Hello, everyone. My name is Beth Lasar and I have a good fortune to be
chair of the dance department with Elina and Cliff for hire. So that's why
I find it to tell you a few little stories about them. So it's my pleasure
to welcome you here and to uh share a few anecdotes with you. Can you hear
me? OK. But I do have to read my notes because otherwise I get excited and
start telling stories and I'd be way over time. Here we go. Um Of course,
we're celebrating Elana Moon tonight. Her individual professional
accomplishments and her 47 year collaboration with Cliff Ker. You know,
when I was a graduate student studying dance history, Elina and Cliff were
in New York making dance history. I saw their name in print. Then I took a
workshop with Charles Weidman to learn those gorgeous bronze waltzes.
Guess who he choreographed on Elina Moone. So who could have ever thought
that we would be together at a su uh on a I never dreamed
I'll give you just a small amount of background because you have wonderful
notes in your program living in New York. Uh of course, the lion studied
with and are performed with nearly all of the great historical figures uh
of modern dance. And of course, very soon they were established and uh
performers and choreographers in their own right. And both formed
companies, Elina Mooney dancers and Cliff Ker dance company. Elina was the
principal dancer for Cliff. Sometime after the birth of their first son
Matthew. In 1977 they received an invitation to come to San Jose State
University as a visiting artist. For one semester, Elina went first and
then when Cliff's company schedule permitted, he came, they decided to
make California their home, they closed their New York companies. And in
1978 they moved to California
in time. Both Ilia and Cliff were burning up the freeways. They divided up
uh teaching and choreographic responsibilities and floated among San Jose
State University, Santa Clara University and University of California,
Santa Cruz Cliff. At, at, at this time, started that wonderfully
successful new dance company in San Jose and Elana was a soloist with the
group. They both continued to do a lot of guest choreography. Their second
son Nathaniel was born in 1979 and they continue to do their work there in
California for about 10 years.
So how did they get to Arizona? We had a job open in 1988 and Daniel Mavin
called Cliff to encourage him to apply at the time, the uh situation in
California made funding and administration of the new dance company more
and more difficult. So he did. But he was considering moving. He came for
an interview and was clearly the artist we wanted. Dean Cy Rosen was very
impressed with both Cliff and Ilia. And we all knew that they would be
making a great addition to our program, Cy Rosen created a temporary
position free lineup for the first year and then moved her to a tenure
track. The next year, this incredible and seldom used administrative
action was a wonderful thing for all involved. The department gained two
extraordinary artists and for Elina and Cliff, it would be the first time
since they left New York that they would be professionally based together.
We're all grateful to signify this.
So here we are 20 years later, acknowledging the end of the Mooney Ker A
SU era in 2005, we had a celebration of Cliff's retirement and I wrote him
a love letter in celebration of Elaina's retirement. Here is my love
letter to her dearest. El You are such a special person. I hope I can find
a few words that will help create insight into the qualities that I and
others so enjoy and admire you lovingly patiently taught a bazillion
classes, choreographed work for all levels of students. You mentored
students, graduate and undergraduate served on many sometimes very
difficult committees. You're a wonderful choreographer, a beautiful and
inspiring name to national and international credentials.
You reach out for the unusual you make inroads, like working with the
theater department being the dance liaison for the Institute for studying
the arts, collaborating with artists like Native American composer Brent
Davis and mask maker Zarco, working for three years with a new music and
dance ensemble, experimenting with video, computer generated images and
chance selection of events. And boy could you spot talent? You had a way
of zeroing in and you will always right, never know these observations
tell us a lot. But there's more, you are a very courageous woman. You're
not afraid to take artistic risks. You appear to be a woman of very few
words. But when you speak, the words reflect great wisdom and clarity in
difficult situations. You are always judicious in choice of words. You are
the voice of reason. You are strong and abound in race.
You may be a tiny little person, but you have a huge heart. You are filled
with compassion, understanding and human.
Your powerful and enduring commitment to the arts is similarly and
intensely present in your personal life as a devoted wife and mother. It
has been a joy to be your colleague, to dance with you, take class with
you and work with you in many capacities. It's just a joy to know you in
life. As you move into this new chapter of your life. May you always
remain in love with life and art. May all good things for all time. Be
yours. May you dance forever? Love them. Thank you very much and enjoy the
show.
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