Ruby Lockhart

GARTH FAGAN DANCE is the Finger Lakes region’s leading artist-led, predominantly Black cultural institution dedicated to developing young dancers, particularly those of color. Founded in 1970, GARTH FAGAN created a unique dance vocabulary known as the Fagan Technique, which forms the foundation of his choreography. This technique draws from various sources: the weight and fluidity of modern dance, the torso-centered movement and energy of Afro-Caribbean dance, the speed and precision of ballet, and the experimental spirit of post-modern dance. This distinctive vocabulary led to Fagan’s groundbreaking choreography for Disney’s The Lion King on Broadway, earning him Tony, Olivier, and Helpmann awards for Outstanding Choreography, and he was recently recognized as the longest-running Black choreographer on Broadway. After 53 years of innovative choreography and worldwide touring, Mr. Fagan stepped down from leading his eponymous company. Under the new leadership of long-time principal dancers and Bessie Award winners NORWOOD ‘PJ’ PENNEWELL and NATALIE ROGERS-CROPPER, Garth Fagan Dance continues to be a beacon of creativity and excellence, committed to creating a process to offset limited opportunities for these dancers with a potential for a professional career. Mr. Pennewell, as Artistic Director, and Ms. Rogers-Cropper, as Executive Director, carry forward Garth’s mission to advance, nurture, and sustain his pioneering vision of contemporary dance through the creation, performance, and preservation of his choreography, as well as the commissioning of new works by company dancers. Recently, the company has been honored with inclusion in the “Archives of the Library of Congress” and has been celebrated as a 20th-century dance treasure.