Although Mae Banner was never a trained dancer, she was able to understand the intent of the dances. Shawn Banner explained:
While watching her favorite ballets, she would catch her breath and hold it-feeling the thrill of the moment. She never tired of seeing ballets again and again, and she relished observing multiple casts in the same works. Among her favorites were Balanchine’s Serenade and Robbins’s Dances at a Gathering, and dancers Kyra Nichols and Bart Cook made her heart flutter.
She was a true fan who absolutely believed that the Saratoga Performing Arts Center was meant to enrich the community through high art, not popular entertainment.193
In July 2007, the New York City Ballet and Saratoga Performing Arts Center honored Mae Banner, dedicating a performance of Balanchine’s Jewels to her memory and naming her favorite seat in row W with an engraved plaque. Before that evening’s performance, first Marcia White and then Peter Martins paid tribute to Mae, speaking to the audience from the stage:
Illustration from Ballet Beat. Serenade by Shawn Banner. Drawing inspired by Serenade choreography by George Balanchine. ©The George Balanchine Trust.
Mae Banner was a true champion of the arts. As a writer and dance reviewer for the Saratogian, Mae believed very strongly that the critic’s role was one of both educator and advocate. Her articles inspired readers to take full advantage of this area’s rich cultural offerings and to open themselves to new artistic experiences.
This tribute to Mae is a great opportunity to honor a woman who not only loved dance, but understood its importance as an art form. Mae had a remarkable ability in her reviews to interpret and describe the ballets with such richness and meaning, that it made even those of us in the company want to see the dance again through Mae’s unique lens. She will be greatly missed both personally and professionally, yet her contribution to dance and the arts community will continue to have an impact.194
Mae Banner’s son Shawn grew up with his mother’s love of dance, music and language, which she passed on to her grandchildren. When they accompanied her to performances, she would ask the children for their responses and frequently used their words in her reviews and articles. Shawn Banner honors his mother’s legacy and tries to continue some of her work. He knows he is Saratoga’s connection back to Mae and that the people of Saratoga Springs loved her.
Appendix 1
SKIDMORE COLLEGE DEPARTMENT OF DANCE FACULTY AND STAFF
TENURED FACULTY
Debra J. Fernandez, Professor and Chair of Dance
Denise Warner Limoli, Associate Professor
Mary DiSanto-Rose, Associate Professor
Rubén Graciani, Associate Professor
Mary Harney, Artist in Residence
LECTURERS
Antoinette Smith
David Otto
Debra Pigliavento
Julie Gedalecia
Megan Del Prete
Sarah DiPasquale
Veena Chandra
DANCE MUSICIANS
Carl Landa, Director of Music
Carol Ann Elze Sussdorf
Patricia Hadfield
SKIDMORE DANCE THEATER
Lori Dawson, Technical Director, Lighting Designer, Manager
Peter Kobor, Assistant to the Technical Director and Stage Manager
Debra Nichols, Administrative Assistant
Appendix 2
SKIDMORE COLLEGE DANCE FACULTY BIOGRAPHIES
DEBRA J. FERNANDEZ, PROFESSOR
Debra Fernandez is a director/choreographer and dance educator. She is classically trained, self-taught in jazz and has a sustaining interest in experimental theater.
In 1990, she joined the dance faculty at Skidmore College, where she began teaching Ballet III, Contemporary Workshop, Choreography I and II and Performance Elements.
She was invited to join the Williamstown Theater Festival in 1994 and remained a member for seven years. While there, she worked with several influential directors, especially director Phil Soltanoff. In 1999, she was choreographer for the Virginia Opera’s production of Orfeo and Euridice directed by Darko Tresjnak. Her collaboration with director David Pilot and composer Joseph Diebes, The Malleus Maleficarum, was presented at the Ontological Theater in New York.
In 2000, the Tang Museum and Art Gallery opened at Skidmore College, and Debra established a close and lasting relationship with the museum. Since its opening, she has made four evening-length works that have allowed her to focus on the museum as an interactive performance space: TangO, BALLS, MAK 3 and Zero Point Zero.
In the Arthur Zankel Music Center, Debra choreographed Swan Song to a score by Richard Danielpour in 2010 and Keeping Company with Cage, her third collaboration with David Porter and Margo Mensing, in 2012.
Debra has received choreography fellowships to the Djerassi Resident Center for the Arts in California and the Wurlitzer Foundation in Taos, New Mexico. She has served on the New York State Council for the Arts and the New York State Foundation for the Arts and as chair of the scholarship committee for the Saratoga City Ballet.
DENISE WARNER LIMOLI, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
Denise Warner Limoli trained in Connecticut with Mme. Vera Nikitins of the Riga Opera Ballet. With a full scholarship, she attended both the Washington School of Ballet and, for three summers, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. In addition to classical ballet, her training included Graham and Limón modern dance, Bharatanatyam, Flamenco and character dance. She frequently studied in New York City at the Ballet Theatre School with the great teachers Valentina Pereyaslavec, Leon Danielian, Patricia Wilde and Yurek Lazowsky.
Ms. Warner Limoli performed with the Hartford Ballet, the Connecticut Opera and the Norfolk Civic Ballet before moving to New York City in 1970. She immediately began performing with the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) as a seasonal dancer and joined the company in 1972. With ABT, Ms. Warner Limoli performed all the great romantic and classical ballets, works of Tudor, MacMillan, Ashton, Robbins, Feld and others. She shared the Metropolitan Opera House stage and toured internationally with the greatest dancers of the day, such as Natalia Makarova, Cynthia Gregory, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Fernando Bujones. She taught company class regularly and was a substitute teacher in the Ballet Theatre School. She appeared in many PBS Live from Lincoln Center broadcasts and danced in the films The Turning Point and First Position.
After retiring from performing, Ms. Warner Limoli was ballet master for the Nutmeg Ballet Company, the Minnesota Dance Theatre and the Nevada Dance Theatre. She was a faculty member of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Dance Division and the North Carolina School of the Arts.
Denise Warner Limoli joined the Skidmore College dance faculty in 1992. She has worked to develop the curriculum and increase the rigor of the ballet program and has staged classical ballets and choreographed contemporary works for the Skidmore Ballet Workshop.
In 2011, Professor Limoli collaborated with the conductor of the Skidmore Orchestra, Professor Anthony Holland, on a joint production of Swan Lake, Act II in the Zankel Music Center. In 2013, Skidmore dancers and the Skidmore Orchestra presented An Evening with the Ballets Russes, including Les Sylphides, L’Après Midi d’un Faune and Firebird.
Ms. Warner Limoli has taught for the ABT Summer Intensives, the Kaatsbaan International Dance Center Extreme Ballet and the Nutmeg Conservatory International Summer Intensive. Locally, she has taught master classes and staged ballets for the Saratoga City Ballet and Ballet Regent. She is a member of the board of directors of the National Museum of Dance and is chair of the nominating committee for the Hall of Fame. She curated the exhibit “American Ballet Theatre: Then and Now” for the museum.
Denise Warner Limoli is married to Michael Limoli, renowned clarinetist and dance pianist. They have worked together in the ballet studio for over thirty years.
MARY DISANTO-ROSE, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
Mary DiSanto-Rose earned her MEd and EdD in dance from Temple University. She joined the Skidmore faculty in 1981
and served as director of the dance program from 1990 to 2005 and as chair of the newly formed Department of Dance from 2005 to 2009. She has taught modern dance technique, dance history, improvisation, modern dance Reconstruction Workshop, Dance for the Child, Senior Dance Capstone and a first-year Scribner Seminar. Earlier in her career, she performed with the Sybil Dance Company of Philadelphia and with Albany-area dance companies.
Mary has been an active board member of the Capital/Saratoga Dance Alliance for almost three decades and the co-coordinator of the Dance+ Festival for the past twenty-two years. She serves on the boards of Partners in Dance: A Consortium of Capital Region Dance Sponsors; NYS Dance Educators Association; and the NYS Council on the Arts Dance Panel.
Professor DiSanto-Rose is recipient of the Honorary Certificate in Isadora Duncan Studies from IDII in 2005; the Exceptional Service and Scholarship from the National Dance Association in 2007; the Innovative Leadership in Dance Education & Legacy from the American Dance Legacy Institute at Brown University in 2008; and an honorary degree, doctor of arts, in 2012 from St. Lawrence University.
RUBÉN GRACIANI, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
Rubén Graciani graduated from the North Carolina School of the Arts, where he majored in modern dance. After receiving his high school degree, Mr. Graciani was awarded a scholarship to attend the Juilliard School in New York City, where he also studied on scholarship with several major New York dance companies, including the Martha Graham Company and the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. Rubén completed his studies at the State University of New York–Purchase, receiving a bachelor of fine arts in dance. While attending Purchase, he was invited to perform in three International Festivals of Dance staged in Taiwan and China. He joined the Kevin Wynn Collection, a New York–based modern dance company while still a student at Purchase. After graduation, Rubén was invited to join the Mark Morris Dance Group. His five-year affiliation with the company resulted in national and international tours. Additionally, he has been a member of bopi’s black sheep/dances by kraig patterson since its inception. Rubén received his MFA from the University of Maryland–College Park, where he presented nine works of choreography for the Maryland Dance Ensemble. In September 2005, he joined the faculty at Ohio University as an assistant professor. In addition to his work at Ohio University, Rubén has been a member of the Joe Goode Performance Group for two seasons, as well as a guest artist with the Brian Brooks Moving Company and sbb-thegroup, a Paris-based modern dance company. He has recently launched his own dance company, RG DanceProject.
MARY HARNEY, ARTIST IN RESIDENCE
Mary Harney joined the Skidmore dance faculty in 2000. During her tenure at Skidmore, she has taught all levels of modern dance technique, Modern Performance Workshop, Ballet I, Choreography I, the Dance Experience and Senior Dance Capstone.
Classically trained in upstate New York, Mary graduated with a BFA from SUNY Purchase College Conservatory of Dance. While at Purchase, she performed the works of many top choreographers. During this period, she also danced with the Martha Graham Dance Company.
Prior to her work at Skidmore, Mary served as a member of the dance faculty at Union College and the New York State Summer School of the Arts.
In the spring of 2012, Mary directed Skidmore modern dance students who were invited by Janet Eilber, artistic director of the Martha Graham Dance Company, to participate in the first annual University Partners Showcase in New York City. The Skidmore dancers performed Martha Graham’s “Steps in the Street” from Martha Graham’s Chronicle at the Joyce Theater.
Mary serves on the board of directors of the Capital Region Dance Alliance and is a site coordinator for the yearly Dance+ Festival at the National Museum of Dance. She is a member of the scholarship committees of both the Dance Alliance and the Saratoga City Ballet.
Appendix 3
SKIDMORE COLLEGE DEPARTMENT OF DANCE GUEST ARTISTS IN BALLET (PARTIAL LIST)
Dwight Rhoden, Alvin Ailey American Dance Company, Complexions
John Meehan, American Ballet Theatre, Vassar College
Lorin Johnson, American Ballet Theatre, CalState/Long Beach
Martine Van Hamel, American Ballet Theatre
Steven Hyde, American Ballet Theatre
Susan Jones, American Ballet Theatre
Gina Bugati, Ballet Hispanico
Dariusz Hochman, Cannes, New York City
Abi Stafford, New York City Ballet
Alexandre Proia, Paris Opera, New York City Ballet
Andrew Scordato, New York City Ballet
David Otto, New York City Ballet
Justin Peck, New York City Ballet
Miranda Weese, New York City Ballet
Violette Verdy, New York City Ballet
William Otto, New York City Ballet
Alexei Tchernichov, Kirov Academy, Nutmeg Conservatory
Sharon Dante, Nutmeg Conservatory
Victoria Mazzarelli, Frankfurt Ballet, Nutmeg Conservatory
Kirsten Simone, Royal Danish Ballet
Summer Lee Rhatigan, San Francisco Conservatory of the Arts
Appendix 4
SARATOGA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER STAFF
STAFF (PARTIAL LIST)
Marcia White, President and Executive Director
Sharon Walsh, Assistant to the President/Director of Artistic Administration
Siobhan Dunham, Director Arts Education
Linda Deschenes, Director Youth Arts Programs
Lisa Hill, Public Relations/Development
SARATOGA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER BOARD OF DIRECTORS, OFFICERS
Mrs. Marylou Whitney, Honorary Chair
Hon. Susan Read, Chair
Marcia White, President and Executive Director
Edward Lewy, Secretary
John Nigro, Treasurer
Appendix 5
NEW YORK CITY BALLET STAFF
ARTISTIC STAFF
Founders: George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein
Founding Choreographers: George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins
Ballet Master in Chief: Peter Martins
Ballet Mistress: Rosemary Dunleavy
Ballet Masters: Karin von Aroldingen, Albert Evans, Jean-Pierre Frohlich,
Susan Hendl, Glenn Keenan, Lisa Jackson, Sara Leland, Christine Redpath,
Richard Tanner, Kathleen Tracey
Guest Teachers: Arch Higgins, Darci Kistler, Andrei Kramarevsky
Children’s Ballet Master: Dena Abergel
Assistant Children’s Ballet Master: Kaitlyn Gilliland
Personal Assistant to Mr. Martins: Deborah Koolish
Administrative Assistant to Mr. Martins: Julianne Maeda
THE GEORGE BALANCHINE TRUST
Director: Ellen Sorrin
Managing Trustee: Barbara Horgan
Coordinator: Nicole Cornell
Appendix 6
REPERTOIRE PERFORMED BY THE NEW YORK CITY BALLET AT THE SARATOGA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
1966–2012, PARTIAL LIST
Choreography by George Balanchine, ©The George Balanchine Trust
Agon
Allegro Brilliante
Apollo
Baiser de la Fée
Ballet Imperial
Ballo della Regina
Brahms Quartet
Chaconne
Con Amore
Concerto Barocco
Coppélia
Cortège Hongrois
Duo Concertante
Firebird
Four Temperaments
Harlequinade
Irish Fantasy
Ivesiana
Jewels
La Sonnambula
La Valse
Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Mozartiana
Nutcracker
Orpheus
Prodigal Son
Raymonda Variations
Scotch Symphony
Serenade
Slaughter on 10th Ave.
Square Dance
Stars and Stripes
Steadfast Tin Soldier
Stravinsky Violin Concerto
Suite No. 3
Swan Lake
Symphony in C (School of American Ballet)
Symphony in 3 Movements
Tarantella
Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux
Tchaikovsky Suite No. 2
Theme and Variations
Trois Valses Romantiques
Union Jack
Variations
Vienna Waltzes
Walpurgisnacht
Western Symphony
Who Cares?
Choreography by Jerome Robbins
2 and 3 Part Inventions
Afternoon of a Faun
Antique Epigraphs
Brahms/Handel (w/ Twyla Tharp)
Brandenburg
Bugaku
Circus Polka
Dances at a Gathering
Dybbuk Variations
Eight Lines
Fancy Free
Fanfare
Four Seasons
Glass Pieces
Goldberg Variations
In G Major
In Memory of…
Interplay
In the Night
Ives Songs
Les Noces
Other Dances
Piano Pieces
The Concert
West Side Story Suite
Choreography by Peter Martins
A Musical Offering
Ash
Beethoven Romance
Calcium Night Light