Melissa Toogood Named New Director of Juilliard's Dance Division
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.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
31 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Misty Copeland broke barriers in ballet. Now she's retiring and moving to ‘the next stage'
NEW YORK — Ten years ago this month, Misty Copeland sat in front of a hastily arranged news conference at American Ballet Theatre, fighting back tears of pride over her new role: principal dancer. 'This is it,' she said, with emotion. 'This has been my dream since I was 13.'
Vogue
32 minutes ago
- Vogue
Cynthia Erivo Brought It Home at the 2025 Tony Awards—Plus, More of the Night's Highlights
There are no ifs, ands, or maybes about it—Sunday, June 8, was a happy ending for the Broadway community. After a two-year hiatus, the annual Tony Awards returned home to Radio Music Hall, the venue it had called home for 20 shows prior, and it really did feel like a homecoming. And while I presume that each Tonys Sunday—when producers, actors, directors, writers and friends of the industry come together to celebrate the Broadway season—is a pretty joyful affair, there was something about this year that felt special. Perhaps because of the recent announcement that this was Broadway's highest-grossing season in history, or because we find ourselves in a moment when our communities need live art and creativity more than ever before. Regardless, the main takeaway of the night for those who experienced it in person was that it was one to remember. Here are some of the moments—heart-wrenching, skipping, and warming—that will cement this year's Tonys as one of the greats. The festive pre-show Photo:The show airs live on CBS and Paramount+ from 8 p.m. sharp, but a handful of awards are announced in a pre-show broadcast, this year co-hosted by Darren Criss (Maybe Happy Ending) and Renée Elise Goldsberry (Hamilton). As many of the night's winners explained in their acceptance speeches, it takes a village to make theater happen. Unfortunately, keeping an audience's attention long enough to fit all of the villagers' awards into a single ceremony is a big ask, even of die-heart theater people. So, cue The Tonys: Act One, announcing the winners for best choreography, musical score, lighting design, and more. The first standing ovation of the night went to Gary Edwin Robinson, winner of the Excellence in Theatre Education Award, for his work on the Theatre Arts Program at Boys and Girls High School in Brooklyn. 'I told you I was going to the Tony Awards one day!' Robinson exclaimed to his family as he wielded his award. Partners in life and choreography, Buena Vista Social Club duo Justin Peck and Patricia Delgado took home the Tony for best choreography. Upon accepting the award, Delgado revealed that she and Peck had actually danced to a Buena Vista Social Club song at their wedding—which the audience couldn't help but give a big 'aww.' Cynthia Erivo's rousing opening number
Forbes
39 minutes ago
- Forbes
Green Day's Album Jumps More Than 2,000% In Sales
Green Day's Saviors reenters the Billboard charts as the deluxe edition sparks a 2,150% sales surge ... More while 'One-Eyed Bastard' rises to new radio highs. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 26: Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day performs On ABC's "Good Morning America" at Rumsey Playfield, Central Park on July 26, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by) It's not unusual for major musical stars these days to release deluxe editions of their new albums fairly quickly after the standard versions arrive. Sometimes they wait months. In other instances, it's just weeks. It's even become common for big-name acts to try to boost their first-week opening numbers by adding additional tracks just days after dropping a release. Green Day bucked this rapidly escalating trend by making fans wait almost a year and a half between the release of Saviors and its newly-expanded deluxe edition. That strategy helps the band's full-length — its fourteenth overall — become a bestseller again and experience a huge surge in pure purchases. In the past tracking week in America, Luminate reports that Saviors sold 4,800 copies. Just days before, when fans were still anticipating the deluxe edition, it only managed to sell a little more than 200 CDs, cassettes, vinyl LPs, and digital downloads. From one frame to the next in the U.S. alone, Green Day's project saw its sales jump by just under 2,150%. That spike in renewed interest in Saviors brings the title back to a pair of Billboard rankings. The project reenters the Vinyl Albums tally at No. 8. It can also be found on the Top Album Sales chart, which isn't specific to any one genre or format, at No. 11. Saviors has already reached No. 1 on both the Top Album Sales and Vinyl Albums rankings. It has spent just six frames on the former and only four — just about a month — on the latter. Green Day's project was an immediate winner when it dropped in January 2024, and the group has been promoting it fairly steadily since. The original edition produced five singles, and two other promotional cuts have been shared from there, which are now powering the deluxe take. While fans may be primarily excited about the recently unveiled tracks on the deluxe edition of Saviors, such as 'Smash It Like Belushi' and 'Ballyhoo,' it's 'One-Eyed Bastard' from the standard tracklist that is gaining momentum at the moment. That cut pushes north on two of the three Billboard tallies on which it appears, reaching new peaks on both the Rock & Alternative Airplay and Alternative Airplay rankings, while it holds at its No. 17 high point on the Mainstream Rock Airplay roster.
