Farber, Viola (1931–1998)

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Farber, Viola (1931–1998)

American modern dancer and choreographer. Born Feb 25, 1931, in Heidelberg, Germany; died Dec 24, 1998, in New York, NY.

Trained in ballet by Margaret Craske and Alfredo Corvino, as well as in modern dance technique by Katherine Litz and Merce Cunningham, among others; danced with Cunningham Company (1953–65), where she created roles in his Five in Space and Time (1953), Galaxy (1956), Picnic Polka (1957), Rune (1959) and Crises (1960), among others; danced in Litz's company (1959) and later for Paul Taylor's company (c. 1965–67); founded Viola Farber Dance Company where she served as artistic director (1968–85); served as artistic director of Centre National de Danse Contemporaine in Angers, France (1981–83); taught at London Contemporary Dance School (1984–87); returned to US (1988), where she directed dance program of Sarah Lawrence College until her death; her works were appreciated for their unique sense of humor. Works of choreography include Surf Zone (1966), Legacy (1968), Pop. 11 (1969), Three Duets (1969), Route 6 (1972), Dinosaur Parts (1974), Five Works for Sneakers (1975), Sunday Afternoon (1976), Turf (1978) and Private Relations (1979).