by Steven Weisz for The Dance Journal
Normally, I would reserve writing an obit for just Philadelphia based dancers or for my annual In Memory column at years end, but Jonathan Wolken was a major influence for myself as well as so many others in this region.
Jonathan Wolken, one of the co-founders, artistic directors and driving forces of the Pilobolus Dance Theater, died this past Sunday night at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York of complications from a stem cell transplant. A resident of Washington, Conn., where the dance troupe is based, Wolken suffered from myelofibrosis, a disorder of the bone marrow.
Pilobolus was originally named after a fungus Wolken researched in his father’s biophysics lab. As a philosophy major at Dartmouth College, he and fellow student Moses Pendleton (now Artistic Director of Momix) met at a dance class taught by Alison Chase. They began performing after graduation in 1971 and were later joined by fellow students Robby Barnett and Michael Tracy and dance teachers Martha Clark and Chase in 1973. Together they became known for their imaginative and athletic exploration of creative collaboration.
The company relocated from New Hampshire to western Connecticut in the mid-’70s. Clark and Pendleton would move on to create their own dance companies, but not before the company started its evolution as a pioneering American cultural institution and globally acclaimed concert dance company.
In addition to his work with Pilobolus, Wolken choreographed productions of Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are.” A collaboration between Pilobolus and Sendak was the subject of a 2002 documentary by Mirra Bank, “Last Dance.”
Wolken’s role with the company most recently was that of development director, focusing on fund raising, but he continued to choreograph.
His presence, energy and creative spirit that has contributed so much to the dance world will be missed.
Pilobolus Dance Theater is scheduled to perform in Philadelphia March 3-5, 2011 as part of Dance Celebration’s 28th Season, “Superstars of Dance, Today and Tomorrow.
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