Bettie de Jong

Bettie de Jong

Bettie de Jong (born May 1, 1933 in Sumatra, Indonesia) is a Dutch rehearsal director and former lead dancer at the Paul Taylor Dance Company.[1][2][3] In November 2007 Bettie de Jong received the Dance Magazine Award to recognize her contributions to dance.[4]

Early years

De Jong was born in Tanjung Balai on Sumatra, Indonesia and moved to the Netherlands in 1946. After Indonesia she continued her early training in dance and mime in Wageningen, the Netherlands. Bettie de Jong lived for more than 35 years with her husband Victor Laredo (photographer, Turkey 1910-2003)

Career

Her first professional engagement was with the Netherlands Pantomime Company. After coming to New York in 1958 to study at the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance, she performed with the Martha Graham Dance Company, the Pearl Lang Dance Theater, John Butler and Lucas Hoving and was seen on CBS with Rudolf Nureyev in a duet choreographed by choreographer Paul Tayor.[5]

Paul Taylor Dance Company

Bettie de Jong Piece Period 1962 PTDC

Bettie de Jong[6] joined the Taylor Company in 1962. Noted for her strong stage presence and long line, she was Paul Taylor's favorite dancing partner[7] and, as Rehearsal Director,[8] has been his right arm for the past 35 years. Bettie de Jong belonged to the best dancers in USA and finished her active dancing career in 1985. During those 24 years Paul Taylor set 24 parts in these dances for her:

Nine Variations on a Dance Theme

In Nine Variations on a Dance Theme[13][14] from 1966/1967, filmed by Hilary Harris, Bettie de Jong performed the same dance nine times, starting and ending in a recline position. As the film proceeds the camera becomes more and more adventurous. The film was shown at the Museum of Modern Art for a very long time as an example for dance film-making.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/nydn-features/taylor-made-dance-company-woman-toes-article-1.913291 Article New York Daily News, February 23, 2001, TAYLOR MADE The dance company and the woman who keeps it on its toes, by Howard Kissel
  2. ↑ http://www.ptdc.org/about-artists/ptdc/bettie-de-jong Biography Bettie de Jong, website Paul Taylor Dance Company
  3. ↑ http://northrop.umn.edu/events/artist-interview-bettie-de-jong-and-andy-lebeau Northrop, University of Minnesota, Artist Interview with Bettie De Jong and Andy LeBeau
  4. ↑ http://dancemagazine.com/issues/November-2007/Dance-Magazine-Awards-2007 Dance Magazine, November 2007, Dance Magazine Awards 2007
  5. ↑ http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095505411 Oxford University Press, Oxford Reference, Quick Reference, Overview Big Bertha
  6. ↑ http://www.oxfordreference.com/search?siteToSearch=aup&q=Bettie+de+jong&searchBtn=Search&isQuickSearch=true Oxford University Press, Oxford Reference, Quick Reference, Overview Bettie de Jong
  7. ↑ http://books.google.nl/books?id=FLxMnkK_ajoC&pg=PA97&dq=Bettie+de+jong&hl=nl&sa=X&ei=dHHkUKX2OMyp0AXjlIHoAQ&ved=0CEAQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=Bettie%20de%20jong&f=false Dance Anecdotes: Stories from the Worlds of Ballet, Broadway, the Ballroom and Modern Dance, by Mindy Aloff
  8. ↑ http://www.danceconsortium.com/features/dance-resources/in-and-around-a-dance-company/rehearsal-director Dance Consortium, International dance across de UK, Rehearsal Director
  9. ↑ http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=13316#10989 Internet Broadway Database, Production Staff Public Domain
  10. ↑ http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095505411 Oxford University Press, Oxford Reference, Quick Reference, Overview Big Bertha
  11. ↑ http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=13316#10989 Internet Broadway Database, Cast Big Bertha
  12. ↑ http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qyGWsGl7Ezo YouTube, Paul Taylor's Esplanade - Part 1/5
  13. ↑ http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=9T2d5kW5htY YouTube, Nine Variations on a Dance Theme (1966) Dir Hilary Harris Danced by Bettie de Jong.mkv
  14. ↑ http://www.fandor.com/films/9_variations Fandor films, glorious films, 9 Variations (1966)
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