38:. His father, Gustave Martinez Solomons, an electrical enginer and Cambridge civic leader, graduated from MIT in 1928. His mother, Olivia Mae Stead Solomons, was a teacher. His brother, Noel W. Solomon, was an associate professor of Clinical Nutrition at MIT (1977-1984). After his father’s death in 1987, the building at 456 Broadway in Cambridge was named in his honor: Gustave M Solomons Transportation Career Center.
134:, the MIT newspaper, Solomons compared movement design to building design in principle, with the exception that dance was not fixed in time. Solomons' choreographies were created to suit the dancers, not vice versa, because he was concerned with how the dancers felt while executing the movement.
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In 1972, Solomons founded The
Solomons Company/Dance, whose repertoire consisted of detailed and analytical compositions that were conceived as "melted architecture", drawing from his experience as an architecture student at MIT. He undertook a clinical, postmodern approach to dance-making that
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In 2009, he restaged his
Statement of Nameless Roots (1976) for the Spectrum Theater in Seattle, Washington, and on the program the work was titled, “Icon-Clan – Three Generations of American Iconoclasts work share the Stage: MERCE CUNNINGHAM, GUS SOLOMONS JR, and DONALD BYRD.”
216:, started the dance collective PARADIGM, a dance company for mature dancers over the age of 50. whose goal was to "promote and celebrate the talents of mature artists on stage". PARADIGM tours and commissions new dances by a variety of choreographers.
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and
Company. He was the first Black dancer to join the Cunningham company, and was the first dancer in roles of significant Cunningham works: How to Pass; Kick, Fall and Run; RainForest; Place; Walkaround Time; and Scramble.
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in 1982, Solomons presented his work at “Parallels,” a dance event for Black choreographers, along with Ralph Lemon, Bebe Miller, Blondell
Cummings, Harry Whittaker Sheppard, and others, at Danspace Project, New York.
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Gus
Solomons jr started dancing at the age of 4, taking tap, acrobatics, and ballet classes at a local studio. His first dance teacher was E. Virginia Williams, founder of the Boston Ballet Company.
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Solomons maintained a treasure of dance materials, and his archives are housed at the Jerome
Robbins Dance Division at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
141:(1976-1978). In 1996, Solomons danced in Byrd’s “The Harlem Nutcracker,” where he played the father character, a deference to being a father figure in Byrd’s life.
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Encouraged by his friend and "guardian angel" David
Vaughan, Solomons studied new approaches to dance composition with Robert Dunn, who was the husband of
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In 1968, Solomons collaborated with writer Mary
Feldhaus-Weber and composer John Morris to create “City/Motion/Space/Game” produced by Rick Hauser for
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He was also part of Studio 9, a studio-sharing cooperative with
Elizabeth Keen, Phoebe Neville, Cliff Keuter, Elina Mooney, Kenneth King, and others.
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Kourlas, Gia. Gus
Solomons Jr., 84, Dies; a Rare Black Presence in Experimental Dance. New York Times. Aug. 20, 2023; Updated Aug. 22, 2023.
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Gus Solomons Jr. died of heart failure on August 11, 2023, at the age of 84. He is survived by Robert Gerber, a friend and health proxy.
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In 1962, Solomons was situated in a studio at 51 West 19th Street in New York, located in the midst of the downtown dance scene.
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linked a fascination with puzzles and architectural design to the process of "kinetic autobiography". During an interview with
22:(August 27, 1938 – August 11, 2023) was an American dancer, choreographer, journalist, and educator. He was a leading figure in
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In 2002, he was an MLK Visiting Scholar, hosted by Music and Theater Arts, at MIT. Solomons also had teaching assignments at
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Gus Solomons, Jr.: journalist, choreographer and dancer. Office of Public Affairs and Communications. Yale. April 6, 2010.
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Solomons moved o New York City in August 1961 to appear in “Kicks & Co.,” a Broadway-bound show with choreography by
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Solomons jr, Gus. This Is What It Felt Like to Be a Black Dancer Downtown in the 1960s. Dance Magazine. February 3, 2022.
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Solomons jr, Gus. This Is What It Felt Like to Be a Black Dancer Downtown in the 1960s. Dance Magazine. February 3, 2022.
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Solomons lived in New York, and bicycled everywhere. His brother, Noel W. Solomons, a nutrition scientist, died in 2024.
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Dance Research Fellow. New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Jerome Robbins Dance Division. 2014.
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Solomons created more than 150 dances for his company, including: Kinesia #5 (1967); and A Thin Frost (1996).
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Balasaraswati/Joy Ann Dewey Beinecke Endowed Chair for Distinguished Teaching, American Dance Festival. 2004.
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In 2001, Solomons was featured in “Free to Dance,” a three-part series presented on PBS's Dance in America.
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Beginning in 1980, Solomons devoted some of his time to dance criticism, and his reviews have appeared in
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Wright, Sarah H. Alumnus choreographer Solomons leads students in dance. MIT News Office. March 8, 2001.
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A Tribute to a Nutrition Titan: Remembering Dr. Noel W. Solomons. Micronutrient Forum. March 26, 2024.
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Robert A. Muh Award for noteworthy contributions in the humanities, arts or social sciences, MIT. 2001.
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Perron, Wendy. IN MEMORIAM: Remembering Gus Solomons jr, 1938–2023. Dance Magazine. August 25, 2023.
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Solomons jr, Gus. "Teach-Learn Connection: Technique: Move your Feet! Merce Cunningham Technique"
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Dean’s Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts, University of Missouri – St. Louis. 2009.
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Byrd, Donald. From the Vault: Gus Solomons, Jr. Spectrum Dance Theater. August 21, 2023.
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degree in 1961, and “moonlighted” taking dance classes with Jan Veen, founder of the
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Company members included: Douglas Nielsen (1973–75) and choreographer
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dancer Judith Dunn. From 1965 to 1968, Solomons danced with the
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Sustained Achievement in Choreography, The Bessie Awards. 2000.
549:, New York: Rizzoli International Publications, 1989, p. 141.
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https://micronutrientforum.org/remembering-dr-noel-solomons/
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Gus Solomons in "Paradigm Shift," 2011. MIT Black History.
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https://www.dancemagazine.com/gus-solomons-jr-2/#gsc.tab=0
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https://www.dancemagazine.com/gus-solomons-jr/#gsc.tab=0
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From 1994 to 2013, Solomons was a professor of dance at
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Reinventing dance in the 1960s: Everything was possible
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https://communications.yale.edu/poynter/gus-solomons-jr
508:, Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2003, p. 105.
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Reinventing dance in the 1960s: Everything was possible
86:. He danced with several New York companies, including
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Solomons received a scholarship to study dance at the
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Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History
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322:Solomons jr, Gus. "Dance:King Rex"
491:Jack Salzman, "Solomons, Gus," in
16:American choreographer (1938–2023)
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197:The Chronicle of Higher Education
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82:and took ballet classes at the
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208:In 1996, Solomons, along with
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26:and experimental dance.
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44:He attended college at
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84:Joffrey Ballet School
658:www.paradigm-nyc.org
80:Martha Graham School
326:43:20. 19 May 1998.
240:Television and Film
210:Carmen de Lavallade
155:New York University
54:Boston Conservatory
664:on 21 October 2008
621:on 1 December 2001
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317:The Village Voice
312:77:4. April 2003.
271:Awards and honors
187:The Village Voice
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668:15 January
654:"Paradigm"
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331:References
228:Repertoire
180:Journalist
88:Pearl Lang
30:Early life
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132:Open Door
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149:Educator
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