What is Reginald Ray-Savage dance and personal background?

Question

Reginald Ray-Savage is a jazz dancer and choreographer. I need to know his history and how he relates to society.

Answer 1

Hey LaTee',

Artistic Director/ Choreographer

Reginald Ray-Savage began dancing at Katherine Dunham's Performing Arts Training Center in East St.Louis, IL, where he studied with such great Dunham company alumni as Norman Davis, Lenwood Morris, and his mentor Archie Savage. His training with these legendary dancers has informed his teaching style and choreography. Mr. Savage began his professional dance career with the Katherine Dunham Dance Company. He moved to Chicago where he danced in several companies including Joel Hall Dance Company, Ruth Page Ballet Chicago, and Lyric Opera, as well as touring productions of "Music Man" and "A Chorus Line". In Chicago he trained with acclaimed ballet instructor Larry Long, as well as Delores Lipinski, Warren Conover, and Homer Bryant. Mr. Savage came to California in 1989 and founded Savage Jazz Dance Company (SJDC) in 1992. Since then, he has choreographed over 100 works inspired by the music of Charles Mingus, Dave Brubeck, Duke Ellington, and other jazz greats. Mr. Savage has also collaborated with contemporary jazz composer, Marcus Shelby, whose jazz orchestra often accompanies the company. Together, Mr. Savage and Marcus Shelby have produced "An Ellington Celebration (1999)" -marking the 100th anniversary of Duke Ellington's birth; "Passions of Three Men: The Jazz of Mingus, Shelby and Savage (2000)" which featured the music of Charles Mingus; "Miles, Mingus, Monk & Marcus (2000)" and "Ellington's Far East Suite (2001)". SJDC is also participating in a three-year Meet The Composer residency with MarcusShelby (2001-2003). In 1993, Mr. Savage was awarded a Creative Artists Fellowship in Choreography from the City of Oakland. Mr. Savage was also distinguished with a 2001 GOLDIE Award by the San Francisco Bay Guardian for outstanding contribution to the arts.

In addition to choreographing, Reginald Ray-Savage has taught dance in the Bay Area since 1989. Some of his former students have gone on to dance with Oakland Ballet, Garth Fagan Dance, Dallas Black Dance Company, and Philadanco, as well as been accepted to the Ailey School, the North Carolina School of the Arts and the Graham School. Currently, Mr. Savage is the department chair of dance at the Oakland School of the Arts. He also teaches at Shawl- Anderson Dance Center in Berkeley and at Citicentre Dance Theatre in Oakland.

Reginald Ray-Savage brings to his teaching and choreography a wealth of training and professional performing experience in a variety of dance styles and techniques. His experience in ballet, Dunham technique, contemporary and theater dance give him a broad dance vocabulary. This mixing of styles perfectly echoes the mixing of cultural influences, classical technique and individual improvised expression that make up jazz music.

Answer 2

Savage Jazz Dance Company

Answer 3

hope this helps...

http://www.savagejazz.org/HTML/savage/savage.htm