Home > Dance Program : In Loving Memory
In loving memory of friends, colleagues and artists Dale Schatzlein, Drew Gordon, Danial Shapiro
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by Linda Shapiro
The recent deaths of Dale Schatzlein on Aug. 31, Drew Gordon on Sept. 12, and Danial Shapiro on Oct. 3 have deprived the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance, the Northrop Dance Series, and the fields of dance and music of two extraordinary artists and one entrepreneur. As the Director of Concerts and Lectures since 1985, Schatzlein, 58, brought his encyclopedic knowledge of jazz and dance and his superb aesthetic discrimination to Northrop Auditorium and the Ted Mann Concert Hall. Gordon, 45, a prolific composer and pianist, a member of the band Gondwana, and Musician in Residence in the Dance Program, was a popular mentor and teacher who infused the students and faculty with his warmth and wry wit. He worked with many area choreographers and dancers, composing music for their dances and playing for their classes. Shapiro, 49, was the co-director of Shapiro & Smith Dance with his wife and artistic partner Joanie Smith, who currently holds the Barker Endowed Chair in the Dance Program. With Smith, he gained an international reputation for dance performances characterized by biting wit, vigorous physically, and emotional heft. Shapiro, an affiliate faculty member, was a compelling performer gifted with powerful physicality, sinuous grace, and a pulsating sense of humanity.