The annual meeting of the Woods Hole Pubic Library will be held on Tuesday, July 11 at 8 PM. After a short business meeting in which new Library Board members will be elected, guest speaker David White will take the floor, talking about The Yard on Martha’s Vineyard’s where he has been artistic director and executive producer for five years. The Yard is a presentation and educational dance center dedicated to the nurturing of outstanding artists in contemporary dance and related art forms, and provides a creative residency for artists and companies.
The title of Mr. White’s talk is “The Place of the Yard in the National Dance Landscape.” He will give the general context for the artistic work of The Yard, its summer/winter performance series , and its deep year-round embedding in the island community (under his impetus) engaging all ages by making dance “ordinary and commonplace”. At the same time he has broadened The Yard’s national and international impact and influence. The New York Times has named The Yard as one of the top ten festival sites in the country labelling it a “must see”.
Mr. White has long been active in the dance world. He is a former dancer and filmmaker. From 1975-2003, White served as the Executive Director and Producer of Dance Theater Workshop (now New York Live Arts) in NYC, where he mentored, commissioned and presented countless contemporary artists, and where he founded, funded and directed such groundbreaking and long-lived community-wide programs as the National Performance Network (currently in its 28th consecutive year), the Suitcase Fund, and the NY State Dance Force. He co-funded Pentacle, a pioneering arts management cooperative (also in its 28th year). He served as Executive Editor of and contributing writer to The Poor Dancer’s Almanac, published by Duke University Press. White is a “Distinguished Alumnus” of Wesleyan University; a Knight (Chevalier) in France’s Order of Arts and Letters; a recipient of the American dance community’s highest honors: the Dance/USA Honors, the Capezio Award and the Dance Magazine Award .
Last summer was the first time that artists in summer residency at the Yard came to the Woods Hole Library to speak about their projects, both choreography and the actual dancing. This relationship will be repeated this summer, in a series known as the Lassalle Dance Series, named after the sponsor, Nancy Lassalle, who is a life-long resident of Woods Hole and also avid supporter of the dance. For years she was on the Board of The New York City Ballet. Friendships from her time there continue to flavor the Woods Hole series.
The Library looks forward to continuing its relationship with the Yard, and is pleased to welcome director Mr. White as guest speaker. For more information, visit dancetheyard.org. Questions may be directed to the Library at 508-548-8961.