a performing and teaching company

IN MEMORIAM: JEFF STORY: 1966-2022

REMEMBERING JEFFREY S. STORY

A native of Columbus, Ohio, Jeff began his professional affiliation with movement accompanying at Ballet Met and for the dance department at The Ohio State University. In Philadelphia, where Jeff lived for more than two decades, he accompanied and composed for the Philadelphia Dance Company (Philadanco), Pennsylvania Ballet, The University of the Arts, The Rock School, Temple University, Bryn Mawr College, and Dance for Parkinson’s Disease. His music was commissioned by NYC’s Ailey II. Jeff’s collaboration with DGDC spanned twenty-one years, resulting in scores of dances and compositions.

CELEBRATING THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY AT THE 92ND STREET Y

At the Gala following the premiere of Intersections, Jeff played his score to Coupling on the piano! Daniel and Jeff enjoyed a partnership that transcended time, place, and concept.

Daniel shares the origins of this collaboration: “When I began teaching at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia in 2001, I had the great fortune to meet Jeff, working as an accompanist, a job of love he continued to pour himself into until the present. Our collaboration began shortly after and never paused. The number of dances and films he composed for is staggering—Company signatures such as Coupling, Puzzle, Shifting, the evening length pieces, Timebomb, The Oracle, and Intersections, and the films The Fantasyland Project, Terrain, and The Performer to name a few. This prolific output only characterized the beginning of Jeff’s contributions. A dedicated educator and infinitely generous person, Jeff went above and beyond in every interaction and with each project.”

AFTER SUNSET AT MENEMSHA, ON MARTHA’S VINEYARD

Daniel, Cary McWilliam, Jason Garcia Ignacio, and Jeff on the beach after a day’s work in the studio.

“Many stories, many projects. Jeff brought a heavy load of equipment including his keyboard on the ferry! To Martha’s Vineyard for a Company residency at The Yard, in Chilmark in the summer of 2005. We remember his grilling in the dark after we caught the sunset. Of nights, after a full day of being in the studio, we found ourselves in the studio again, playing together in music and dance.

WORKING VIA ZOOM DIMINISHED NOTHING

Daniel and Jeff had been working remotely for decades prior to the pandemic. When the Company’s Accelerate was commissioned by Kennesaw State University in Atlanta, Jeff created the score. “He came down to see the premiere, and then offered to accompany the company class before curtain, always welcoming the opportunity to play, specifically, for dancers. He derived extreme joy from being in the studio. At Ithaca College, for a commission to score the dance film Blowout, Jeff again was eager to collaborate and keep producing. This was early on in the pandemic, the fall of 2020. Jeff Zoomed in at practically every rehearsal. He didn’t need to be present so regularly but wanted to be in the ‘room’ as the dance was developing, to meet the dancers and tailor his work to match theirs.”

GENEROUS WITH STUDENTS, GENEROUS WITH PROFESSIONALS

The Company is thankful to have recordings of talk-backs with Jeff after Company performances in the theater, and from a variety of other events. In this discussion, Jeff, engaging with Caeli Carroll and Madison Hertel, speaks about his love for the profession of dance accompaniment.
Jeff’s easy-going nature affected students everywhere. Thousands have danced to his genius.

COMPANY ZOOM MEETING, LATE SPRING 2020

The Fantasyland Project, an ambitious project for sixteen, yielded an array of captivating music. Says Daniel, “Even knowing Jeff already for twenty years at this point and being accustomed to his generosity I was still surprised with his level of investment. He produced individual PDFs for the dancers, researching and riffing off of their ideas, and often involving erudite references to some scholar, critic, writer, or other artist.”

ON TOUR IN MARTHA’S VINEYARD

Jeff, an avid and fantastic photographer whose subjects varied from buildings to nature to dance, is remembered up in the balcony at the Brooklyn Academy of Music shooting bird’s eye views of The Oracle. We are thankful for his numerous photos taken through the years. Jeff was a generous colleague to all the institutions he had long-standing relationships with, especially regarding technology, audio and visual equipment, cameras…He gave to everyone with enthusiasm.

JEFF WAS NEVER FULLY DRESSED WITHOUT A SMILE

Jeff showed up at shows often in a suit, always with a smile. Handsome, elegant, witty, and brilliant, he will be missed by many. The legacy of his art will continue to soothe, entertain, surprise, and innovate. We will be sharing his music and the dances he composed for over the coming months.

From one gala to another, above at The 92nd Street Y on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, and below, at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Studios in midtown Manhattan. The loss is huge and devastating. The Company sends its condolences to Jeff’s family during this unimaginable time, to his friends, and to all the professional communities in which he was loved.

The Brooklyn Rail Interviews Daniel: January 2022

 

ABOUT THE BROOKLYN RAIL
“Founded in October 2000 and currently published ten times annually, the Brooklyn Rail provides an independent forum for arts, culture, and politics throughout New York City and far beyond. The journal, in addition to featuring local reporting; criticism of music, dance, film, and theater; and original fiction and poetry, covers contemporary visual art in particular depth. In order to democratize their art coverage, the Critics Page functions with a rotating editorship.” The Company thanks writer Christopher Atamian.

A Balanced New Year!

Willow, pictured above, represents balance, solidity, strength, and aspiration. Firmly rooted and reaching skyward. Oppositional forces keeping us in equilibrium, balancing past and present, needs and wants, realities and dreams. As 2022 arrives, we wish you fortitude and balance to help live with joy through another brave new year! With your donations we will continue […]

Platform Doors Are Open! Dance With Us Is Live!

We are thrilled to announce the public opening of the Dance With Us platform, a place to engage with dance. Visit dancewithus.org and enjoy the bounty of content available free of charge. VISIT THE PLATFORM!

DANCE WITH US LAUNCHES JUNE 25-27

Dance With Us: Educational Digital Platform Launches With Premieres of Series of New Dance Films! June 25-27, 2021 at 7pm ET RESERVE YOUR FREE TICKET ON OUR EVENTBRITE PAGE HERE  Years in the making, we are most excited to announce the presentation of Dance With Us, an educational digital platform centered around the premiere […]

DANCE WITH US LAUNCH DATES

The Company’s years-long Dance With Us project seeks to bridge the divide separating dance from mainstream culture, underscoring the primacy, purpose, and possibility of contemporary dance in contemporary life. Combining the instructional with the performative, the platform introduces ways to view, speak about, and participate in dance with comfort. The platform seeks to demystify contemporary […]

SNOW DANCIN’ ON DEMAND

Now Screening in the DGDC Viewing Theater! To ride out the end of winter, we’re screening SNOW DANCIN’, a four-minute film of Daniel dancing in subzero weather. To gain access, make a contribution to the Company via our PayPal GivingFund link. Suggested sliding scale donation: $4-$9 per viewer. Any questions, email us!

LOVE DANCES EVENT ON DEMAND

Announcing the DGDC Viewing Theater! We’re screening An Evening of Love Dances, a live Zoom event held this Valentine’s Day. Join Daniel, Derek, Vanessa, and Daisy as they discuss the critical, public, and personal conversations surrounding these favorite dances from the repertory. You’ll have a front-row view to six duets: Coupling, Timebomb, Tribe, Together, Museum, […]

An Evening of Love Dances: Valentine’s Day 2021

Tickets available on our Eventbrite page. This Valentine’s Day the Company offers An Evening of Love Dances, a live Zoom event celebrating the duet form in the DGDC repertory, the push and pull of relationships, and the lauded dancers in the Company. Reserve your ticket for a front-row view to several dances from the acclaimed […]

FORWARD VISION: A Brighter Future Ahead

We are always looking ahead. This year, more than ever, with our signature optimistic outlook. We are scanning the horizon for hope, and we are buoyed by what we see. We remain committed to making the future bright. We look forward to another year of producing inventive art, engaging communities in meaningful ways, bringing uplift, […]