Chevalier Catherine Turocy
Choreographer, Teacher, Stage Director, Dancer
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photo: Beatriz Schiller |
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Artistic Director, The New York Baroque Dance Company
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photo: Beatriz Schiller |
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On September 21, 2001, renowned director-choreographer Catherine Turocy received the New York Dance and Performance Award in recognition of outstanding creative achievement during the 2000-01 season: "For a truly experimental reanimation of Baroque dance and the world out of which it emerged, a Sustained Achievement in illuminating the common ground of classical art and contemporary invention across the centuries, in dance, theater and opera, with The New York Baroque Dance Company, most recently in Rameau's Pygmalion."
"Over the 17 year history of the BESSIE and this ceremony, curators and producers on the BESSIES committee have sought to revisit and underscore certain indelible traces of work, whether as an event or over time, inventively conceived and persuasively executed. This is not science, to be sure, but instead a provocation of memory, convictions, even ideologies that precipitate and sustain debate within our community. The BESSIES process ultimately embraces argument to remind us all of the real achievements in our midst and perhaps of the shared challenges ahead." |
DAVID R. WHITE, Producer-Director, Sep. 21, 2001 |
Since 1984, there have been only 15 awards given for sustained achievement in choreography. Congratulations Chevalier Turocy!
Chevalier Turocy, Artistic Director and Cofounder of The New York Baroque Dance Company, is internationally recognized for her significant contribution to the revival of eighteenth-century ballet. She has been commissioned to choreograph over forty opera productions in France and the United States, including Rameau's Les Boréades for the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, Les Fêtes d'Hébé for the E. Nakamichi Festival, Händel's Alcina for the Goettinen Handel Festival, Mozart's Le Noce de Figaro for the Théâtre Châtelet in Paris, Händel's Giulio Cesare with the Washington Opera and Mozart's Idomeneo at the Kennedy Center's Mozart Festival.
As a stage director, Chevalier Turocy has mounted Gluck's Orfeo, Händel's Ariodante for the Spoleto Festival USA, Landi's Il Sant'Alessio, and Arianna and Alcina for the Händel Festival in Göttingen, Germany. She has collaborated with many notable conductors including Christopher Hogwood, Nicholas McGegan, James Richman, Will Crutchfield, and John Eliot Gardiner. Her ballets have been filmed for television and featured at numerous international venues including the Opéra de Lyon, Lincoln Center, and The Barbicon in London. As a solo performer, she has appeared with Concert Royal, The Händel & Haydn Society, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Smithsonian Chamber Players, the English Chamber Soloists, the New World Symphony, and on tour in Japan with the Academy of Ancient Music.
Catherine Turocy has received countless awards and honors, including the New York Dance and Performance Award (the BESSIE) in recognition of outstanding creative achievement during the 2001 season, the Dance Film Association Award (1980) for "The Art of Dancing," the US-United Kingdom Exchange Fellowship (1981), the US-France Exchange Fellowship (1987), and NEA Choreographers Fellowships. She has lectured at the Royal Academies of Dance in London, Stockholm and Copenhagen, the Festival Estival (Paris), The Society for Early Music (Tokyo), the Juilliard School, New York University and Barnard College. She also has served as consultant to the American Ballet Theatre and Edward Villella's Miami City Ballet. Chevalier Turocy's insightful articles have been published by Les Goût-réunis, Dance Magazine, Opera News, Backstage, Arts International and the text book: Moving History/Dancing Cultures.
In 1995, she was decorated by the French government in recognition of her work in reconstruction and choreography of French Baroque ballets. She was the ad-interim Chair of Dance for the 1995-96 academic year at Southern Methodist University. She also is artistic director of the Baroque Ballet Workshop held every summer at the Marin Ballet (California), Texas Woman's University and the Catskill Mountain Foundation in New York.
Chevalier Turocy and The New York Baroque Dance Company have the distinguished honor of being one of the few New York-based companies chosen by the Dance Heritage Project to be officially archived at the Dance Collection of Lincoln Center. Videos and records of their work since the founding of the company in 1976 are available for viewing and study. Her commercial videos are available through Princeton Books.
In addition to her professional work on stage, Chevalier Turocy is a special movement consultant to Thomas Keller, world renowned chef, and his staff of the French Laundry in Napa Valley and Per Se in New York City.
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photo: Lois Greenfield |
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Soirée Baroque en Haïti (original program by Chevalier Turocy): |
Soirée Baroque en Haïti entertained and illuminated." |
Anna Kisselgoff, The New York Times - Nov 2003 |
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"On Saturday evening, I attended a second facet of heaven: Soirée Baroque en Haïti, an imaginatively programmed and impeccably performed evening of music and dance produced by The New York Baroque Dance Company. The vision of this extraordinary program persuaded because the dancing and choreography across the evening were so fine." |
Mindy Aloff, Dance View New York - Nov 2003 |
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Charpentier's Les Arts Florissants: |
"Catherine Turocy wove a compelling ballet into the story." |
Margaret Putnam, The Dallas Morning News - Nov 2002 |
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Ballets en Versailles: |
"Catherine Turocy, the leader of The New York Baroque Dance Company is admirably perfect. Timothy Kasper, who with Catherine Turocy reconstructed the choreography from historic sources, introduced these characters in an immensely expressive way with pantomimic elements of Marcel Marceau." |
Michael Schäfer, Magazin Spezial (Germany) |
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Feature Article about Chevalier Turocy: |
"Ms. Turocy is also a rare performer in that much of what she directs and dances simply doesn't exist in the ordinary sense. She has to unearth it. She's as much investigator as artist." |
Arts Sunday, Dallas Morning News - Nov 2002 |
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Händel's Alcina: |
"Göttingen's new production of Alcina in the Deutsches Theater (May 18) was directed by Catherine Turocy, a specialist in Baroque dance. She ensured that the dances, performed by her New York Baroque Dance Company, played an integral role in the story of the enchantress who lures men to her magic island and transforms them into wild beasts or other undesirable states. Some of these unfortunate souls, one in the form of a white gorilla, danced for Alcina's entertainment. And dance contributed strikingly to the denouement when her erstwhile victims wobbled onstage, returned to human form but dazed, like the prisoners in Fidelio." |
Opera News - Sep 2002 |
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"Catherine Turocy's direction followed the historic example of Baroque productions. Her production (of Alcina) continued the tradition of the Göttingen Händel Festival and displayed loving attention to detail at a high level without superficialities." |
Matthias Hengelbrock, FonoForum - Jul 2002 |
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"Director-Choreographer Catherine Turocy cleverly added small ironic touches to her inspired production so that this Alcina was not at all rigid or slow. On the contrary, the stylized aesthetics of this Baroque opera come to full fruition through Chevalier Turocy's creative hands and informed intellect." |
Karl Georg Gerg, Rheinpfatz - Jul 2002 |
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"…it is obvious that this production of Alcina succeeds thanks to the singular staging talents of Baroque choreographer Catherine Turocy. Stylized from head to toe, the movements of the magician and her victims seemed both to portray types and show the individuals with their emotions. This fits Händel's ability to overcome the aesthetic norm of his time without destroying it." |
Ellen Kohlhass, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung - Jun 2002 |
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"The highlight of the Festival was Alcina. The world renowned New York Baroque Dance Company was invited to present dances in the courtly and comical styles to revive this opera with true historical authenticity. The company's foundress, Chevalier Catherine Turocy, who has earned an acclaimed, and well deserved international reputation for staging Baroque opera used strict period choreography and stage direction to great effect in her faithful reconstruction of Händel's masterpiece." |
Siegfried Helm, Generalanzelger, Jun 2002 |
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"With Catherine Turocy, a specialist in Baroque dance, in charge of the production, dance had a part to play in telling the story of Alcina. Turocy relied on Baroque gestures to enliven the da capo arias but effectively drew on techniques of the modern director as well." |
George Loomis, Financial Times, London, May 2002 |
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"Best in Show!" |
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"Göttingen's production (of Alcina), directed by American choreographer Catherine Turocy, was a whirlwind of desperately needed fresh air. Turocy, an expert in 18th century dance and director of the New York Baroque Dance Company, brought out the compassion and nobility in Händel's characterizations. Turocy also firmly resisted the common temptation to patronize Händel and his current audience with condescending irony and gimmicks. Instead, she enhanced the evening with some wonderfully staged ballets, exactly where Händel specifies them." |
David Wickers, The Guardian, May 2002 |
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"The pictures that Catherine Turocy designs on Blake's masterfully created stage have a forceful impact, a feast for the eyes - MAGICAL!" |
Michael Schäfer, Magazin Spezial (Germany), May 2002 |
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Dances at Versailles at Göttingen |
"There was dancing both from the court and the theater artfully directed and choreographed by Chevalier Catherine Turocy. The fact that these dances still appeal to modern audiences is reason enough to welcome the revival of the strictly historical performance practice. Heartfelt applause to Chevalier Turocy!" |
Andreas Berger, Braunschweiger Zeitung, May 2002 |
IN PREPARATION: | |
Le Devin du Village by Rousseau - Mercury Baroque Orchestra, Houston, TX | May 28 2004 |
Prince of Haiti/King of Paris - workshop and residency - Florida Historical Performances | Jun 1-6 2004 |
From Baroque to Bournonville - Baroque Ballet Workshop - Texas Woman's U. - Denton, TX | Jun 7-11 2004 |
Site specific performance with tableau vivant and dance concert - Hillwood Museum - Washington, DC | Jun 10-11 2004 |
Quadrilles and Other Kaleidoscopic Dances from the 18th Century - Marin Ballet - San Rafael, CA | Aug 16-20 2004 |
Les Fêtes Venetiennes, alla commedia del'arte - Alliance Français - NYC | Sep 11-12 2004 |
Les Petits Riens by Mozart - St. Paul Chamber Orchestra Nicholas McGegan, Conductor | Nov 17-21 2004 |
Acis et Galathee by Lully - Opera Lafayette - Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center - MD | Feb 20 2005 |
Atalanta by Händel - Händel Festspiele - Göttingen, Germany - Nicholas McGegan, Conductor | Apr 11-May 17 2005 |
Soirée Baroque en Haïti TOUR | 2005 |
All Mozart Programs - Mozart 250th Anniversary TOUR | 2006 |
30th Anniversary of the New York Baroque Dance Company | 2006 |
CHOREOGRAPHY: | |
2004 | La Boite de Chocolats, a commedia dell'arte work - written by Nicholas Jumara - original choreography by Catherine Turocy |
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2003 | Soirée Baroque en Haïti - New York Baroque Dance Company, producer - original choreography by Chevalier Turocy and Marcea Daiter |
| Dardanus by Rameau, Wolf Trap Summer Festival - Antony Walker, Conductor |
| Spanish Dance Suite with Mercury Baroque - Houston, TX |
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2002 | Orfeo ed Euridice by Gluck - Opera Lafayette - The Kennedy Center - Washington, DC |
| Le Pouvoir de l'Amour by Royer - Oberlin College - Oberlin, OH |
| Les Arts Florissants by Charpentier - Alliance Français, NYC and Princeton |
| Ariodante by Händel - new choreography by Chevalier Turocy |
| Alcina by Händel - Händel Festspiel - Göttingen, Germany - Nicholas McGegan, Conductor |
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2001 | Rigoletto by Verdi - The Dallas Opera - Dallas, TX |
| An English Picnic for Händel - Children's Discovery Center - Columbus, Ohio |
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2000 | Pygmalion by Rameau - Alliance Français, NYC - James Richman, Conductor |
| Dance Suite from Idomeneo by Mozart -The Kennedy Center - Washington, DC - National Symphony Orchestra - Christopher Hogwood, Conductor |
| Acis et Galatée by Lully - The Kennedy Center- Washington, DC - The Violins of Lafayette |
| Julius Caesar by Händel- The Kennedy Center- Washington, DC - Will Crutchfield, Conductor |
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1999 | Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme by Moliere - TheatreWorks - U. of Colorado - Colorado Springs, CO |
| La Follia - music of Corelli - Baroque Performance Institute - Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH |
| The Four Seasons by Vivaldi - commissioned by Out-of-Doors Festival - Lincoln Center, NYC |
| The Haffner Minuets by Mozart - The Kennedy Center - National Symphony Orchestra - Christopher Hogwood, Conductor |
| Ascanio in Alba by Mozart - The Kennedy Center - National Symphony Orchestra - Christopher Hogwood, Conductor |
| Arianna in Creta by Händel, Händel Festspiele - Göttingen, Germany - Philharmonia Baroque - Nicholas McGegan, Conductor |
| Les Folies d'Espagne by Geminianni - Händel Festspiele - Göttingen, Germany - Philharmonia Baroque - Nicholas McGegan, Conductor |
| Pygmalion by Rameau - French Embassy - Washington, DC - The Violins of Lafayette |
| Dido and Aeneas by Purcell - University of North Texas - Denton, TX |
| Dance Through History - the Dallas Bach Society - Dallas, TX - James Richman, Conductor |
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1998 | Les Sauvage Suite by Rameau - Out-of-Doors Festival - Lincoln Center - NYC |
| The Tennis Match by Lambranzi - The Jarvis Theater - Napa, CA |
| Divertimento in B-flat Major by Mozart - The Kennedy Center - Washington, DC - National Symphony Orchestra - Christopher Hogwood, Conductor |
| Dido and Aeneas by Purcell - Children's Chorus of San Antonio - San Antonio, TX |
| L'Entretien des Muses by Rameau - Alliance Français - NYC |
| Chaconne by Händel - Alliance Français - NYC |
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1997 | The Nutcracker (Act I dances) - The Chamberlain Ballet - Dallas, TX |
| Dido and Aeneas by Purcell - Meyerson Symphony Hall, Dallas, TX - Dallas Bach Society - James Richman, Conductor |
| La Cupis by Rameau - Baroque Performance Institute - Oberlin College - Oberlin, OH |
| "The Dream" from Händel's Ariodante - New World Symphony - Miami Beach, FL |
| As You Wish, Madame, A Baroque Ballet Workshop - Jarvis Conservatory - Napa, CA - James Richman, Conductor |
| Les Elements by Rebel - Dallas Arboretum - Dallas, TX |
| Les Folies Françaises by Couperin - Alliance Français NYC |
| La Pavane by Couperin - Alliance Français NYC |
| Les Indes Galantes Suite by Rameau, New World Symphony - Miami Beach, FL - Nicholas McGeegan, Conductor |
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1996 | An Italian Ballet by Monteverdi; Dallas, TX |
| Voltaire's Temple of Glory by Rameau - Napa, CA |
| Moliere's Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme by Lully - San Antonio Symphony - San Antonio, TX |
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1995 | A Viennese Costume Party by Mozart - The Kennedy Center - National Symphony Orchestra, Christopher Hogwood, Conductor |
| Ariodante by Händel; Händel Festspiele - Göttingen, Germany - Nicholas McGegan, Conductor |
| Indian Queen by Purcell - The Barbican - London, England - The Händel and Haydn Society - Christopher Hogwood, Conductor |
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1994 | Orchestral Suite No. 1 by Bach - Alliance Français - NYC revised duet version for the Academy of Ancient Music on tour, Tokyo - Christopher Hogwood, Conductor |
| Orchestral Suite No. 1 by Bach - Alliance Français - NYC revised duet version for the Academy of Ancient Music on tour, Yokahama - Christopher Hogwood, Conductor |
| Water Music by Händel - Alliance Français - NYC revised duet version for the Academy of Ancient Music on tour, Tokyo - Christopher Hogwood, Conductor |
| Coffee Cantata by Bach - Santa Rosa Music Festival - Santa Rosa, CA |
| Les Folies d'Espagne by Marais - Berkeley Early Music Festival - Berkeley, CA |
| A Baroque Journey - Lincoln Center Institute - NYC |
| A Contredanse by Mozart - The Kennedy Center - National Symphony Orchestra - Christopher Hogwood, Conductor |
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1993 | Le Nozze di Figaro by Mozart - Teatro Nacional de Sao Carlos, Lisbon; and Thèâtre de Châtelet, Paris - John Eliot Gardiner, Conductor |
| Acis and Galatea by Händel - Opera Antica - Palm Beach, FL |
| The Dancing Master by Mozart - The Kennedy Center - National Symphony Orchestra - Christopher Hogwood, Conductor |
| La Danse et Ses Plaisirs by Mondonville - Alliance Français - NYC |
| Chamber Music Dances by various composers - Alliance Français - NYC |
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1992 | Eracula by Scarlatti - SUNY Purchase - Purchase, NY |
| Cinderella by various composers - The Susquehanna Ballet |
| L'Espagne by Campra - Alliance Français - NYC |
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1991 | Le Temple de la Gloire by Rameau - Alliance Français - NYC |
| Concerto Grosso Opus 6, No. 6 by Händel - Jordon Hall - Boston, MA - Händel and Haydn Society - Christopher Hogwood, Conductor |
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1990 | Orfeo by Monteverdi - Carmel Bach Festival - Carmel, CA |
| "Chaconne" from Idomeneo by Mozart - Alliance Français - NYC |
| French Suite No. 5 by Bach - Marymount Manhattan Theatre - Concert Royal - NYC |
| Dido and Aeneas by Purcell - Opera Antica - Palm Beach, FL - Judith Norell |
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1989 | Orchestral Suite No. 3 by Bach - St. Paul Chamber Orchestra - St. Paul, MN - Christopher Hogwood, Conductor |
| Le Devin du Village by Rousseau - Alliance Français - NYC |
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1988 | Les Eléments by Rebel - Alliance Français - NYC |
| Il Sant'Alessio by Landi; East Nakamichi Baroque Festival - Los Angeles, CA |
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1987 | Apollon, La Nuit et Comus by Bernier - The New York Baroque Dance Company |
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1986 | Scylla et Glaucus by Leclair - Opera de Lyon |
| Les Petits Riens by Mozart - Mostly Mozart Festival - Lincoln Center - NYC |
| Les Arts Florissants by Charpentier - Smithsonian Institute - Washington, DC |
| Les Fêtes d'Hébé by Rameau - East Nakamichi Baroque Festival - Los Angeles, CA |
| Est-il bon? Est-il méchant by Diderot - Threshold Theater Company - NYC |
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1985 | Ariodante by Händel - Spoleto Festival, USA; Charleston, SC |
| Gran Partita by Mozart - The Juilliard School of Music - NYC |
| Les Caractères de la Danse by Rebel - Dance Theater Workshop - NYC |
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1984 | Orfeo ed Euridice by Gluck - Marymount Manhattan Theater - Concert Royal - NYC |
| Les Précieuses Ridicules by Lully - Théâtre du Nombre d'Or - Nantes, France and NYC |
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1983 | Hippolyte et Aricie by Rameau - Festival d'Aix-en-Provence and Opéra de Lyon - Lyon, France |
| Il Pastor Fido by Händel - Castle Hill Early Music Festival, MA and Marymount Manhattan Theater, NYC |
| Terpsicore and Prologue for Il Pastor by Händel - Castle Hill Early Music Festival |
| Les Caractères de la Danse by Rebel - Boston Early Music Festival - Boston, MA |
| La Double Inconstance by Marivaux - Théâtre du Nombre d'Or - Nantes, France |
| La Meprise by Marivaux - Théâtre du Nombre d'Or - Nantes, France |
| A Venetian Carnival: dances from the Commedia dell'Arte after Gregorio Lambranzi The New and Curious School of Theatrical Dancing, 1716 |
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1982 | Les Boréades by Rameau - Festival d'Aix-en-Provence and Opéra de Lyon, France |
| "Prologue" and "Les Incas de Pérou" from Les Indes Galantes by Rameau - Concert Royal - Alliance Français, NYC |
| Pygmalion by Rameau - l'Institut de Musique et Danse Anciennes del'Isle de France, Théâtre de Paris, and Grand Théâtre de Versailles |
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1981 | Harlequins, Gods and Dancers (concert of Baroque dance) US and European TOURS |
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| 1980 | Pygmalion by Rameau & Dans le goût théâtral. No. 8 by Couperin - Concert Royal - Alliance Français - NYC |
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1979 | Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme by Lully - SUNY at Purchase - NY |
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| 1978 | Dioclesian by Purcell - Castle Hill Early Music Festival - MA |
| Fasciculum IV: Impatientia - Muffat; Concert Royal - Alliance Français - NYC |
| Armide by Lully - Prince Georges County Opera - Baltimore, MD |
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1977 | La Danse by Rameau; Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center - Concert Royal - NYC |
Royer's Le Pouvoir de l'Amour: |
"Oberlin also enlisted the aid of Catherine Turocy, artistic director of the New York Baroque Dance Company and a superb reconstructor-creator of Baroque choreography. Victoria Vaughn's formal stage direction meshed fluidly with Ms. Turocy's exquisite dances." |
| HEIDI WALESON, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, Mar 2002 |
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"All three scenes are as much danced as sung, and the subdued grace of Catherine Turocy�'s small company was highly satisfying. This was opera with historical accuracy on its mind." |
| BERNARD HOLLAND, THE NEW YORK TIMES, Feb 2002 |
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Purcell's Dido and Aeneas: |
"As staged and choreographed by Catherine Turocy, the opera achieves a marvelous harmony of affect. Every small gesture — every nod, glance, bow, and dip — has been choreographed and rendered as graceful as the quivering movement of Aeneas' outlandish scarlet plumes. If most of the audience walked, strode or rushed into the Meyerson shortly before 2 PM, ninety minutes later most of us surely floated out, transported by the music, staging, and ineffably sublime dancing." |
| MARGARET PUTNAM, DALLAS MORNING NEWS |
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Gluck's Orphée et Euridice: |
"The New York Baroque Dance Company, artfully choreographed by Catherine Turocy, helped bring considerable atmosphere to this memorable blast from the past." |
| TIM SMITH, SUN MUSIC CRITIC, Jan 2002 |
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Verdi's Rigoletto: |
"It was a wonderful stroke to sign Catherine Turocy as the choreographer. She is an authority on ancient dance and Rigoletto is set in the 16th century, so the choreography seems elegant and perfectly right." |
| OLIN CHISM, THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 2001 |
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Harlequins, Gods and Dancers: |
"Above all, Catherine Turocy's choreography, with its slow, minutely stylized gesture and dance movement realized through the NYBDC, releases and ensures the apprehension of every changing emotion in the score." |
| HILARY FINCH, THE TIMES (LONDON) |
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"The New York Baroque Dance Company offers a more lavish and theatrical view of eighteenth-century dances than we generally see. Not only are the costumes rather splendid, but the range and intensity of expression are notable too. The programme goes far beyond the formal dances which other groups have shown." |
| JOHN PERCIVAL, THE TIMES (LONDON) |
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"Turocy and company offered a winning and all-too brief series of Pecour dances she has reconstructed and, to judge by her flowing arm and body work, improved upon. We see the beginnings of danced expressiveness, particularly visible on this program in Turocy's eloquent masked solo from Lully's Armide." |
| THE PROVINCE, BRITISH COLUMBIA |
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Rameau's Pygmalion: |
"At their recent Schimmel performances with the musicians and singers of Concert Royal, the dancers under Catherine Turocy gave the most complete realization I've seen of this pre-classical period. What you're supposed to hear, and see, is the music, the line, the rhythm. Every performer is a soloist and every strand of sound and action can be clearly seen within the overall fabric Richman, Turocy and stage director John Haber have produced. The program should have lots more than three performances." |
| MARCIA B. SIEGEL, THE SOHO NEWS |
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Händel's Terpsichore: |
"But what made the music seem to rise to a new dimension were the performances of Ms. Turocy, as Terpsicore, and Steven Rickards, the countertenor who sang Apollo. No less magnificent was Ms. Turocy, who managed through dance and gesture to provide a visual equivalent of Händel that was every bit as ornamented, detailed, and spritely as the music. In the process, she also discovered for the audience the lost art of baroque dance, and invested it with a liveliness and charm you could never guess from an old print. The evening was a rare pleasure, and let's hope one that will be repeated." |
| MARGARET PUTNAM, DALLAS MORNING NEWS |
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CHOREOGRAPHY (Modern Dance): | |
1997 | L'Aprés Midi d'une Cyclope - P.D.Q. Bach - Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center |
1987 | Les Caractères de la Danse - Gender Festival - NYC |
1979 | Solo Crazy Jane - Choreographer's Showcase - Dance Theater Workshop - NYC |
1978 | Sarabande for a Siren (modern dance concert for twelve dancers) - Dance Theater Workshop - NYC |
1976 | Modern dance concert - Madison Avenue Church - NYC |
CHOREOGRAPHY (Musicals): | |
1970 | Of Thee I Sing - Off Broadway |
1969 | Little Mary Sunshine - Off Broadway |
OPERA STAGE DIRECTION: | |
2002 | Alcina by Händel - Händel Festspiel Göttingen, Germany - Nicholas McGegan, Conductor |
| Les Arts Florissants by Charpentier - Alliance Français - NYC |
| Anniversary Baroque Costume Ball - Danspace at St. Mark's - NYC |
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2000 | Pygmalion by Rameau, James Richman conducting NYC |
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1999 | Arianna in Creta - Händel - Händel Festspiel Göttingen, Germany - Nicholas McGegan, Conductor |
| Pygmalion by Rameau - Corcoran Gallery - Washington, DC - The Violins of Lafayette |
| Les Sauvages by Rameau - Meyerson Symphony Hall - Dallas, TX - Dallas Bach Society |
| Apollo and Dafne by Händel - New World Symphony; Miami Beach, FL - Nicholas McGegen, Conductor |
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1997 | Dido and Aeneas by Purcell - Meyerson Symphony Hall; Dallas, TX - Dallas Bach Society |
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1993 | L'Espagne by Campra - Alliance Français - NYC |
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1988 | Apollon, La Nuit et Comus by Bernier - Alliance Français - NYC |
| Il Sant'Alessio by Landi, East Nakamichi Baroque Dance Festival - Los Angeles, CA |
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1987 | Terpsicore by Händel - Alliance Français - NYC |
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1986 | Les Arts Florissants by Charpentier (Chevalier Turocy codirector) - Smithsonian Institute - Washington, DC |
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1985 | Ariodante by Händel - Spoleto USA Festival - Charleston, SC |
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1984 | Orfeo ed Euridice by Gluck - Marymount Manhattan Theater - Concert Royal - NYC |
"Here was a programme in which elegance and period gaiety were intrinsic. It was revitalizing to see these American dancers, led by Catherine Turocy and Ann Jacoby, performing with stately delicacy, and in a manner quite different from anything else to be seen on the London stage. Such was the poise and confidence of all six, and so fluent were the accompanying musicians playing under the direction of James Richman on old instruments, that authenticity seemed unquestionable." |
| ANN NUGENT, THE GUARDIAN (LONDON) |
| Solo in La Cupis with the Baroque Dance Ensemble: |
"In La Cupis, Cathy Turocy still gives one of the most moving performances in dance today; she magnifies the importance of little things, of wrists and eyes, for instance, and no high-power technician is as thrilling as she is in her quiet and concentrated intelligence." |
| GEORGE GELLES, WASHINGTON STAR |
Bach, Händel and the Dance: |
"Turocy displayed her gift for flowing and shifting patterns, marked by much delicate variety entirely within the Baroque style, from the very first piece to J.S. Bach's Orchestral Suite No.1." |
| DEBRA CASH, THE BOSTON GLOBE |
Baroque Dance at the Meyerson: |
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"The best of all time capsules burst open on the stage of the Meyerson Performing Arts Center on Wednesday night, splling forth the exotic, the fine and the wondrous. For two hours, the 18th century of the French upper crust bloomed in hothouse splendor, gently and skillfully coaxed into being by the New York Baroque Dance Company. Suddenly we were in the company of Watteau and Fragonard, where golden creatures bobbed and curtsied with unhurried ease as though carried on currents of air. The evening sped by." |
| MARGARET PUTNAM, THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS |
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Masterpieces of 18th Century at the Boston Early Music Festival: |
"Catherine Turocy dances the Baroque repertoire as her birthright. It shows in the hauteur of her shoulders, the perfectly proportioned curliques of her gloved wrists, the special way she inscribes the lines of a minuet or bourée in the air so that the shape of the dance lingers behind her hooped petticoats as if drawn in colored chalks." |
| DEBRA CASH, THE BOSTON GLOBE |
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"When they started to dance they reminded us that, far from being pastel dolls come to life, Baroque dancers had to perform with vigor, sharpness, and speed, plus dramatic intelligence. In addition to being respected scholars in the field of historical dance, Jacoby and Turocy are superb performers." |
| THE BOSTON GLOBE |
ONE ACT PLAYS (wrote script, choreographed dances and directed): | |
1998 | With Sword Drawn He Danced, or the Education of a Gentlemen - The Baroque Ballet Workshop - Jarvis Conservatory - Napa, CA |
1997 | As You Wish, Madame - The Baroque Ballet Workshop - Jarvis Conservatory - Napa, CA |
1996 | Voltaire's Temple of Glory - The Baroque Ballet Workshop - Jarvis Conservatory; Napa, CA |
1995 | The Pleasures of the Dance - The Baroque Ballet Workshop - Jarvis Conservatory; Napa, CA |
1994 | Baroque Journey - Lincoln Center Institute - NYC |
TELEVISION BROADCASTS: | |
1998 | With Sword Drawn He Danced - Satellite Arts Channel |
1997 | Voltaire's Temple of Glory - Satellite Arts Channel |
1996 | The Pleasure of the Dance - Satellite Arts Channel |
1994 | Excerpt from Händel's Water Music - Public Television - WNET and WNJN |
1993 | Le Nozze di Figaro by Mozart - European television |
1983-1984 | Hippolyte et Aricie by Rameau - French National Television |
| Pygmalion by Rameau - European Television |
BOOKS: |
Moving History / Dancing Cultures: A Dance History Reader - Wesleyan Press, 2001 - Ann Dils and Ann Cooper Albright, editors (Chevalier Truocy contributed the chapter on Eighteenth Century dance.) |
Dance Masters by Janet Lynn Roseman - Routledge Press, 2001 |
VIDEOS: | |
2000 | The Spirit of Eighteenth Century Dance - Baroque Ballet Workshop, |
1998 | With Sword Drawn He Danced, or the Education of a Gentleman - Princeton Books |
1997 | Les Elements - University of Oklahoma Educational Arts Video |
| As You Wish, Madame - Jarvis Conservatory - Napa, CA |
1996 | Voltaire's Temple of Glory - Jarvis Conservatory - Napa, CA |
1995 | The Pleasures of the Dance - Jarvis Conservatory - Napa, CA |
1981 | Suite Fantastique (created in collaboration with Arc Video) - NYC |
1978-79 | The Art of Dancing: an Introduction to Baroque Dance (based on the treatise by the renowned English dancing master, Kellom Tomlinson) - Recipient of the 1979 "Dance Film Award" |
PERFORMING EXPERIENCE: | |
1976-present | The New York Baroque Dance Company - Artistic Director and soloist |
1977-1979 | Court Dance Company of New York (Renaissance dance) |
1977-1978 | The Mitchell Rose Dance Company (modern dance) |
1976-1977 | The Max Company (modern dance) |
1974-1975 | The Auk Mime and Dance Troupe (pantomime and modern dance) |
1972-1980 | The Baroque Dance Ensemble - Shirley Wynne, Director |
1971-1974 | Modern dance troupe of Ohio State University |
1967-1970 | Cleveland Ballet Company - Alex Martin, Director - Cleveland, Ohio |
HONORS, GRANTS, AWARDS: |
Bessie Award in Sustained Choreographic Achievement, 2001 |
Getty Scholar, 1997 |
Chevalier in the Order of Arts and Letters, decorated by the French government, 1995 |
Chosen as one of the top choreographers in New York City to be documented as part of the National Dance Heritage Project at The Library of the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center |
National Endowment for the Arts Choreography Fellowships: 1980, 1983, 1984, 1986-1988, 1990, 1994-1996, 1996-1997 |
NEA Heritage and Preservation Grants, 1997 and 1998 |
New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, 1990 |
US - France Exchange Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts, 1987 |
Jerome Foundation Award for Choreographic Creation, 1985 |
USA - UK Exchange Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts, 1980-1981 |
Dance Film Award for the creation of the video, The Art of Dancing: An Introduction to Baroque Dance, 1979 |
Ohio Sate University Scholarship, 1970-1974; Women's Club of Orange Village, 1970-1972 |
Member of Alpha Lambda Delta, Academic Honor Society, 1970-1974 |
TEACHING EXPERIENCE: | |
2004 | Deportment and Manners for Thomas Keller's new restaurant Per Se - NYC |
2003-4 | Dance History summer course - Southern Methodist University |
1999 | Guest choreographer at Hofstra University |
1997-ongoing | Visiting lecturer - Baroque Performance Institute - Oberlin College; Oberlin, OH |
1998 | Visiting Artist in Residence - Ohio State University |
| Guest lecturer - Southern Methodist University |
| Dance and Music Workshop - Highland Park High School - Drama Club |
| Guest lecturer - The Juilliard Dance - Dance Department |
1997 | Getty Scholar - Texas Women's U. - U. of North Texas and U. of Oklahoma |
| Visiting Artist in Residence - Music and Dance Departments - Oberlin College - Oberlin, OH |
| Guest Lecturer - New York University - Deborah Jowitt |
1995-1996 | Ad interim Chair and Dance History teacher - Dance Division Meadows School, SMU - Dallas, TX |
1995-present | The Baroque Ballet Workshop - California |
1991-1995 | General Baroque Dance class - STEPS Dance Studio - NYC |
1996-present | Baroque Dance Workshops: |
| The Juilliard School, New York University, Columbia University, Manhattan School of Music, State University of New York at Purchase, Barnard College, Cornell College, Ohio State University, Oberlin College, Baldwin Wallace, University of Utah in Salt Lake City, York University, University of California at Berkeley, at Santa Barbara, at Los Angeles, Claremont College, Davis University, The New England Conservatory of Music, University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Temple University, the Peabody Conservatory |
EDUCATION: | |
Ohio State University - B.F.A. 1974, Magna cum laude | |
Composition with: | Prof. Ruth Currier (Jose Limon Company) |
Improvisation with: | Prof. Lynn Dally |
Labanotation with: | Prof. Lucy Venable, Odette Blum |
Other courses: | Modern dance (Cunningham and Limon techniques), classical ballet, dance history (Prof. Shirley Wynne), set and costume design, music, ethnic dance, folk dance, acting, fine arts |
Early training: | 1967-1970 Case Western Reserve with Katherine Karipedes (Eric Hawkins technique); 1961-1970 classical ballet with Alex Martin (Sadler's Wells Ballet) and member of his company; the Cleveland Ballet, 1967-1970 |
