesota; his family life; first dance classes; becoming aware of homosexuality; his first choreography; the impact of Judaism on his childhood; his first experience seeing the choreography of Merce Cunningham, Twyla Tharp and others; graduating from high school early; moving to New York to attend the Juilliard School; getting hired by the Feld Ballet and being fired a few months later; working with small modern dance companies; studying at the Cunningham school; his developing interest in choreography; Cunningham's invitation to join the Merce Cunningham Dance Company; learning his parts from videotape and other experiences in the company.

Cassette 2 (90 min.). Recorded Mar. 6, 1995. Mr. Greenberg further discusses the Merce Cunningham Dance Company and his relationship with Mr. Cunningham; Cunningham's creative process and personality; Cunningham's choreographies Channels/Inserts and Fielding sixes; his own changing attitudes towards dance training and discussing these attitudes with Cunningham; Susan Klein and her technique; drug and alcohol use; and studying ballet with Janet Panetta.

Cassette 3 (30 min.). Recorded Mar. 6, 1995. Mr. Greenberg discusses his development as a dancer; new responsibilities; teaching at SUNY Purchase; his classes and philosophy of teaching; modernism; first choreography at Dance Theater Workshop; other early works and influences, including the Wooster Group; and interpretations of his work.

Cassette 4 (90 min.). Recorded Mar. 13, 1995. Mr. Greenberg discusseshis decision to leave the Merce Cunningham Dance Company; talk with Cunningham about his decision and other issues concerning Cunningham; his Not-about-AIDS-dance; the development of his work up to that point, involving text, movement choices, subject matter and improvisation; his brother's death; his own attempt to face up to being HIV positive in the process of creating this dance; rhythm; his choreographic process; the dancers in his company; and his choreography MacGuffin.

Cassette 5 (30 min.). Recorded Mar. 13, 1995. Mr. Greenberg discusses his changing work process; Cunningham's Sounddance; subjectivity and objectivity in dance; deconstructivism; the videotape of Not-about-AIDS-dance; his hopes for the piece and the development of the text.

Cassette 6 (90 min.). Recorded Oct. 4, 1995. Mr. Greenberg discusses his choreography MacGuffin; collaboration with lighting designer Michael Stiller; abstraction and formalism in dance; deconstruction; text; coaching his dancers; acting and dancing; issues of performance; his choreography Amnesty; ways of creating structure and movement; collaboration with composer Zeena Parkins and his own use of music.

Cassette 7 (90 min.). Recorded Oct. 4 and 13, 1995. Mr. Greenberg discusses the sources and development of his choreography The disco project; the relationship of disco and AIDS; his role as a performer in his own choreography; the conditions under which choreographers work; the death of Frank Maya; his curatorship at The Kitchen. Mr. Greenberg praises the dancers with whom he has worked and discusses the undervalued role of dancers and his own HIV status.

Local Note

Preservation master cassette in: *MGZTCO 3-1886.

Archival transcript in: *MGZMTO 3-1886.

Restricted Access

Transcripts may not be photographed or reproduced without permission.

Local Subject

Klein technique.

Added Author

Kraft, Susan, 1961- Interviewer

DHCA

Research Call Number

*MGZMT 3-1886 [Transcript]

*MGZTC 3-1886 [Cassette]