Arnie Zane - Career in Dance and Choreography

Career in Dance and Choreography

Zane’s interest in dance began when he and Jones took Lois Welk’s contact improvisation class at SUNY/Brockport. Welk’s improvisational workshop stressing the physical interdependence between dancers, fascinated Zane and sparked his passion for dance. The three (Zane, Jones, Welk) collaborated and formed the American Dance Asylum which was heavily influenced by the work of experimental dancers of the time, namely Yvonne Rainer and other members of Grand Union. Zane’s photographic interest in the body and his interest in visual design shaped his approach to choreography. Zane and Jones would utilize their physical differences (Zane was short and white, and moved with an agitated energy; Jones was tall and black, and moved with a generous grace) to create an image that was beautiful in its oddity. Their pieces would fuse Jones' power and grace with Zane’s quick and wiry movement. Indeed, the still pictures of their dances together are especially striking and memorable.

After touring internationally for two years as a modern dance duo with the American Dance Asylum, they formed the Bill T. Jones-Arnie Zane Company in 1982. The next year, their company would appear at the Next Wave festival at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Over the years, the Bill T. Jones-Arnie Zane company has garnered much admiration for its creation of its own brand of postmodern dance which has become known for energetic dances set to narrative texts and postmodern music.

Zane and Jones choreography often explored issues such as racism, religion, sexism, and the nuclear age. They created the trilogy: Monkey Run Road, Blauvelt Mountain (both 1979), and Valley Cottage (1980). In 1984, Zane and Jones achieved box office success and created Secret Pastures. In Secret Pastures, Zane played a mad scientist who creates a fabricated man (Jones). Zane and Jones also collaborated on Ritual Ruckus (How to Walk an Elephant) for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1985.