Dancer and choreographer will present artist talk and dance workshop

Dancer and choreographer Sally Gross will give an artist talk and lead a dance workshop in advance of her fall 2012 Arts Residency at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

At her artist talk, Gross will speak about her early life in New York’s lower East Side and her subsequent career as a dancer and choreographer. Additionally, there will be a special preview of “Circling” (2012), a dance for camera work by faculty member Douglas Rosenberg featuring Gross. The talk will be held Friday, March 16, from 11 a.m. -12:40 p.m. at the Margaret H’Doubler Theater in Lathrop Hall at 1050 University Ave.

Gross will also host a workshop in Interdisciplinary Movement Improvisation where she will fuse elements of dance, music, voice and the literary and visual arts. Her workshop will focus on experimental composition techniques as a process for creating collaborative structures and performance. Join Gross at her workshop Saturday, March 17, from 10 a.m. — 2 p.m. at The Farm, 5973 Purcell Road, Oregon, Wis. Registration for the workshop is required. Those interested can email Jay Burlingham at the Arts Institute at jburling@ssc.wisc.edu, or call 608-263-9290. Please RSVP no later than Wednesday, March 14.

Gross was an original member of New York’s Judson Dance Theater, a group of 1960s artists who collectively rejected the modern dance practices of the time and sought a more dramatic and unrestricted process. In 1959 Gross was featured in Robert Frank’s Beat Generation masterpiece, “Pull My Daisy.” More recently, she appeared in The Pleasure of Stillness (2007), a documentary about her life and work.

Gross’s visit is sponsored by the Dance Department in partnership with the Art Department and the Center for Jewish Studies. Both events are free and open to the public.

– Kylie Peterson