Mellon Creative Artist Fellowship through University of Washington's Meany Center for the Performing Arts and Department of Dance, and Floyd and Delores Jones Endowment brings choreographer, Brian Brooks to Department of Dance.
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation awarded the University of Washington a three and a half year, $750,000 grant to pilot a Creative Fellowships Initiative that explores the nature of creative research at a top public research university. Now in its third year, this interdisciplinary initiative advances the field of performing arts by supporting artists in the development of new work and by integrating the performing arts disciplines into the broader curriculum. Among these Creative Art Fellows is choreographer, Brian Brooks, who will be spending the upcoming year of creative research in conjunction with the University of Washington's Meany Center for the Performing Arts and the Department of Dance.
Chair of the Department of Dance, Jennifer Salk, has been the Floyd & Delores Jones Endowed Chair in the Arts for the past three years. Thanks to the Jones Endowment, Brooks will also be reconstructiong his work, Division, on undergraduate dancers to be shown at the Faculty Dance Concert in January 2019.This the the first time that Division will be performed by dancers other than members of Brooks's company.
About Brian Brooks: In addition to the Mellon Creative Artist Fellowship, choreographer Brian Brooks has been awarded in recent years a 2013 Guggenheim Fellowship, a NY City Center Fellowship, and the Joyce Theater's Artist Residency. Based in New York, Brook's internationally touring dance group has been presented multiple times by the Joyce Theater, Jacob's Pillow, the American Dance Festival, and by BAM as part of their 2013 Next Wave Festival.
Beyond his company, Brooks has created work for renowned ballet dancers, contemporary companies, actors, and student groups. He is the inaugural Choreographer in Residence at Chicago's Harris Theater for Music and Dance, an innovative project that has commissioned recent premieres with companies including Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and Miami City Ballet. Brooks has toured for six years with former NY City Ballet Principal Dancer Wendy Whelan, creating and performing a duet evening accompanied by the string quartet Brooklyn Rider. He has also choreographed several Off-Broadway productions, and created new dances at many prestigious schools.
More on Brian Brooks and his work, Division to be released soon.