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An interview with Elizabeth Greenman - Lighting Designer and Winner of a pair of Air France tickets to Paris

by Robert Abrams
May 7, 2003
New York, NY

An interview with Elizabeth Greenman - Lighting Designer and Winner of a pair of Air France tickets to Paris

By Robert Abrams
May 7, 2003

I had a chance to talk to Elizabeth Greenman, the winner of a pair of Air France tickets to Paris, at Marymount College.

Elizabeth has an MFA in theatre design. She worked in LA in big theatres, such as the Ford Amphitheater, lighting the music and dance shows that came through. These included a Salsa festival, the African-American Village festival, and many other diverse dance shows.

She moved back to New York, where she grew up, to light theatre. She now lights all of the shows in the Marymount College Dance Department, plus some outside shows. Most of her outside lighting work is theatre, but as she is starting to get to know more dancers, she is getting more outside dance shows to light.

As the technical director for the Marymount dance department, she works on two shows per semester. For one of the shows she is also the lighting designer. The first show of each semester, "Dancers at Work", features all student choreographers and student dancers, most of whom are working towards a Bachelor's of Fine Arts. Elizabeth serves as the lighting designer for Dancers at Work. She loves working with the students. Elizabeth commented that "I train the students. By the time the show is up, the students do everything."

For the other show each semester, the choreography is by faculty or other outside choreographers, with student dancers. When I met up with Elizabeth, she was in the middle of helping the crew prepare for this show, so part of our conversation took place in the control area near the top of the Marymount theatre among all of the lights. The height provided quite a unique perspective.

Elizabeth feels that "some of the students are going to mature into great choreographers. I love that."

Elizabeth loves to go out dancing, but has been very busy lately lighting her many shows. Elizabeth and her partner, Dawn, have taken some Tango and would also like to take up Swing dancing. Dawn happens to be blind, so learning to dance may be a greater challenge than it would be otherwise, but they are not going to let that stop them.

Her latest show is "Battle of the Black and Dogs" by Bernard-Marie Koltès at the Ohio Theater (66 Wooster Street) on May 14, 15, 29, 30 and 31 at 8 pm. Call 212-966-4844 or go to www.koltesny.com for more information. In addition, she is about to start teaching a Women's Self Defense class at the 92nd Street Y.

Elizabeth and Dawn haven't set their Paris trip plans yet, but she does know that she will be meeting up with friends who are natives of Paris. That is always the best way to travel. Here at ExploreDance.com, we wish her "Bon Voyage."


Elizabeth Greenman at work
Photo courtesy of Robert Abrams



Elizabeth Greenman talks about her upcoming show
Photo courtesy of Robert Abrams



Also see the report from the You Should Be Dancing party at which the winner was drawn.

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