Christopher Duggan
WUSTL alumna Elinor Harrison (far right) in "Beauty" by the acclaimed dance troupe Jane Comfort and Company. Harrison will return to campus Jan. 26-30 as the 2014 Marcus Residency Dance Artist.
Jane Comfort and Company has been described by The New York Times as “a postmodernist pioneer in the use of verbal material in dance.”
Last spring, the acclaimed troupe brought "Beauty," its provocative satire about the expectations placed on American women, to Edison Theatre. This week, company member — and WUSTL alumna — Elinor Harrison will return to campus as the 2014 Marcus Residency Dance Artist in the Performing Arts Department in Arts & Sciences.
While in residence, from Jan. 26-30, Harrison will teach modern dance and related performance techniques as well as a composition class. A special feature of this residency will be two master classes in modern dance, open to all upper-level WUSTL dance students, at 4:15 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, Jan. 27 and 29.
In addition, at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28, Harrison will present an informal lecture/performance in the Annelise Mertz Studio Theatre.
Titled "(I)sland: a solo: Integrating text and movement," the event is free and open to the public. The Annelise Mertz Dance Studio is located in the Mallinckrodt Center, Room 207, 6445 Forsyth Blvd. A reception will follow. For more information, call 314-935-5858.
Elinor Harrison
Now based in Brooklyn, N.Y., Harrison graduated from WUSTL in 2001 with bachelor's degrees in French Literature and dance. In addition to her work with Jane Comfort, she has performed and collaborated with Nancy Meehan, Janis Brenner, Thomas/Ortiz, Carlos Orta and Noemie LaFrance, among others.
Harrison’s own work has been presented at The Field, Movement Research, Brooklyn Arts Exchange, Dance New Amsterdam, and the Invisible Dog. She also has performed in a number of theatrical productions, including the international tour of "A Chorus Line." She is certified in yoga and teaches ballet at the New England Academy of Dance.
The Marcus Residency is funded by a gift to the Performing Arts Department by the late Morris D. Marcus, MD, a dermatologist and professor emeritus of Washington University School of Medicine. Marcus established the annual residency in memory of his wife, Margaret, who was a dancer, teacher and choreographer.
