ABSTRACT

Doris Rudko has served on the Dance Composition Faculty of The Juilliard School since 1969 and in guest residencies at many other schools and summer programs, most notably New York University and the American Dance Festival. In contemporary dance, Martha Graham technique and Russian ballet are strong influences, in addition to Chinese Dance and the Martial Arts. This is particularly true at National Institute of the Arts (NIA). One exciting difference for her from what she has grown accustomed to in the States was the Taiwan dancers' choice of movement vocabulary. Taiwan dancers quite naturally fall into characteristic attitudes, steps, and patterns of traditional Chinese dance. The cultural differences in Taiwan do not affect what she teaches as much as how she teaches. Most of the leading professional dancers in Taiwan have at some time in their careers performed in the company. Lo Man-fei is a beautiful dancer and talented choreographer, and there are many other active choreographers in Taiwan.