In Memory of Patricia Nanon
from the New York Times
Patricia Nanon, of New York City and Chilmark, Massachusetts, died peacefully on February 29, in her home in New York City surrounded by her loving daughters. She was 84. Ms. Nanon, a choreographer, was a 1944 graduate of Bennington College and the Founder and long time Artistic Director of The Yard, a colony for the performing arts on Martha's Vineyard. The Yard is a treasured part of both the Vineyard and the contemporary dance world, which has often honored her for her vision and generosity. She is survived by her daughters Vicki Woolner Samuels of Chicago, Cate Woolner of Northfield, Massachusetts, and Justine Woolner Wise of Oneonta, New York, their families, many devoted nieces and nephews and their families, as well as many dear friends.
Memorial Celebration
The memorial celebration for Patricia will be this Friday, March 7 at 3:30 at Campbell Funeral Chapel, 1076 Madison Ave, at the corner of 81st Street, New York City. Telephone 212-288- 3500. There will be another celebration later, with details to be announced.
Donations in honor of Patricia Nanon may be made to
Bennington College (http://www.bennington.edu/give.asp)
The Juilliard School (http://www.juilliard.edu/giving/giving.html)
The Yard (www.dancetheyard.org)
On Behalf of The Yard Board
The Board of Trustees of The Yard, Inc. mourns the passing of its founder, choreographer Patricia N. Nanon, on Friday, February 29, 2008. Patricia's vision led to the creation of The Yard, in 1972, to foster modern dance choreography. Her dedication and genius allowed many of the dance world's choreographic stars to create and dance new works and gave hundreds of choreographers and dancers the opportunity to grow and advance in their chosen fields. Her gift to The Yard Inc. in 2007 of property in Chilmark, Massachusetts, including the theatre and the resident houses that so many of you know, will allow The Yard, Inc. to continue her mission. We salute her vision, her passion for choreography and excellence, and her wish to encourage, educate and promote the work of so many others. We pledge ourselves to her remarkable legacy and ask you to join us in honoring her. We will miss her.
Sarah Jane Hughes
President, Yard Board of Trustees
Words from a few of Patricia's friends and colleagues
It was 1989 and a typical, yet special, day on the Vineyard. This tiny woman emerged from her blue convertible, straw hat on her head and blazing blue eyes directed at me. This was Patricia Nanon. Such a light and life in those eyes! There are only a few people I have ever met whose eyes revealed such intelligence, passion, warmth, and intensity. It was as if she could see through me. I now know that she could. As an artist, visionary and human being, Patricia commanded the room, the stage and embraced the world. She held firm to her beliefs and vision at all cost. I cherish her for that. Her creation of the Yard and her generosity of spirit, advice and deed to young and mature artists alike, is unprecedented. She always had time, always listened, always shared, and always cared. She inspired all who knew her. She defended; she offended and was one of the most authentic and honest people I have ever known. I loved Patricia. Hers is not just a legacy to admire, but one to emulate. In her passing, Patricia challenges us to do, give, and commit to The Dance, The Yard and to our fellow artists and the world. These are HUGE tiny shoes to fill. Only together can we hope to make that happen.
Carolyn Dorfman
Yard Advisory Board Member and Affiliate Artist
I am so saddened to hear about Patricia's passing. The dance world and all she touched have indeed lost a dear friend. Patricia Nanon, although small in stature, had the heart and deeds of people twice her size. There are few choreographers and dancers working in the U.S. today who have not benefited greatly from her generosity and vision. I will have an image of her riding around Martha's Vineyard in her blue convertible and sun hat pleasantly etched in my brain forever. I thank Patricia for The Yard and am consoled a bit knowing that it, and her spirit (giving choreographic notes from above), will be around forever.
David Dorfman
Yard Advisory Board Member
I have known Patricia for about 30 years. She was the only woman I have known who had a dream of this magnitude and truly brought it to fruition. She had faith it was going to work through its ups and downs. Across the years, we often had picnics together on the rocks at the beach. Patricia was always hopeful for the future. It was an amazing journey to see her vision come to fruition and I give her tremendous credit for it.
Anne Gallagher
Yard Advisory Board Member
On behalf of the José Limón Dance Foundation I want to express our love, thanks and admiration for Patricia Nanon. She was a great woman, a visionary, and a leader in creating vital opportunities for creation within our field. This joyous, generous and elegant human being gave us so much that it is hard to believe that she is no longer physically present with us. I know that her gifts and spirit remain with us, inspiring new generations toward bold adventures. Bravo Patricia!!!
To Patricia's family we send all our love. Please know that our hearts are with you all.
Carla Maxwell
Artistic Director, Limón Dance Company/Foundation
Yard Affiliate Artist
It's hard to think of Patricia without the Yard, or the Dance World without both of them. They have been an integral part of the creative growth of Modern Dance over the last thirty years. Patricia's passion and persistence in this mission is astonishing and inspiring. She practiced what she preached, making dances herself until the end. It was as if she wanted the whole world to know and love - and practice - dance. She brought many young people and adults to see and to dance themselves on the Vineyard. Young talented choreographers and dancers from across the nation came to explore new creative paths in residencies at the Yard. To enrich lives through providing participation in an art form is an idealistic goal; to achieve it is a miracle. Many generations of dance artists and audiences are indebted to Patricia for her generosity and vision.
Martha Myers
Yard Artistic Mentor
On Friday, February 29, the world lost Patricia Nanon. Though we all considered her infallible, and regardless of her physical frailty, it appeared she would be with us forever, being her feisty, focused, determined self. There will be a huge void in her family's life, the dance world and the world in general. It is the passing of a huge personality and she will be deeply missed.
Elaine Miller
Yard Presidenct Emerita
In 1992, Patricia wrote a remarkable essay in "Sea, Sand & Stars," an essential publication that celebrated the first 20 years of The Yard's existence. The title for her chapter was the essence of simplicity - "Past, Present, Future" - and it mostly outlined how The Yard came into being and developed from its modest beginnings. But Patricia also wrote comprehensively about The Yard's current programming and what she had envisioned for the future of this institution. It is to her credit that at this time of inevitable change, it seems clear that the years of love and effort that Patricia poured into The Yard will have continuing repercussions. While she will no longer be conducting rehearsals or presiding over performances, Patricia Nanon will always be an essential part of The Yard's illustrious past, its exciting present and its limitless future.
Norton Owen
Yard Trustee
Patricia and I became friends over 30 years ago when she invited me to dance in a Yard performance at Chicama Vineyards. This friendship grew and when our relationship became professional, we became even closer. She was so open with me and so generous to me. My fondest memories are of sharing simple daily rituals in her New York home: breakfast with tea, the New York Times, and always classical music in the background. It was a privilege to have known and loved Patricia Nanon.
DiAnn Ray
Former Executive Director, The Yard, Inc.
I remember fondly the lunch and dinnertime conversations Patricia and I had about the art of dance during my summer visits to the Yard, when I served as mentor to the Bessie Residency. The institution she founded has been appreciated by countless dancers and choreographers who are now the prime movers of the art form, and her generosity has left the Yard to future generations of talented dance artists. I shall miss her very much, but rejoice, along with the rest of the dance community, in her life and her wonderful gift to us.
Gus Solomons jr
Yard Advisory Board Member
Patricia and The Yard have been family to me since my first Vineyard summer in 1974. I will be forever grateful to her for giving me a place to "grow up" artistically--a place to try new ideas without fear of failure; a place to play, to meet new colleagues. Patricia was first and foremost a friend--generous, funny, affectionate. Her love of dance was paramount. Her determination, unwavering. She continued to choreograph, and to love the process even when, for health reasons, rehearsing became an act of will. Her final work, created last summer, was one of her best. It showed her understanding of form, her love of nature, and her joy in full-bodied, lyrical movement. I cannot imagine the world without her in it.
Linda Tarnay
Yard Trustee and Associate Artistic Director
Patricia Nanon was a feisty spirit and a truth teller with sharp, smart wit, discriminating taste and flirtatious eyes. She created her final dance just last June. Until this February, she had been planning on inventing another this spring. She believed, she was generous and she made a difference. She will be missed.
Wendy Taucher
Yard Artistic/Executive Director