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America. It's known for its beautiful, athletic style. and its presentation of powerful, uplifting works from a rich archive of
American modern dance. The company's repertory - ranging from the lyric to the avant garde - contains not only their own works, but dances by an array of internationally acclaimed choreographers.
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Summertime Award presented by
Coquitlam District Music Festival, Port Coquitlam, BC, Canada : A glass memorial trophy with a willow tree etched into it - inscribed "In memory of Leni Wylliams, an adjudicator, that had soul, artistry, and the incredible ability to make young dancers believe in
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On
September 17, 1996, suspect Timothy O. Evans - 26 years old - was apprehended and charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. Evans’ fingerprints had been found on Wylliams’ car, on the front door of his home, and on the 10-pound steel dumbbell used in the bludgeoning. Wylliams’
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The company built by co-artistic directors Leni
Wylliams and Mary Pat Henry changed the face of dance in the Midwest. Wylliams/Henry Danse Theatre - now known as Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company - continues to present with a range of more than 100 works that is as broad as any company in
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December 11, 1997, Evans was found guilty of first-degree murder, first-degree arson and armed criminal action. On
January 30, 1998, he was given a life sentence in the beating death, a life sentence for armed criminal action, plus 15 years for first-degree arson.
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during the late-1980s-into-very-early-1990s, Wylliams was interim-artistic-director of the Danny Sloan Dance
Company; was founding artistic director of Wyll Danse Theatre; collaborated with acclaimed television producer Barbara Barrow-Murray; appeared with
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As an instructor, Wyllliams was praised as having the ability to inspire dancers to believe in themselves – to believe the impossible was possible. Dancers adored
Wylliams and trusted him implicitly. If a class was stuck, Wylliams would sing
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Wylliams met Mary Pat Henry while both were guest artists at a festival in
Vancouver, BC, Canada. It was there that they both became aware of their remarkably-similar visions of dance and its history. Soon after, Henry relocated to the
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https://catalog.nypl.org/search~S99?/Xwylliams&searchscope=99&SORT=D/Xwylliams&searchscope=99&SORT=D&SUBKEY=wylliams/1,30,30,B/frameset&FF=Xwylliams&searchscope=99&SORT=D&3,3,%7Ctitle=Wylliams
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While creating choreography, Wylliams was seen being “almost trance-like” as though “he had a channel to The Devine” with material pouring out “fast and so furiously” generating “beautiful ballets in a short period of time”.
124:, he moved to New York City to appear with Eleo Pomare Dance Company. Ultimately, Pomare set all of his solos on Wylliams - entrusting Wylliams to dance all of the roles he - Pomare - had created and performed for himself.
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Fellow-artistic director Mary Pat Henry described
Wylliams as having “one of the most articulate bodies” in which one “could see every muscle and every move of the dance as it moved through him”. Wylliams was lauded by
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classical-music-editor Scott
Cantrell as having danced with “the quality of radium” and moving “with power and fine-tuned precision, but also with a riveting ecstasy”. After being witness to a solo danced by Wylliams,
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and tell the students to start moving to it. At question-and-answer sessions following end-of-residencies performances during which Wylliams “wowed” student audiences, he was often begged to sing
190:. Wylliams taught in Russia, East Germany, Asia, and throughout the United States. He, too, was a visiting professor of dance at the University of Missouri-Kansas City's Conservatory of Music.
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Wylliams's mother was Allice (Williams) Ollie; stepfather was Esau Ollie; father was Harold Williams Jr.; and three sisters were Kimberly, Dana, and Rebecca Williams - all who survived him.
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in Atlanta, GA. That signature solo danced by Wylliams was shown along with a select array of presentations by other NBAF performance artists in a televised documentary of the festival -
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Dance Company's Clay Taliaferro cites “the impressive Leni Wylliams”. During Fred Benjamin Dance Company's twentieth year celebration in 1989, Wylliams danced the solo
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The morning of Friday, September 13, 1996, Wylliams was found murdered – bludgeoned, doused with a flammable substance, and set on fire – inside the bedroom of his
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blood was found on shoes and clothing belonging to Evans. Prior to his encounter with Wylliams, Evans had told acquaintances he was going out to “jack” someone.
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969:"The Fred Benjamin Dance Company's twentieth year celebration and alumni reunion / Presented by Joint Efforts, Inc. ; artistic direction, Fred Benjamin"
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during his early teens and subsequently advanced to performing in her company – Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble – until 1982 when at the invitation of
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which premiered in Washington, D.C. during 1989 and was screened on national television on King's birthday in 1990. Wylliams, too, assisted
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themselves" - presented with a small bursary during Honour Performance at the end of each Coquitlam District Music Festival.
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to teach at its Conservatory of Music and then beckoned Wylliams to move there too. During 1991, the two of them founded
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Leni Wylliams Award presented by Cleo Robinson Dance, Denver: Saluting achievements in Choreography and Innovation.
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During 1992, Wylliams choreographed, in collaboration with Heather White, what was to become his signature solo -
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Wylliams choreographed for ballet and modern dance companies around the world. Among dances he choreographed are
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807:"FROM FRIENDSHIP FORGED: KC's top contemporary dance company celebrates 25 years of American choreography"
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home. The Jackson County medical examiner's office determined Wylliams had died of blunt trauma and
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Wylliams began to pursue dance training at the Denver-based school of
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Awards established and/or named in honor of Leni Wylliams :
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The November 1983 performance by Wylliams as "Profit Jones" in
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and that the one who had kept him together was Wylliams.
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recalled that one of his most challenging projects was
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which Benjamin remarked "just about stopped the show!"
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930:"Box 1: Remembrances, 1997 | Archives @DUCatalog"
857:"Avery Brooks Beams Onto 'The Ark of the Spirit'"
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773:"DANCE REVIEW; Grief and Joy: Stark Contrast"
383:review as being “show stopping”. A May 1985
377:'s 25th anniversary season was reported in a
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998:, Leni |last=Wylliams|first=Leni|date=1989}}
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155:and Forces of Nature Dance Theatre Company.
829:"Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company"
423:, as he had so often done while he taught.
912:""CLAY TALIAFERRO AMD JOSE LIMON COMPANY""
576:"Clark Center NYC Remembers Leni Wylliams"
228:Wylliams was assistant choreographer for
217:, as well as for an OCB engagement at the
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1008:Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company
827:Gross, Sylvia Maria (September 9, 2007).
523:"Found 6 Results | Archives @ DU Catalog"
295:during Dance “Masters Night” (curated by
127:Wylliams also danced in the companies of
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876:Dunning, Jennifer (November 17, 1983).
595:"Leni Wylliams, 35, Dancer and Teacher"
479:"Leni Wylliams, 35, Dancer and Teacher"
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669:"Welcome | Archives @ DU Catalog"
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362:told Wylliams “you are pure poetry”.
103:Thomas Jefferson High School (Denver)
94:Leonard Morrell Williams was born in
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1111:20th-century African-American people
878:"Dance: Celebration for Eleo Pomare"
771:Dunning, Jennifer (April 10, 2003).
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266:and were its co-artistic-directors.
786:Dunning, Jennifer (June 28, 1995).
641:Wylliams, Leni [clippings]
508:Wylliams, Leni, 1961-1996 (Dancer)
287:danced by Leni Wylliams - May 1994
260:University of Missouri–Kansas City
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1101:1996 murders in the United States
910:Dunning, Jennifer (May 6, 1985).
16:American dancer and choreographer
700:. KC History. September 13, 1996
299:) Wednesday, July 3 at the 1996
1066:African-American choreographers
505:New York Public Library (ed.).
955:"Special Collections Registry"
733:"Special Collections Registry"
387:review of dances presented by
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1106:20th-century American dancers
1061:African-American male dancers
444:Wylliams/Henry Danse Theatre
301:National Black Arts Festival
264:Wylliams/Henry Danse Theatre
236:with music and libretto by
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313:Turner Broadcasting System
168:Evidence of Souls Not Seen
101:He graduated in 1979 from
934:duarchives.coalliance.org
527:duarchives.coalliance.org
375:Eleo Pomare Dance Company
210:for the OCB’s staging of
153:Netherlands Danse Theatre
790:– via NYTimes.com.
775:– via NYTimes.com.
84:Leonard Morrell Williams
1086:American modern dancers
1071:American choreographers
788:"In Performance: Dance"
638:Wylliams, Leni (1989).
291:Wylliams performed his
204:Opera Company of Boston
601:. September 29, 1996.
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244:in choreographing the
234:Martin Luther King Jr.
232:, a ballet tribute to
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71:Leni Wylliams dancing
1081:Dancers from Colorado
1076:American male dancers
487:. September 29, 1996.
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983:"Artistic Directors"
371:Radiance of the Dark
293:Sweet In The Morning
285:SWEET IN THE MORNING
271:Sweet In The Mornimg
212:Leonard Bernstein's
188:Sweet In The Morning
118:Cleo Parker Robinson
248:’s 1990 staging of
242:Carmen de Lavallade
916:The New York Times
882:The New York Times
599:The New York Times
484:The New York Times
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246:Metropolitan Opera
151:, as well as with
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49:September 13, 1996
747:"Dancers LIVE on"
305:Ark of the Spirit
273:- with vocals by
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355:Kansas City Star
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319:Death and legacy
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208:Patricia Birch
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53:(aged 35)
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1037:"Repertoire"
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937:. Retrieved
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399:Gordon Parks
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311:produced by
309:Avery Brooks
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51:(1996-09-13)
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1096:1996 deaths
1091:1961 births
367:Eleo Pomare
330:Kansas City
172:In the Rain
149:Rod Rodgers
141:Donald Byrd
133:Pina Bausch
122:Eleo Pomare
58:Nationality
1055:Categories
1023:"About Us"
465:References
421:Summertime
416:Summertime
389:José Limón
180:Quiet City
129:José Limón
90:Early life
37:1961-01-15
890:0362-4331
607:0362-4331
176:Minus Him
160:Ascension
939:July 30,
895:July 27,
838:July 27,
812:July 27,
756:July 27,
612:July 27,
557:July 29,
532:July 27,
453:See also
427:Tributes
385:NY Times
164:Baharini
61:American
373:during
307:- with
219:Bolshoi
75:in 1983
888:
605:
403:Martin
348:Praise
324:Murder
230:Martin
223:Moscow
195:Boston
147:, and
112:Career
96:Denver
82:(born
73:ORBWEB
941:2019
897:2019
886:ISSN
840:2019
814:2019
758:2019
706:2022
614:2019
603:ISSN
559:2019
534:2019
214:Mass
186:and
46:Died
31:Born
369:’s
221:in
202:’s
193:In
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