DALE BRANNON Choreographer, Teacher, Coach
Dale Brannon has a diverse background that is rooted in the classics while embracing the contemporary. As a youth, he trained in America and Europe in both classical and modern ballet. During his extensive career, Dale performed a wide range of principal roles in a veritable alphabet of choreography by Ashton, Balanchine, Bournonville, Bonnefoux, Bruhn, Cranko, Christiansen, Eglevsky, Fokine, Jooss, Kudelka, Layton, Loring, North. Massine, Oberly, Rieter-Soffer, Smuin, Taylor-Corbett, Tetley and Tudor.
Brannon was intensely involved in the prolific period of dance during the 1970's in Europe and 1980's and '90's in America. He received his early training with Avril Johns and Jack Copeland at Butler University, Jordan College of Music S.I.D. in Indianapolis along with extensive coaching from Sir Anton Dolin. Then, he continued his studies in New York, with David Howard, and in Germany with Anne Woolliams, Alex Ursuliak, and Alan Beale and began dancing professionally with the famed Stuttgart Ballet in 1972. For the next nine years, Dale worked with and performed in ballets by John Cranko, Glenn Tetley, Kenneth MacMillan, William Forsythe, John Neumeier, Jiri Kylian and many others while also touring on every continent.
In 1981, Dale returned to the U.S. to join the Louisville Ballet beginning a sixteen-year association as a principal dancer, creating many roles for artistic director-choreographer Alun Jones and visiting choreographers.
Early on, Brannon expanded his career beyond the performing stage into the world of teaching, coaching, and choreography. His strength as a dramatic narrative choreographer became immediately apparent in works such as the comic Hearts & Flowers, the poetic Elegie, a Man and His Inspiration, and his first major success Gespalten (Split). In Louisville, he has created numerous ballets including Carmina Burana (in collaboration with Alun Jones), Journeys...To Babylon, Trembling of Tears, and the "smash hit" Alice in Wonderland. Dennis Wayne's company, DANCERS, N.Y.C., has performed his Standing on the Wind and Journeys...To Babylon in New York City and around the world to much acclaim. Long time director, Alun Jones pronounced
"A driving force for the past 20 years as dancer, superb artist and wonderful choreographer... 1 think it is most fitting that we finish this season with his Alice in Wonderland. From my point of view, working on my ballets with Dale, he pushed me to heights which I know I would never have reached without him..."
Dale has choreographed for many diverse companies and venues from ballet and opera to pro baseball teams and banking executives - he even coached Olympic skaters during his Stuttgart years. His growing repertoire of liturgical work includes Britten's Abraham & Isaac and Dupre's The Crucifixion.
His works are characterized by their dramatic integrity and intensity. Of his work, critic Klaus Keitel (Berliner Zeitung) wrote "Dale Brannon choreographs in such an amusingly multi - colored and downright unpredictable style, as though it were the simplest task in the world to make ballets. In him, (we) undoubtedly have a fresh gift from the Angel, who can create choreography without having to wrack his brains over it." In France, critics began with "The evening's enthusiasm was for Dale Brannon..." for his Tatra, and an American critic wrote "...(his) is the sort of work one can see many times and still find new moments to treasure."
Throughout his career, Dale has found great fulfillment in teaching and coaching young artists and students. many of whom now dance professionally in Europe and the U.S. Lately, he has expanded his choreography to full narrative story ballets created for students together with professional soloists. The extremely successful The Pied Piper of Hameln, Snow White, Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates, and Aladdin, The Secret Garden. MADELINE!, The Little Matchgirl have been complimented by The Little Princess in the spring of '2004.
Mr. Brannon is the recipient of two Al Smith Fellowships for choreography from the Kentucky Arts Council in 1987 and 1997.