National Moravian-Silesian Theatre Invites To Meeting with Dancer Daniel Squire

Meeting with Daniel Squire is a unique opportunity to learn more about American postmodern dance and the creative work of John Cage and Merce Cunningham, as well as to witness the birth of a new project, Cunningham Tribute, prepared in the National Moravian-Silesian Theatre. “September 2014 will mark fifty years since John Cage and Merce Cunningham visited Czechoslovakia and, despite the then political situation, realized their performances. The NMST wants to remind this special event by an anniversary concert of artists who were present at the historical performance or built on the creative work of John Cage and Merce Cunningham,” explains the author of special projects NSMT, Martina Klézlová. The music-dance programme Cunningham Tribute, held on the occasion of the 50^th anniversary of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company performing in Prague and Ostrava, will also include a choreography made by the former member of Merce Cunningham’s dance ensemble, Daniel Squire.
Daniel Squire studied dance at White Lodge and at the Rambert School. After moving to New York, he worked many years with Merce Cunningham and performed in theatres all over the world. Currently, he lives in New York and works as a dancer, choreographer, dance teacher and actor. Within his residence in Ostrava, Daniel Squire will give a workshop and lecture, both allowing dance lovers to learn more about American postmodern dance and creative work of John Cage and Merce Cunningham. The first part of the project will consist of the presentation of Merce Cunningham’s dance technique and repertoire, followed by a lecture concerning the history of the legendary ensemble Merce Cunningham Dance Company.
The second part of the programme belongs to the dance workshop. The whole project is realised in collaboration with the Multi-disciplinary Arts Centre Cooltour Ostrava. Daniel Squire performed in Ostrava also last year, within the Ostrava New-Music Days 2013 festival.
The meeting with Daniel Squire will take place on 15th September in the Multi-disciplinary Arts Centre Cooltour Ostrava. The lecture will start at 17:30, the dance workshop at 18:30 (until 20:30). More information at: http://www.ndm.cz/cz/stranka/263-pocta-cunningamovi.html. Daniel Squire was born in Halifax, UK. He studied dance at White Lodge and at the Rambert School, working at the same time as a drummer in many semi-professional orchestras in Yorkshire and London. Later, he worked as a dancer with Michael Clark and Matthew Hawkins and also starred in the role of Tadzio in Britten’s Death in Venice in Glyndebourne.
After moving to New York City, he worked for many years with Merce Cunningham, performed all over the world in theatres such as Palais Garnier & Théâtre de la Ville (Paris), Staatsoper Unter den Linden & Schiller Theater (Berlin), The Roundhouse, the Barbican, Tate Modern (London), Festival Theatre (Edinburgh), Kennedy Center (DC), New York State Theater, Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Rose Theater & City Center (New York).
He has collaborated with musicians including Radiohead, John Paul Jones, Sigur Rós, Takehisa Kosugi & Sonic Youth.
Since 2003, he has been the core member (actor, videographer and musician) of Marisela La Grave's inter-media group Magnetic Laboratorium, where he got in contact with John Kelly, Irish Modern Dance Theatre and Pauline Olowska.
In the 2013/2014 season, he was the curator of the dance programme of the exhibition Dancing Around the Bride, Cage, Cunningham, Johns, Rauschenberg and Duchamp in Museum of Arts, Philadelphia. Currently, he lives in New York City and works as a dancer, choreographer, dance teacher and actor.
As a pedagogue, he teaches in such companies as the Rambert Dance Company, DV8 Physical Theatre, Matthew Bourne's New Adventures (English national project for young talents development), Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance, Central School of Ballet, Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Kingston University and Falmouth University. Source: NSMT