http://worldcat.org/entity/work/id/39105507

Manuel Alum lecture-demonstration

Speaking through a Japanese interpreter, Manuel Alum discusses the formative influences on his career as dancer and choreographer, including his Puerto Rican background; his childhood attraction to flying, risk-taking, and religiosity; and his initial desire to be a painter. He recalls Sybil Shearer, who inspired him to become a dancer; his studies at the Graham school in New York prior to joining the Paul Sanasardo company as principal dancer, choreographer, and assistant artistic director; and the formation of his own company. He then discusses the nature of dance, his reasons for dancing, the choreographic process, and his artistic goals. He discusses and demonstrates excerpts from his works Wings I lack and Cellar. After the first 56 min. of cassette 1, he speaks without a microphone, and his subsequent remarks are not picked up by the audio. On cassette 2, he is only intermittently audible, although the Japanese interpreter can be heard. He discusses his solo East--to Nijinsky, and performs improvisations to four contrasting types of music: a country music song, a work by a Japanese composer, a Bach composition for unaccompanied cello, and a shakuhachi solo. There is no audio for most of the concluding question-and-answer session.

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