Banu Ogan was born in Ankara, Turkey and grew up in Bloomington,
Indiana, where she studied ballet with Lila Higgins and won a National Society of Arts and Letters Career Award in Dance. In 1991, she graduated with a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. From 1993 until 2000, she danced with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, in which she originated roles in ten new works. Since leaving the Cunningham company, she has performed in pieces by Foofwa d'Imobilité, Ashley Chen and Jonah Bokaer, and she has also danced with The Seldoms, a Chicago-based dance company directed by Carrie Hanson. Ogan has taught technique class and repertory workshops across the U.S. and in Canada, Spain, Switzerland, France, Holland, Sweden, Italy, Japan, Brazil, Mexico and Turkey. She spent 2004-05 as a full-time faculty lecturer at Columbia College and has also taught at La Guardia High School for the Performing Arts. She has staged Cunningham's work for the Royal Swedish Ballet (CRWDSPCR, 1993), for students at The New World School for the Arts in Miami, Florida (INLETS 2, 1983), for ATON/Dino Verga Danza in Rome, Italy (CROSS CURRENTS, 1964), for students at Columbia College, Chicago, (MinEvent, 2003), for students at the University of Illinois, (MinEvent, 2005), for the Dutch National Ballet (Duets, 1980), for the Lyon Opera Ballet (Beach Birds, 1991) and for Marymount Manhattan College (Fielding Sixes, 1980). Today, she performs with the Glen Rumsey Dance Project and teaches at the Merce Cunningham Studio and at The Juilliard School. This summer will be Ogan's second season teaching Cunningham technique for the Contemporary Traditions Program at Jacob's Pillow.
Indiana, where she studied ballet with Lila Higgins and won a National Society of Arts and Letters Career Award in Dance. In 1991, she graduated with a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. From 1993 until 2000, she danced with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, in which she originated roles in ten new works. Since leaving the Cunningham company, she has performed in pieces by Foofwa d'Imobilité, Ashley Chen and Jonah Bokaer, and she has also danced with The Seldoms, a Chicago-based dance company directed by Carrie Hanson. Ogan has taught technique class and repertory workshops across the U.S. and in Canada, Spain, Switzerland, France, Holland, Sweden, Italy, Japan, Brazil, Mexico and Turkey. She spent 2004-05 as a full-time faculty lecturer at Columbia College and has also taught at La Guardia High School for the Performing Arts. She has staged Cunningham's work for the Royal Swedish Ballet (CRWDSPCR, 1993), for students at The New World School for the Arts in Miami, Florida (INLETS 2, 1983), for ATON/Dino Verga Danza in Rome, Italy (CROSS CURRENTS, 1964), for students at Columbia College, Chicago, (MinEvent, 2003), for students at the University of Illinois, (MinEvent, 2005), for the Dutch National Ballet (Duets, 1980), for the Lyon Opera Ballet (Beach Birds, 1991) and for Marymount Manhattan College (Fielding Sixes, 1980). Today, she performs with the Glen Rumsey Dance Project and teaches at the Merce Cunningham Studio and at The Juilliard School. This summer will be Ogan's second season teaching Cunningham technique for the Contemporary Traditions Program at Jacob's Pillow.
Banu Ogan
Contemporary Traditions Program Technique Faculty • 2009
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