logo
Melissa Toogood Named New Director of Juilliard's Dance Division

Melissa Toogood Named New Director of Juilliard's Dance Division

New York Times06-05-2025

The Juilliard School has named Melissa Toogood as dean and director of its dance division, the school announced on Tuesday. Toogood, a Bessie Award-winning dancer who was a member of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company in its final years, succeeds Alicia Graf Mack, who is to become the artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Toogood, who is Australian and lives in Sydney, will begin on July 1.
'I've had many types of experiences and worked with many kinds of dancers and companies, Toogood, 43, said in a phone interview. 'I've always been reaching for new knowledge.'
Damian Woetzel, president of the Juilliard School, called her 'one of the extraordinary artists of our time' and said: 'I've watched her stage, I've watched her teach, I've watched her develop dancers at all levels, but really focusing on the younger dancers. And I have seen her develop her own leadership in that way that is inspiring.'
Toogood, who started teaching at the Cunningham school at the choreographer's request, continued to dance in New York after Cunningham's company performed for the last time in 2011. 'I had a really intense freelance career, which is challenging and uncertain, and I hope to prepare young people for all of those outcomes,' she said. 'Because I can speak to it personally.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

‘Everybody' Dance: David Byrne Details New Album, Tour
‘Everybody' Dance: David Byrne Details New Album, Tour

Yahoo

time19 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

‘Everybody' Dance: David Byrne Details New Album, Tour

It has been nearly seven years since David Byrne released his last album, American Utopia, which was later adapted into a hit Broadway musical and HBO film. Fresh off a surprise appearance with Olivia Rodrigo over the weekend at New York's Governors Ball festival, the artist has detailed his next moves, which include a fresh LP and a world tour. Due Sept. 5 from new label Matador Records, the album, Who Is the Sky?, was produced by Kid Harpoon, who is best-known for his past work with pop stars such as Harry Styles and Miley Cyrus. Each song features arrangements crafted by members of the New York-based Ghost Train Orchestra, with whom Byrne became intrigued after hearing their 2023 tribute album to the blind New York composer/street poet Moondog. More from Spin: Röyksopp's Freedom Frequency New Book Explores How 'Jagged Little Pill' Changed Everything Sly & The Family Stone's Sly Stone Dies At 82 The album's infectious lead single, 'Everybody Laughs,' is out now, as is a Gabriel Barcia-Colombo-directed video. Other guest contributors include Paramore's Hayley Williams, St. Vincent, the Smile drummer Tom Skinner and percussionist Mauro Refosco, who has played with Byrne since the mid-1990s. With titles such as 'My Apartment Is My Friend,' 'I Met the Buddha at a Downtown Party' and 'Moisturizing Thing,' listeners can expect songs with a bit more of a personal bent than usual for Byrne, whose gift for storytelling propelled the most memorable Talking Heads songs and was at the core of American Utopia. 'I suspected that intimate orchestral arrangements would bring out the emotion I sense is there in these songs,' Byrne explains. 'It's something that folks don't always hear in my work, but this time for sure I thought it was there. At the same time, I also see myself as someone who aspires to be accessible. I imagined that Kid Harpoon would help with that, as well as being a set of trusted ears, since there was a lot going on. People think of producers as people who mainly make a record sound good, and Kid Harpoon did that, but he was also aware of how important the storytelling is.' 'It took me a second to realize, oh yeah, these songs are personal, but with David's unique perspective on life in general,' says Kid Harpoon, who was introduced to Byrne at a Los Angeles party. 'Walking around New York listening to the demo of 'Everybody Laughs' was so joyous, because it made me feel like we're all the same – we all laugh, cry and sing. The thing about David that resonates with a lot of people is that he's in on the joke. He gets the absurdity of it all, and all of these personal observations are his perspective on it.' For the Who Is the Sky? tour, Byrne is re-teaming with members of the American Utopia band as part of a 13-strong group of onstage performers, all of whom will move freely around the stage. Dates begin Sept. 14 in Providence, R.I., and will keep Byrne in North America through mid-December, with an Australia/New Zealand leg set for January 2026 and a U.K/European run to follow. See all dates below. All this activity comes simultaneous to Talking Heads' 50th anniversary celebration, which last week saw the release of the first official video for the group's 1977 single 'Psycho Killer.' Everybody LaughsWhen We Are SingingMy Apartment Is My FriendA Door Called NoWhat Is the Reason for It?I Met the Buddha at a Downtown PartyDon't Be Like ThatThe Avant GardeMoisturizing ThingI'm an OutsiderShe Explains Things to MeThe Truth 9/14/2025 – Providence, RI – Veterans Memorial Auditorium9/16/2025 – Pittsburgh, PA – Benedum Center PAC9/17/2025 – Columbus, OH – Mershon Auditorium9/19/2025 – Akron, OH – Akron Civic Theatre9/21/2025 – Schenectady, NY – Proctors9/23/2025 – Syracuse, NY – Landmark Theatre9/25/2025 – Buffalo, NY – Shea's Buffalo Theatre9/27-28/2025 – Washington D.C. – The Anthem9/30, 10/1/2025 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall10/3-4/2025 – Boston, MA – Boch Center Wang Theatre10/7/2025 – Wallingford, CT – Toyota Oakdale Theatre10/8/2025 – Portland, ME – Merrill Auditorium at City Hall10/10/2025 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall10/14/2025 – Richmond, VA – Altria Theater 10/16-17/2025 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark10/21-22/2025 – Toronto, ON, Canada – Massey Hall10/25/2025 – Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre10/28-29, 31/2025 – Chicago, IL – The Auditorium11/3-4/2025 – Minneapolis, MN – Orpheum Theatre11/6-7/2025 – Denver, CO – Bellco Theatre11/11-12/2025 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre11/16-17/2025 – San Francisco, CA – The Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium11/20-21/2025 – Los Angeles, CA – Dolby Theatre11/25-26/2025 – Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall11/28-29/2025 – Dallas, TX – Music Hall at Fair Park12/2-3/2025 – Atlanta, GA – Fox Theatre12/5-6/2025 – Miami, FL – Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theatre1/14/2026 – Auckland, New Zealand – Spark Arena1/17/2026 – Brisbane, Australia – Brisbane Entertainment Center1/21/2026 – Sydney, Australia – ICC Sydney Theatre1/22/2026 – Melbourne, Australia – Sidney Myer Music Bowl1/24/2026 – Adelaide, Australia – Adelaide Entertainment Centre Arena1/27/2026 – Perth, Australia – RAC Arena2/12/2026 – Berlin, Germany – Tempodrom2/15-16/2026 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – AFAS Live2/18/2026 – Brussels, Belgium – Forest National2/21-22/2026 – Milan, Italy – Teatro degli Arcimboldi2/24/2026 – Frankfurt, Germany – Jahrhunderthalle2/27/2026 – Zurich, Switzerland – The Hall3/2/2026 – Cardiff, UK – Utilita Arena3/3-4/2026 – London, UK – Eventim Apollo3/6-7/2026 – Glasgow, UK – SEC Armadillo3/9-10/2026 – Manchester, UK – o2 Apollo3/13/2026 – Dublin, Ireland – 3Arena3/15/2026 – London, UK – Eventim Apollo3/18-19/2026 – Paris, France – La Seine Musicale To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.

Winfrey's new book club pick marks the return of an old favorite, Wally Lamb
Winfrey's new book club pick marks the return of an old favorite, Wally Lamb

Washington Post

time39 minutes ago

  • Washington Post

Winfrey's new book club pick marks the return of an old favorite, Wally Lamb

NEW YORK — For her next book club pick, Oprah Winfrey is highlighting an author she has praised even before she had a book club. Winfrey announced Tuesday that she has chosen Wally Lamb's new novel, 'The River Is Waiting,' the story of a father torn by grief and guilt. It's the third time she's selected a Lamb book and continues a bond predating 1996, when she launched her club.

Diddy trial live updates: Ex-girlfriend ‘Jane' faces cross-examination in Sean Combs's case
Diddy trial live updates: Ex-girlfriend ‘Jane' faces cross-examination in Sean Combs's case

Washington Post

timean hour ago

  • Washington Post

Diddy trial live updates: Ex-girlfriend ‘Jane' faces cross-examination in Sean Combs's case

NEW YORK — On a spring trip to Manhattan, Yoshi Obayashi spent his days and nights watching celebrities. The Los Angeles comedian saw George Clooney in 'Good Night, and Good Luck' on Broadway and Sarah Snook in 'The Picture of Dorian Gray.' He also caught Sean 'Diddy' Combs as the defendant in the United States of America v. Sean Combs at the federal courthouse in Lower Manhattan.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store