Acclaimed Choreographer and Dancer John Jasperse to Lead Sarah Lawrence Dance Program

June 2, 2016, Bronxville, NY – Celebrated dancer and choreographer John Jasperse ‘85, has been named director of Sarah Lawrence College’s legendary dance program, in which he studied, beginning in the 2016 -2017 academic year.

Jasperse will take the reins from Sara Rudner, who has directed the program since 1998, and will continue in her teaching capacity. “We look forward to welcoming our esteemed alumnus, an acclaimed member of the New York dance world, to lead this important program,” says Sarah Lawrence President Karen Lawrence. “John Jasperse is an ideal successor to Sara Rudner, who has been an inspiring leader of the dance program for nearly two decades. “

The Sarah Lawrence Dance Program, which includes undergraduate students as well as offering a master’s of fine arts degree, has seen a succession of notable dancers, choreographers, and dance teachers over the years, including Bessie Schönberg for whom the New York Dance and Performance Awards, better known as the “Bessies,” are named, and Viola Farber, who was a founding member of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company.

“Sarah Lawrence College has a long and illustrious history as a leader of progressive education, where the arts play an important role in the liberal arts curriculum,” says Jasperse. “The critical thinking that Sarah Lawrence nurtured in my time as a student has served me well, both in my practice as a dance artist and as a citizen. I’m honored to be following in the footsteps of Bessie Schönberg, Viola Faber and Sara Rudner, all of whom are legendary in the dance field. I look forward working with the students, faculty and leadership of the College to ensure that Sarah Lawrence continues to be an institution where dance --and its connection to other artistic and intellectual fields-- is vital and thrives in the 21st century.”

Four years after his graduation from Sarah Lawrence Jasperse established John Jasperse Company, later re-named John Jasperse Projects. His work has received several prestigious awards and fellowships including a 2014 Doris Duke Artist Award; two New York Dance and Performance (“Bessie”) Awards –in 2014 for Within between in the category of Outstanding Production and in 2001 in recognition of his body of choreographic work; a 2011 US Artists Brooks Hopkins Fellowship; a Tides Foundation Lambent Fellowship in the Arts from 2004-2007; a 2003 Fellowship from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts; a 1999 Scripps/ADF Primus-Tamaris Fellowship; a 1998 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship; a 1998 Doris Duke Award; the 1997 Mouson Award by Künstlerhaus Mousonturm in Frankfurt, Germany; three prizes in the 1996 Rencontres Internationales Chorégraphiques de Bagnolet; the Choreography Prize at the 3rd Suzanne Dellal International Dance Competition (1996) in Tel Aviv, Israel; and multiple fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts (1992, 1994, 1995-96) and New York Foundation for the Arts (1988, 1994, 2000 and 2010). He is co-founder and president of CPR - Center for Performance Research.

“I am thrilled that John will assume the helm of Sarah Lawrence’s dance program, says Sara Rudner. “ He is a master choreographer and teacher who has the skills and “smarts” to enliven and enrich not only dance at our College, but to provide leadership in inter-disciplinary pursuits. I am eager to work for and with him.”

Jasperse takes his position at Sarah Lawrence as his newest work, Remains, premieres at the American Dance Festival, July 5-7 in Durham, NC, followed by the New York premiere at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Harvey Theater as part of its Next Wave Festival 2016, September 21-24.

About Sarah Lawrence College:

Founded in 1926, Sarah Lawrence College is a prestigious, coeducational liberal arts college. Consistently ranked among the leading liberal arts colleges in the country, Sarah Lawrence is known for its pioneering approach to education, for its long history of impassioned, intellectual engagement, and for its vibrant, successful alumni. For more information, please visit www.sarahlawrence.edu.