
Dear Rudy
I have so valued our relationship and our friendship that now goes back to 1984. I loved when you came back to New York and performed at Dance Theater Workshop when I was just an intern there in 1984 (or was it 1985?). It felt like a triumphant return of the prodigal son. And, I was so proud that someone who called LA their home was such an important force in the dance world. It meant so much to me back then, as an Angeleno in New York City, when it seemed everything was about New York and nothing was coming from LA. I loved seeing you perform at the 1987 Los Angeles Festival. I believe you did that amazing solo with the cigarette on the LATC stage. Maybe the details are wrong, but it left an indelible impression. I hope there’s a great video of you doing that piece.
And it’s always been an honor to see you around town and to have the privilege of being recognized by you. Truly! I send you all my love and best wishes as you make this amazing transition in your life and prepare for what is to come. Whatever that may be! With all my love, Aaron Paley
Thank you Rudy. Thank you for your kindness and support. Thank you for being an inspiration, a mentor and a friend. Working with you in the "All Stars of LA Performance Art" was an honor, a joy and a privilege. The world is a little less beautiful without you. You were certainly loved and you'll be missed by many.
xo The Dark Bob
I recall Rudy well from Judson Church performances in the early 60s and then when I was in LA some years ago I was gratified to see a wonderful dance choreographed by him — He kept in touch with me via occasional emails, which I was always pleased to receive and respond to — Rudy will be missed and remembered by many, I have no doubt with much affection. Yvonne Rainer
I am saddened to hear of Rudy’s passing. I have a few words that I must say for my friend. I met Rudy when I got a job where he worked at AIU Insurance Co. located at 180 Maiden Lane lower Manhattan, N.Y.C. in the the late 60’s. We worked on IBM E.A.M. equipment processing insurance reports on these tabulating machines. He was a great friend and he invited me and my wife Marie to see some of his early dance works in the lower Manhattan area during that time. When I left the company for another job he gave me a going away present of 2 Loge movie tickets stuffed inside a small box full of computer punched card chips (what a wonderful gift). Tickets were for “2001 a Space Odyssey” at the Criterion Theater in N.Y.C in 1968. I was stunned by the visuals in this movie and he knew I was a big SCI-FI fan (I own a copy of this movie now, I still watch it every now and then, and it brings back fond memories of him and what a the generous person that he was). About 57 years ago my wife and I helped him move. He gave us 2 items that he said he didn’t need, a 12 inch black cast iron frying pan and a small metal step stool that we still have and use to this day and it always makes me think of him. After he moved to California I kept in touch with him by e-mail through the years. I think he was ahead of his time with his Avant Garde dance styling. As a fellow Hispanic compatriot I will miss him dearly and thank you for keeping me in the loop. Wilfredo Alvarez Ruiz and Marie Ruiz
Thinking of Rudy! The humanity and beauty he gave to us never ceases. East/West! The energy continues! Personally grateful for all he blessed Judson Memorial Church with. The power of his art astounding and transformative! Has form ever been imbued with such strength of spirit? Love always for Rudy! What he gave to us! Richard Colton, Founder/ Director, Movement Without Borders@Judson Memorial Church
Oh Rudy,
I am going to let these words just spill out today. I love you. I love you in the darkest hours and I love you in the light. I am listening to your choreography with my eyes, in my mind's eyes. That's what happens when I say your name, Rudy. The surfaces of your dancers' shapes and the spaces between them and the pace, slow enough so my eye can walk across them like an ant. Nobody else ever lets me do that. No choreographer or movement artist trusts me to make decisions about where to look and for how long like you do. That's the light. Your light. And because of your guidance anything can happen. What brings you here tonight to the hospital? You will find a way out. And out can be anywhere. See you for lunch very soon. I can come to you. I love you. Sasha Anawalt
Rudy perez was an artist with a capitol “A”—an old school diva in the truest sense, one who understood that he had to fight for everything he got and that it might never be enough. He was a man of color operating in the lily white sanctions of the Judson Dance theater and he never really mentioned much how or if his skin was the motivation in the structurally oriented worlds he built . His was a tradition of exacting, demanding uncompromising work chiseled crisply into the air that left a deep impact on us and dance world he operated in. Stephen Petronio
Rudy has always been a beacon of light in the dance world. He and I only overlapped in New York for a few years before he headed out West, but I'll always remember his kindness towards the callow naive youth that I was at that time in the early 70s. And when living as a guest in the home of The Today Show's producer Stuart Schulberg, that day when he excitedly caught me at breakfast and said, "You've got to watch the show this morning - a really unique dancer in white painter's suit, performing a solo....". Yep! That was Rudy, my friend. Never to be forgotten. -Jonathan Hollander
[Rudy told me a story about that Today Show experience. He said he ran into Merce in the elevator at Westbeth and told him what was going to happen and that he wasn't sure what to do since they only gave him 3 minutes while Coverage was 17 minutes. And Merce said, why don't you do two movements from each section. And that's what he did. (Sarah Swenson)]
I knew Rudy for 50 + years. We both taught at Marymount Manhattan College in New York City, where we met. A few years later, while standing in line at a bank in Hollywood, where I had moved for work, Rudy was standing in front of me. We embraced, as we always did, and were equally surprised at running into each other. We remained actively connected after that, even after I returned to New York City. Whenever I was in Hollywood, I made it a point to visit him. He was brilliant, extremely talented, soulful, warm, intense yet gentle, funny yet serious, and was someone I truly loved. I will miss him dearly and tonight a candle will burn in my home and in the Actors Church, around the corner from where I live now. Wherever you are and wherever you go, you will remain in my heart, Rudy. You have left behind a legacy that will live forever. Adios, amigo. Travel first-class to heaven. Marc Eliot
Rudy,You have, for so long, been strong of spirit and body. It is amazing all you have done. I hope you are comfortable and know that your friends and family love you. Wish I lived closer and could see you. It has been quite some time since we have visited. I have such fond memories of you teaching, dancing and choreographing beautiful visions. You were very instrumental in forming Darrin into the person and dancer he is today, and for that I am very grateful. I would guess that there are many families who feel the same.Thank you for just being who you are, Rudy. Much love! Diana Wright
Dear Rudy, I am so happy to hear that you are able to come out of the hospital. I am so glad that the time I was teaching at CALARTS you and I met and remembered the old times at DTW with Jeff, Art John, Deborah Barbara and others. We were a great group and we all loved going to your concerts and especially remember you dancing with Anthony [LAGiglia] and Barbara [Roan]. I hope you feel better. I teach choreography and world dance at NYU.
I m inspired by all you have done and do! Much love, Kathryn Posin
It has been 2 years since Ed passed. Many changes in my world. Moved back to the East coast. I enjoyed having you in my yoga class and getting to know over the years. Sending love and prayers to you. -Marie Robertson
It is very sad to see a wonderful man and human being and choreographer and teacher leave, but he left his mark on all of us and the thousands of people who went to his company's performances and took his dance classes. His creativity will be remembered and revered and the vibrations of his work is eternal.
Tom Stratis
Rudy. Hey, your energy and simply hangin' in the green room + rehearsals at the Hammer Museum space was SO mesmerizing, sort of fan-spirit, yet so finely comforting to be in communication/jabbering around you - lives with me today as one of THOSE moments - thanks my brother, appreciate you SO much. We carry on. p e a c e. Breeze Smith
I knew Rudy for 45 years. We met before he moved to California when he had his Men’s Coalition in NYC. He had a big talent and an even bigger heart. I was one of those who left a message for him last night. With sadness and great memories. Louis Pizzitola
I am so sorry to hear about Rudy. I did not know him well, and it was years ago that I last saw him. Come to think of it, it was in 1983 when my mom and I were in L.A. Rudy was really a friend of my mother, Arlyne Arndt. Mother was the accompanist for the Dance Program at the University of Colorado and she accompanied classes for Rudy when he was there in residence. I honestly don't know if it was more than one summer. But they hit it off. Mother's job was fabulous. She accompanied classes for Merce Cunningham, Pauline Koner, Paul Sanasardo, and others, and accompanied a regional master class with Paul Taylor one time in Fort Collins. For years and years she was the only person in the State of Colorado Personnel System with the job title "Dance Accompanist." Rudy came to Philadelphia one Christmas when Mother came to visit me and my partner. Maybe 1975? I'm pretty sure he stayed with us. I remember that it was very cold and the annual New Year's Day Mummers' Parade was cancelled. William Arndt
Hello Rudy, I just want you to know that I'm thinking of you and sending you healing energy, light and love! Thank you Rudy for all of the gifts that you have given me even though you may not know it - of course all of your beautiful and provocative dances; your classes that I had the privilege to participate in not as often as I would have liked, but enough to experience your clarity and specificity, that helped me to become a better dancer; your stories and holding court at the Hammer Museum in 2012 where you performed, along with Breeze and I, and many others from the L.A. visual and performing arts scene of the 1980s. Your solo was magnificent and regal! Thank you also Rudy for sending your nostalgic videos on Youtube that make me laugh, and sometimes sing along.
All of these are your gifts to me Rudy, that I cherish. Thank you for sharing all that you have given and will continue to give to me and to so many others whom your life and spirit have touched. Be well Rudy in body, mind and spirit and know that you're surrounded by good wishes and LOVE!
With fondness, Cheryl & Breeze
Dearest Rudy. Dance writers need dancers. Dancers probably don't need dance writers! But I have enjoyed every time I see that you've read my writing --- and will never forget the times I saw you dance. You are loved and appreciated! Thanks for the memory. Yours, Debra Levine
I and the whole dance community loved Rudy and his work so much. From the time I first saw his work, through the years of working with him in Dance Kaleidoscope and LACHSA and so many other places-it was always an experience of discovery, creativity and a meaningful friendship. He and his vision will always be in my heart. He was a very special friend to me. When I first saw his work in the late 70's I found a new window into dance and creativity. After I told him how I felt, he often put a chair front and center for me when I attended his studio concerts. I read in the LA Times in an article by Zan Dubin that he was lamenting the end of the original Dance Kaleidoscope. That remark was instrumental in my effort to revive the festival for another 13 years. We happily presented his company in Dance Kaleidoscope and he was on the selection panel several times. When he joined the faculty of LACHSA he was very effective in making a big contribution to many of the students. He helped them find something special and indefinable in their creative output. Don Bondi, Rudy and I often met to chat on our breaks about students, classes etc. He called us "the two Dons"! His was a wry intellect and innate compassion with a practical side. In later years, I would call him from Madison to get some advice or to get a dose of his positive philosophy and wisdom. Although I cannot fully express the depth of his character adequately, therein lies some of the magic he possessed. RIP Dear Friend. Don Hewitt
I offer this tribute to Rudy for all memorials dedicated to his memory. I made Rudy this T-shirt after we last emailed each other.
-Ed Seeman, former Multmedia director and collaborator with Rudy at the Cubiculo theater during the late 60’s with The Dance Theater Workshop performances.
Dear Rudy, I am so glad we got to have our long phone conversation a month before you passed-I didn’t realize it would be our last (at least in person). I had hoped to see you when I get down to LA in November, but, we will have to communicate in other ways now. . . During the phone call we reminisced about how long we have known each other—I met you when I was just 18, and we connected in NYC, Madison, Wisconsin, and LA. You have been a teacher, a mentor and a friend to me. When I first got to LA, in 1986, I went to all the Dance Kaleidoscope concerts at the Ford Theater to see what modern dance was like in LA, and who I would like to dance with. Your company is what hit home, and I had to work for 9 months (2 classes a week with you, regular ballet classes and 3 days a week at the gym) to get asked to join the company. Your mentorship, the family of dancers I joined, and the experiences we all had, are deeply embedded in my heart. Your understanding of how to express with both Space-Time & human body gesture is highly refined and unique. It was a joy to watch you compose in the studio. Thank you for the opportunities you offered me, all that I learned from you, and your kindness to me. Peace and Love, Anet Margot (Ris-Kelman), member Rudy Perez Ensemble 1986-1989.
Rudy and I were colleagues in New York during the same years. I had the great pleasure of seeing him perform at Judson Church while I was dancing with the Merce Cummingham and Viola Farber dance companies. We moved to Los Angeles within a couple of months of each other and our friendship grew. Rudy’s first company was made up of dancers whom he had seen while observing one of my choreography courses at California State University, Long Beach. We were both on a couple of solo programs together and although Rudy and I were not close friends, we always kept in touch, continued to support each other’s work, and were happy to see each other. The world is a little emptier without Rudy and the dance community has lost a powerful voice. Rudy Perez's work changed minds and the courses of dance artists' careers. Farewell dear friend. Make a trio for you, Merce, and Viola. Jeff Slayton
I remember being in the Hallway of Westside Ballet coming out of the 11:00 class. Rudy is walking towards me with a couple of students behind him, and I am seeing him and smiling. He comes closer and I say “Hi Rudy” and he says “Is that Sarah Elgart? I can’t see so well now.” He asks me how I am and what I am up to. I answer and offer the question back to him. I remember he replies, really offering his response up to the universe: “I’m doing everything I have always done… Teaching, choreographing…. What else em I going to do?” He smiled, I smiled, we had a brief embrace, and he continued down the hallway to his class, students in tow. This is how I will always remember Rudy. Love, Sarah Elgart
Hi Rudy, I hope you're doing better this morning, and resting well. Marty and I miss you a lot, and hope we can have a chance to visit. We think about all the good times together, here at the house with the cats and Steve, seeing your dance performances, and when you and I used to go to MOCA Openings together. Also, when I first moved to Venice, after Guy left for New York, you used to call me every morning and say "Wake up, Sleepy Head!" You house sat for me even though you were allergic to cats : ) Another funny memory: Not too long after you met Marty for the first time, we came to see your dance company perform at the Armory. You were at the door, and when you saw Marty, you said quite loudly "You even look good with your clothes on!" (The first time you met him, he was wearing shorts, since it was really hot outside). Then there were the Christmas gatherings at Teri's Craftsman house in West Adams. We're both doing well, I'm really enjoying my teaching at USC. The students are smart, and polite. They thank me as they leave the classroom! They're learning skills in the Wood Shop and starting to make their wood project assignment. Ulysses's retrospective in Berlin garnered a whole new audience, and they saw the videos of your Art Moves class that we were all in, at Ulysses's place OtherVisions. The exhibit just ended recently. I absolutely admired the Rudy Perez Dance Ensemble. The choreography, the dancers’ movements, the spare visuals and the score took my breath away. I loved Rudy’s incredible artistry, his fierce dedication. I also was blessed to know Rudy as a dear friend, where we enjoyed mundane activities together, and shared our love of cats. Simple meals and gatherings with friends provided a sense of family. Our friendship spanned forty years. I was in “Art Moves,” Rudy’s workshop for visual artists at Ulysses Jenkins’ OtherVisions
Studio in the early 80s. Rudy always came to see my work, whether they be installations or public art projects. “What a life!” Rudy used to sigh. The trials and tribulations of every day living as an artist in this world seemed to make him weary. His modest life belie his standing as a giant in modern dance. Rudy was such a steady presence in my life for so long that I didn’t realize the oversized hole in my heart would be so engulfing, that the sound of his voice would remain forever in my head. What a life you had, Rudy. What a legacy. What an inspiration. What an honor to have you in my life, you will always inhabit my space where your wisdom and your sense of humor echoes on. We love you very much, May and Marty
Dear Rudy, Last night’s email from Sarah saddened me greatly. Yet I suspect you are feeling relief and happiness. Trite as this may seem, yours truly has been a life well-lived. You made a profound difference in so many other’s lives.Through the past few hours I have reflected on the times we had together over a fifteen year period (1998-2013). That was a time of transition and transformation for me. I am grateful for your friendship and trust that was deeply personal independently from the world of dance and from your mentorship of Chris. It seemed that every time we got together you were sincerely interested in every member of my family inquiring of each one by name. So, in that spirit…Chris and Taryn remain in Winston-Salem doing choreography, dancing and teaching. They have done well to continue doing what they love well into their forties. Even so, Chris is at a point where he is seriously dealing with the question of “What’s next?” Their daughter, Bea, is now 11 and shows the artistic talent and sensibilities of both her parents. Jeremy and Leona are in Seattle. They have kept their house in Louisiana as an income property. He continues to manage (and drive) the monorail. However, he is transitioning to work on the ferries in Puget Sound. He is now qualified as a member of the Merchant Marines. They are visiting Croatia this fall as they contemplate the possibility of relocati to Europe. Their daughter, Maya, will be 20 in November. She is living in New Orleans a couple miles from me. I enjoy being able to spend time with her. She is quite a special young lady. Nancy is Nancy. She is still living at the same place in Redondo. Her unit has been completely redone such that she figures to remain there another ten years. She continues doing tax preparation and volunteering at the museum. I stay in touch with her every 7-10 days since Rose Mary’s death. Rosario’s health is failing Nancy does everything she can to look in on her and provide any assistance she can. I have been in New Orleans for six months. The city suits me well. I am embracing the city’s culture, music, food, drink and people. Finally, I most simply and sincerely send my love. Yours,
Stanley Yon
In New York in the modern dance concert scene of the late sixties, both Dance Theater Workshop and Judson Church Rudy was the first person to use “found sound.”He recorded the announcement at the Union Square subway stop that said, "Please stand clear of the moving platforms as trains enter and leave the station. “ What a shock -you can use something from the real world in your dance. And so he did. Rudy built works that questioned the girders life was built upon. What is reality? how can we explore it? Dangerous yet kind work. When I taught at UCLA in 1991 and I commented on our recent NEA Fellowships. Rudy said ,”I get one each year, but its beginning to fee like an old age pension.” We both knew these grants were a great gift. And he said “Got to keep doing the work—it’s your lifeline.” Kathryn Posin , NYC
I met Rudy at USC. He was a guest artist at school and taught a dance class. The class he taught participated in the yearly dance concert. As manager of the Bing Theatre at USC I built the master audio file and was the lighting designer for the production. Rudy arrived with an old reel to reel tape and knew exacting how he wanted the piece lit. while lighting the piece Rudy and I discussed mutual friends in the dance world. A week after the show Rudy called me to inform me, I had the gig as his lighting designer. My experience working with Rudy had commenced. Rudy would schedule times for me to come and watch the pieces emerge. His taught class on Sundays at a studio in Santa Monica. I watched as they crossed the floor in practiced combinations. Rudy giving notes to the dancers in a constant repeating but slightly changing combinations. Next, they moved on to presenting their current work so I could learn it as an observer and determine how it should be lit. No experience in the studio could prepare me for the immense transition of each piece from studio to stage with a live audience. The amount of emotion and relationships between the dancers evolved into a beauty I cannot fully express. In my eyes each dancer slowed down and the movement became fully defined. The emotional connection between each dancer as they moved across the stage was palpable and filled the theatre from the back wall of the stage to the last row in the audience. Each show was unique to the space and time it was performed. Between shows Rudy would call and invite me to art openings and other gatherings. I learned quickly he needed a guide to attend the events, I became a subtle pair of eyes. When I met Rudy, he had already lost a lot of his vision. Inside the dance studio he never seemed impaired. But in public settings he felt safer with a friend to drive and guide him in and out of the spaces he wanted to visit. I met many of his friends and colleagues during the outings. I was exposed to an art scene I did not know and was better for the experience. Then I got an offer to move east for a better full-time job. I sold my house and moved to Connecticut. I got married to my wife Karen and we had a daughter Emily. Each time we flew back to California I made a point of visiting Rudy and bringing him treats from trader Joes. We would get the rental car, drive to the store, and fill a few bags with treats. As Emily grew, she got to know Rudy. He loved talking to her about his experiences with dance. He was excited that she studies ballet. He grew to love and care for her and became the cool uncle for Emily to see and hang out for an afternoon each trip west. Rudy was a true member of our family. Then came COVID we were limited to phone call communication. Rudy loved it when I called him from Grand Central Station in NYC. He called me an official New Yorker as I traveled under the city on my way to my job in Brooklyn. To me Rudy was the consummate new yorker in thought, word, and deed. His accent, attitudes and work ethic remind me of many new Yorkers I have befriended. Rudy could be sharp and tough, but he also was loyal and compassionate about his love of dance and his friends. Rudy was a presence in my work and family life. He instilled an ethic and interest that filled my small family with joy with each visit. We will carry him in our hearts. Sue Brandt
Rudy, in every sense of the word, was a champion. He is loved and deserves all the honor we can bestow on him. xxxooo Grover Dale
RIP Rudy, I am so going to miss our great conversations and your laugh! I am so sorry for our loss. Susan Perry-Miick
So sorry to hear this very sad news. I played for his classes at LACHSA and wrote a few original scores for him, one of which was nominated for a Lester Horton award. I valued our collaborations and our excellent working relationship. He will be missed but much remembered. R.i.p. Rudy. Jeremy Gillien
An independent creative spirit with a wry humour and wit he presented with kindness.. I enjoyed our many many Sunday afternoons at Don Bondi’s house, eating and sharing life stories and thoughts on art…Although he lived in LA for so many years he never lost his NY street spunk. What a great loss.
Marian Kliger
I, ROSALINE GEORGE, a former Arts Journalist, am mourning the Loss Of my Dear Friend Rudy Perez who passed away this past Sept 29, 2023. Rudy and I were both from The Bronx, N., We became friends when Rudy moved to LA in the late 1970's where I have been living since 1050 thanks to our love for Dance. We had a mutual friend in Claire,Dukalsky , who majored in Dance Therapy at Hunter College , NY. It is my understanding Rudy had also worked with Ms,Dukalsky in Dance Therapy, at one phase in his life. Rudy was an extraordinary creative , giving person. We shared our 90's Rudy at 93, I 96, living near each other in Hollywood, in facilities for the Elderly, and thus were able to stay in touch and send each other love. I miss You Rudy, RIP.
Love, ROSALINE GEORGE
I met Rudy in the eighties when I first started working in dance. I had no dance background but as I got to learn and watch and talk to people, I had a whole world open up to me. Modern Dance was foreign at first but became what I loved best. My conversations with Rudy about dance, all kinds, and our dance community, kept our talks lively to say the least and plentiful. I was privileged to work with Bella Lewitzky to present Rudy in our IN THE WORKS Series and again to work with Ellen Ketchum to present Rudy in our FEETSPEAK series. Rudy was a hero to me. He was the consummate artist his whole life, through easy and not so easy times. He never wavered and that is one of the things I loved about him. He inspired so many artists and observers like me. You will be in my heart always. Serena Tripi
Rudy Perez: uncompromising artistic integrity. I first saw Rudy perform in the mid-1970s in New York in various venues. He had quite a following, as a staunch iconoclast, in the thriving downtown dance scene of that time. After his move to LA, I invited him repeatedly to teach master classes and seminars during my tenure as dance department chair at Idyllwild Arts. It was always eye-opening for the students to experience his inimitable, take no prisoners approach to movement. Never a dead moment! Jean-Marie Martz
I will never forget Rudy Perez performing Countdown in 1968. If the word “riveting” did not exist, it would have to be invented for that performance. Sitting in a chair, his feet rooted to the ground, his focus unwavering, he took a super slow-motion drag on a cigarette. He slowly stood up, and without breaking his tempo, streaked his cheeks with green paint. Were they tears? Were they war paint? The recorded music of the “Songs of the Auvergne” transported us to a faraway place. Rudy was perhaps remembering something beautiful that arrested his everyday action. Countdown was also an example of radical juxtaposition, a term I didn’t know then, which describes a dada-esque collision of opposites that forces the viewer to create their own cogency. (It was a term Yvonne Rainer borrowed from Susan Sontag.) His work also had a whiff of satisfying absurdism. Of course Rudy never used such terms to describe his choices. Read the rest of this remembrance. Wendy Perron, dancer with Rudy Perez, 1969-70.
Thank you, Rudy for your massive contributions to dance. Your work, commitment, and leadership has greatly supported our community. We are so pleased that you made LA home and your contributions to dance here in LA will long be remembered. I know I will always have the image of Countdown in my mind and you will always be in my heart. Lee Werbel.
I met Rudy when I first came to NYC in 1977, fresh from college and grad school. I had always been a lyrical dancer and was pushed by teachers to “go to NY and dance with the Limon Company!” But one of the very first auditions I went to was for Rudy Perez. He asked me to be in a piece of his, and we rehearsed and rehearsed and rehearsed and I just kept wondering when he would teach me the steps. But this performance involved sitting in a chair and sometimes standing and always staring out at the audience! What a shock for this ballet trained young dancer! I will never forget his intensity, his vision, and his extreme kindness. He will be sorely missed. Nancey Rosensweig
Please tell Rudy that I love him and have been greatly contributed by his way of thinking. I hang on to his words, and have found myself returning to them time and time again at different junctures in my life. Bertha loves him too, and appreciates everything he has done with me and others, the words, the conversation, his workshops, his presence. Our daughter remembers running around in the workshop, and has fond memories of Rudy and others as well. Please tell Rudy that our family loves him. My father and mother and brother remember him well, even if they only met a couple times. Thank you Rudy, we love you. Thank you for your fierce intelligence and loving energy that always urged excellence, experimentation, and a strong expression. Sincerely, Diego Robles
I got to know your work when I was a dance writer and critic in Los Angeles, but then I had the honor of counting you as a friend. Dance on, Rudy. Martin David
I left New York as a critic for “Dance Magazine” in the early 1970s to go to WGBH, Boston’s public television station. Rudy Perez had already been there two years earlier, creating a ground-breaking dance piece for the medium. It was called “District One.” Commissioned to create a site-specific work (pretty unusual for the time), he chose Government Plaza -- a bustling urban square flanked by large buildings, open spaces and many different
levels filled with an assortment of dancers, marching bands, and other denizens(including pigeons) . He was paired with a visionary (and generous) director, Fred Barzyk, who encouraged him to design choreography specifically for the camera. Up to this point most dance was taped/filmed with a traditional “long shot”, where everyone was an inch tall, and at a great distance. Fortunately, Rudy had a friend in New York who had just bought a small portable video camera called a portapak. He came up to Boston and together they worked to design all the shots—close-ups, bodies in motion --and the viewer became an active participant in the dance. This became the shooting script for the expensive broadcast camera and professional crew, who came in a week later. A whole new revolutionary approach to working with dance and video was created- the choreographer finally became director of his own work. I had never seen anything like it; and it became the model for all the programs I did with choreographers and television for decades after. Years later, we actually met in Los Angeles and I was lucky enough to videotape many of his concerts across the city. We became very close friends and colleagues. Rudy, you really were one of a kind, and I’m so grateful our paths crossed. May you rest in peace. You certainly made the world a better place for having been here. Nancy Mason Hauser
Dearest Rudy,
On first seeing your work at Royce Hall in ’81, I was stunned. Neither narrative nor abstract, it lived between both worlds, equally intimate and apart. I was captured by your unique command of space and time and felt embraced within its emotional minimalism, its powerful stillness. I had never seen anything like it and, let me say it, it was also beautiful. Later it was my privilege to collaborate with you on projects at seven different venues. I learned that your magic was achieved without planning, that it was the natural outgrowth of your brilliant instinctive feel for movement, your love and respect for your dancers and your colossally rigorous craft. Your drive for artistic excellence was unrelenting. Privately you were caring and engaged. Once you told me how you had lost your mother as a young boy. She left home to be treated for TB and never came back. No one in your family every told you that she had died. You waited for her quietly. How painful and bewildering that must have been. How that must have marked you. I wondered if that experience forms the substrata of your choreography, especially of your powerful solos. They seemed to send an ever-open, ever-unanswered question into the unknown. In your declining years you remained disciplined in body, mind and spirit. Exercising in your small room, phone calls with friends and enjoying many happy memories. You were filled with grace and expressed an almost beatific gratitude and love towards all who had shared your journey. Your passing was an example to us all, almost choreographed. You remained your own person and our teacher to the end. Thank you so much, Rudy. Strawn Bovee
Dearest Rudy, It's Kelly here in London. I woke up in the middle of the night thinking of you and hope you are breathing easily now. I guess this is your farewell note. You made so many dreams come true for me. You believed in me and pushed me to limits I did not know I had. Thank you. I will never forget Dance Theatre Workshop...picking up the New York Times in the early morning with my friend Pat at Times Square!. Rudy, You have been a rock in my life and you have no idea how much you encouraged me to be to be the person I am. I was just a little girl from Tulsa but you believed in me and helped me realise me potential which I will always try to uphold. We have had so many wonderful chats and solved the problems of the world and family on many phone conversations. You are one of the few people who encouraged Olivier and me to adopt our four children in 2003. You never ceased to amaze me with your memory of the children's names and what they were up to .I will miss hearing you at the other end of the line but will never forget the sound of your voice...Our friendship and understanding of each other has grown deeper. Thank you Rudy for being my teacher, guide, mentor and wonderful friend over the years. I love you to the sky and back. Rest easy my dearest and darling one, Kelly Lynne xxx
I remember Rudy's audition piece for the New Choreographers program at Clark Center in NYC. The dance [Bang Bang, (1966)] was performed to Julia Child's recipe for cooking asparagus. I was the only non dance person on the audition panel and was totally enthralled by the piece- the others were Lucy Venable and P.W. Manchester, a dance critic, and the woman who did the lighting for Clark Center. Each choreographer was given time to perform their number on the stage. Rudy completed the whole dance and then the Committee reviewed the impact of the piece, the originality and the musicality of the work. Rudy’s work totally fascinated me by its originality and a mocking of how conventional our society is. I immediately stated that to me the work as a whole is what impressed me- the performance, the originality and the comic element of Rudy's work. At the end of the piece he did something with a stick to resemble an asparagus spear. it may have been a “stabbing”. The other members who were always impressed with feet were more cautious, but Rudy was chosen for the show. That evening there were many modern choreographers that auditioned- I heard Pachelbel's Canon in D so often- but Julia Childs was very creative. Rudy ended up teaching at The Los Angeles County High School for the Arts with Don Martin who used to dance with Alvin Ailey. Leo Murphy
Please tell Rudy that Erica, Jim, and all of Emma Lew’s family are sending our love to him and wishes for his comfort at home. Rudy has been a part of my life since I was a child, watching him on stage, spellbound, he inspired me to be brave and follow my creative spirit with the power of his artistry. He is indelible in my heart, and has continued to inspire generations of people with his extraordinary energy. Please tell him that we thank him for all that he has tirelessly done, and for the legacy he has created for all artists around the world. Many hugs and love, love, love. Erica Nashan
Decades ago I ran sound and lighting for a few of Rudy’s performances. I was so awed to be included, and he was wonderfully kind to me. David Colker
It was very special for me to get to meet Rudy Perez directly, for the Elaine Summers Legacy Project. Via Sarah Swenson we had been in touch earlier, when a curator in Italy wanted to use one of the photos from an early shooting with Elaine (see here) By that time Rudy was one of the last people who had known Elaine from the very early days at Judson Church. Unfortunately there was not enough base for a full interview. But the (remaining) conversations taught me a lot, also as we loosely kept in touch. For the first time I could feel the edge of a personal imperative privacy, which I learned is reflected in Rudy's work - only comparable with what I'd understood about John Cage or Merce Cunningham. The distance protects and also gives freedom, both to him and to whoever sees the work, to remain themselves. The energy that Rudy created with his voice and presence on the phone have stayed with me ever since. I already miss the possiblity of calling speaking with him. With all the above, I especially send my condoleances to his lifepartner James P. Kovacs and ongoing thanks, special appreciation and gratitude to Sarah Swenson and all collaborators for all that she and they did and is and are doing. I know of this kind of work, which makes it extra special to say so. Please take good care, we need you. In the wake of Rudy Perez, let's dance on . Thomas Körtvélyessy
Dear Rudy, I was at UW when you were a guest back in 1982..? I was not mature enough to appreciate you but I did like you. You came to an outdoor dance I preformed at the Madison capitol in the beautiful fall season. My piece was called Pumpkin Aura. You said you liked the piece … ‘but what’s up with throwing your leg up for no reason?” I was over doing it for sure! You gave me some of the best advice I have ever received and I still have it scrawled on a small gift card. “Keep it on the ground.” regards, Rudy. Jennie Burrill
Rudy was a great artist, well ahead of his time with his powerful and pioneering choreography and ideas.. He was also an amazing human being: gentle, caring, thoughtful and curious.. I came to Los Angeles for about 3 years when my husband was working there and took leave from American University. That is where I got to know Rudy and spend time with him.. We went to some concert together and it was always wonderful to see his excitement and wonder at seeing new and old dance, and meeting new and old people. Naima Prevots
Rudy did share with me that after a class with Martha Graham she told him he shouldn't continue to dance as he had neither the gift nor the body for it. Haha. He showed us all that what he had was courage. Rip dear Rudy. Love, Jean Isaacs
Dear Rudy, You are the greatest mentor a little Mexican American girl from the suburbs of LA could ever have had. It was a blessing that I encountered you at LACHSA. I was pint size but I had talent that you recognized and honed. You loved to pair me with Victor. And the two of us loved dancing for you, with you and embraced all the dance wisdom you had to give us. I got into Purchase because I scrapped the solo Mr. Bondi choreographed for me and simply improvised a post modern Rudy inspired little diddy. The judges loved it and knew you so I was in! You handled my father well when he tried to get you to get me not to go to NY. You were so happy when I landed at the Cunningham Studio allowed to take Merce’s Monday class. You’ve always been a strong presence in my life. my dear mentor, I thank you for all the support and love you’ve always shown. All the honesty and integrity that you taught us to have on stage and off. My dear Rudy, I wish you love and peace. Please know that I’m eternally grateful for your influence and never ending mentorship. With all my heart, Veronica De La Rosa. LACHSA, Kitetails, 1995 and beyond.
No words can describe the sadness I feel over this tremendous loss. I feel extremely blessed to have known Rudy all these years. He is a true trailblazer and a remarkable talent who pushed the boundaries of dance and performance culture. Glenna Avila
Hello! I was just working on my email. Well, here is where I was. I send all my love to Rudy and company. You are a legend Rudy. I will make sure you continue to be celebrated. You once told me to stay on the yellow brick road, keep pushing for new discoveries. I think about it all the time. Thank you for seeing something in me when no one else seemed to. I cherish our time together. Love and Affection, Always, Jamie Benson
Safe travels Lieber Rudolfo. Will pop the cork on our chilled champagne which you always looked forward to when you joined Natalie and I for those outstanding soirées...Love you...Thais Leavitt
Dear Rudy, I so remember you from early days at ADF (Monumental Exchange?) and early DTW. You remain an icon of all that dance can be, even when you’re just “counting down” in rigorous physical presence. No one that I’ve seen (and I’ve seen a lot in my decades as a producer) has ever commanded a stage the way that you have. Know that I and so many others have you in our thoughts. You have never been anywhere else. With love and deep caring, David White
Today we lost one of the pioneers of post modern dance, Rudy Perez. He was part of the ground breaking Judson Dance Theatre here in New York in the 1960's. A group that shattered the boundaries of traditional theatrical dance. I worked with Rudy in Los Angeles, where he spent most of his career. I studied with him and performed in a few of his dance theater pieces. Rudy was old school, not always easy to please, a perfectionist and demanding. But he also was passionate, dedicated to his art, a master of movement and creativity and an "artist" in every sense of the word. One night after a performance he kissed me on the cheek with a wide smile and said "Oh Michael thank you." I will always remember that night. Rest well Rudy. I am sad today.....Michael Carrera.
Dear Rudy, Oguri and I are we are thinking of you. It has been so meaningful over the years that you have kept in touch. We are grateful for all that you have done in our lives and for dance. We always think of you when listening to music because of your wide discerning and eclectic taste. You taught us that what is good is good, no matter what genre. We loved that guidance. Your commitment to the magic of simplicity, clarity, and excellence stays with us as a teachers and dancers. In the late 70s, just after you moved to Los Angeles, I was at Bennington college and we documented the Judson Church reconstructions in New York. You were truly missed in that event, but I had the aspiration to meet and work with you back home. I am so grateful for you having been part of my family dance/life in Los Angeles and remember sharing with my mother, our deep appreciation for you as a teacher to all of us and an inspiring choreographer. Roxanne Steinberg
When someone dear to you, someone deep in your life passes there begins a series of “firsts”. This past Sunday was my first dance concert after Rudy‘s passing. All through the concert I kept thinking of things I would have told him: 13 dancers, 6 females, 7 males - all stunning! ; three dances- the 1st one‘s great lighting, the 2nd one - a bad case of “dance -itis” (what Rudy would call a dance with little stillness) and the cool club dance moves in the last piece. Rudy had a profound impact on my aesthetics. I was lucky to be Rudy’s driver for many years to all of the most prestigious events he was invited to, and given great seats too. We were quite the social butterflies. He never forgot the time we came out of the theater to find my car had been towed! I also regularly took Rudy shopping - to the 99 Cents store, Trader Joe’s, Rite Aid, where, if it was on sale, Rudy would let me buy him a bottle of Absolut Citron which we took back to his apartment to be sipped over a meal he prepared while we chatted, gossiped, butted heads, He always considered me an artist in my own right and I was honored when he asked me to do a duet with him at the Luckman: "Feelings for Open Spaces; None for Crowded Areas." These photos are from that piece, Lewis Segal called it the best dance piece of the year. He never asked me what I was doing with my ASL signs. One time I volunteered and told him that I had given him a sign-name, (one does not fingerspell R U D Y, but rather incorporates the first letter of the name into a sign that says something about the person). I told him I used his R in the sign for RESPECT. He was very pleased. But my favorite role with Rudy, and his too, was me as a young Ruth Saint Denis in his tour de force "The Dance Crazy Kid from New Jersey meets Hofmannsthal". He always called me his "dance crazy kid". The last time we spoke on the phone, two days before he went into the ICU; I had called to read his emails to him. He always wanted to know what was going on in New York City, in LA, who was dancing what where. He was also very interested in what Jeff Boynton and I were doing. He was so proud that I was still dancing with my sign languages. He and Jeff would always joke and discuss Jeff's interesting projects. He was in such a chipper mood, thanked me for always helping out and he told me he loved me. He was such a great and grand man and will leave an everlasting emptiness. As I told him everytime we said good-bye: "Love ya, Rudy." ... and thank you for sharing your wisdom and your friendship... RIP Mona Jean Cedar
Meeting the Master, Rudy Perez 1929–2023As of six months ago, “Meeting the Master” might evoke the histrionic single by Michigander rock band Greta Van Fleet. It’s not unlike Medium Medium’s “Guru Maharaj Ji” from four decades before, which I’ve described as “either a snide putdown, or a pedestrian description, of the teacher-student dynamic.” I added: New York Times’ Robert Palmer writes that the song “manages to be understanding and wryly humorous.” (The epitome of this polarity might be The Beatles’ “Sexy Sadie,” written by John Lennon about Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.) Last month I wrote to my filmmaker friend Albert Gasser about all the gurus I’ve “followed,” secular and non-, among them César Chávez (UFW), Arthur Janov (Primal Therapy), Rudy Perez (dance performance), Charles Cameron [literary and spiritual mentor], Tarkovsky (you introduced me to him), Roman Catholicism, Robert Adams (Advaita Vedanta), Lowell May (IWW), Guy McPherson (abrupt climate change). To that list I would add my wife Andrea Carney, whose writings salt-and-pepper this blog. And from the New World and Old World respectively, Ricardo Reyes (art and culture) and Álvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca (compassion on a tightrope). And to that original list I added, to Albert, “If I spouted the party line, I hope usually it was for a brief while. But oh, what I learned.” Rudy Perez died yesterday morning after a severe asthma attack that took him to the ICU. A year ago I had my first such attack, mild by comparison, but scary enough for an ER session, and as the doctor told me, “You can deal with a lot of things, but not being able to breathe…?” Breathing—inspiration—is the ether of an artist’s engine, and Rudy wore his on his sleeve. “C’mon, people,” he exhorted in one workshop, “ABT will be here soon,” meaning American Ballet Theatre’s L.A. residency in the 1980s. In 1981 he devoted an entire program to, well…, “In Collaboration.” Although he didn’t recall it in our conversations, I know that Rudy’s solo “Remain in Light,” for which Rob Berg and I did the score, had its seed in the then-recent appearance of Butoh master Kazuo Ohno, essentially bringing Rudy out of physically-challenging performing retirement.1 Earlier he had dedicated work to Butoh dancer Yoshiyuku Takada of Sankai Juku, who had fallen to his death in Seattle during a performance of one of their signature pieces, hanging from suspended ropes. Rudy admitted of his own signature solo Countdown that it’s my response to Martha Graham’s Lamentation where she does this solo bound in this stretching cloth.”2 But my solos are really very, very personal. That particular piece says a lot about me: how I restrain myself, how I let my emotion out, how I almost start screaming, and all that sort of stuff. Or I can show a lighter side, just poking fun or something. It’s who I am. People who know me can see that. But I’ve made who I am into works that are signature pieces. Like Coverage [1970], my hardhat solo. That’s a whole biographical piece. Robert Palmer’s remark, about a post-punk band from Nottingham, stands—regarding an angry, tubercular Nuyorican kid from the Bronx who took up dancing as a hobby: Rudy “manages to be understanding and wryly humorous.”
And, so, Rudy inspires me. David Hughes
Ah, Rudy.
It feels like the crisp, creative insights you have into the choreography of sounds at that construction site beautifully illuminate and celebrate the creative journey of your life. "Wow, they're doing a beautiful job," you say, enjoying the cacophony. "It's wonderful, it's amazing. Everything is so thought out, so accurate and clear and precise. It's like a performance piece.” And so it is. As is your life. As is the improvisational choreography of the planets and stars. And, very early, you found a way of celebrating and expressing that choreography. Much gratitude for your crystal clear observations of this world we live in, Rudy...And the powerful, personal insights you bring to your work and your life. Nick Eldridge
Missing Rudy
In 1967, I saw Rudy perform at Clark Center. I was taken by his still but emotional presence. I saw him in a Merce Cunningham class, and asked if he needed a dancer. That started a six-year adventure. I was also dancing with Rod Rodgers, and the contrast couldn't have been wider. Rod's movement was large, swishy, and rhythmic. Rudy's was held, still, with sudden bursts of movement and graphic with design concepts. In Rod's work, we "counted" our lush phrases. In Rudy's, we breathed together to find the length of our stillness before a slight movement would occur. The emotional intent would come from inside. Rod's emotional intent would be right there, outside, a part of the movement. Working with both these choreographers gave me so much, so much as a dancer and as a choreographer. We were such a diverse group of people and got in a lot more trouble with funny stories. I did keep calling Rudy "Rod" and Rod "Rudy" and scheduling rehearsals was horrific. I remember when Rudy told me he had to move to California because of his health, I was heartbroken. "But....I'm your Carolyn Brown!" "Yes," he said.
Rudy Perez was born in Spanish Harlem and attended New York's High School of Music and Arts, where he studied piano and voice. After graduating, he studied dance under Martha Graham, Mary Anthony, and Merce Cunningham, and was a frequent performer at the Judson Dance Theatre. Perez founded the Rudy Perez Dance Theatre in 1967. From 1968-1978 Perez held the position of artist-in-residence at Marymount Manhattan College and trained as a dance therapist. During this period, his works started to take on a larger scale and he began using the term "performance art" to describe them. His company toured throughout the United States, Germany, and Canada.
In 1978, Perez took a position as a substitute teacher on the faculty of UCLA's Dance Department and in 1979 he moved permanently to the West Coast. Since moving to Los Angeles, he has been the recipient of numerous grants and awards including National Endowment for the Arts Choreography Fellowships, the prestigious Irvine Fellowship in Dance, the Pasadena Arts Commission Grant, and Lester Horton Awards for Performance (1992) and Teaching (1997). The Los Angeles Music Center/Bilingual Foundation honored him in 1992 with the !Viva Los Artistas! Performing Arts Award for distinguished Latino artists. Perez was also on the dance faculty at Los Angeles High School for the Arts for ten years (1992-2002) and continues to teach classes at the West Side Academy of Dance in Santa Monica. Barbara Roan
I have so valued our relationship and our friendship that now goes back to 1984. I loved when you came back to New York and performed at Dance Theater Workshop when I was just an intern there in 1984 (or was it 1985?). It felt like a triumphant return of the prodigal son. And, I was so proud that someone who called LA their home was such an important force in the dance world. It meant so much to me back then, as an Angeleno in New York City, when it seemed everything was about New York and nothing was coming from LA. I loved seeing you perform at the 1987 Los Angeles Festival. I believe you did that amazing solo with the cigarette on the LATC stage. Maybe the details are wrong, but it left an indelible impression. I hope there’s a great video of you doing that piece.
And it’s always been an honor to see you around town and to have the privilege of being recognized by you. Truly! I send you all my love and best wishes as you make this amazing transition in your life and prepare for what is to come. Whatever that may be! With all my love, Aaron Paley
Thank you Rudy. Thank you for your kindness and support. Thank you for being an inspiration, a mentor and a friend. Working with you in the "All Stars of LA Performance Art" was an honor, a joy and a privilege. The world is a little less beautiful without you. You were certainly loved and you'll be missed by many.
xo The Dark Bob
I recall Rudy well from Judson Church performances in the early 60s and then when I was in LA some years ago I was gratified to see a wonderful dance choreographed by him — He kept in touch with me via occasional emails, which I was always pleased to receive and respond to — Rudy will be missed and remembered by many, I have no doubt with much affection. Yvonne Rainer
I am saddened to hear of Rudy’s passing. I have a few words that I must say for my friend. I met Rudy when I got a job where he worked at AIU Insurance Co. located at 180 Maiden Lane lower Manhattan, N.Y.C. in the the late 60’s. We worked on IBM E.A.M. equipment processing insurance reports on these tabulating machines. He was a great friend and he invited me and my wife Marie to see some of his early dance works in the lower Manhattan area during that time. When I left the company for another job he gave me a going away present of 2 Loge movie tickets stuffed inside a small box full of computer punched card chips (what a wonderful gift). Tickets were for “2001 a Space Odyssey” at the Criterion Theater in N.Y.C in 1968. I was stunned by the visuals in this movie and he knew I was a big SCI-FI fan (I own a copy of this movie now, I still watch it every now and then, and it brings back fond memories of him and what a the generous person that he was). About 57 years ago my wife and I helped him move. He gave us 2 items that he said he didn’t need, a 12 inch black cast iron frying pan and a small metal step stool that we still have and use to this day and it always makes me think of him. After he moved to California I kept in touch with him by e-mail through the years. I think he was ahead of his time with his Avant Garde dance styling. As a fellow Hispanic compatriot I will miss him dearly and thank you for keeping me in the loop. Wilfredo Alvarez Ruiz and Marie Ruiz
Thinking of Rudy! The humanity and beauty he gave to us never ceases. East/West! The energy continues! Personally grateful for all he blessed Judson Memorial Church with. The power of his art astounding and transformative! Has form ever been imbued with such strength of spirit? Love always for Rudy! What he gave to us! Richard Colton, Founder/ Director, Movement Without Borders@Judson Memorial Church
Oh Rudy,
I am going to let these words just spill out today. I love you. I love you in the darkest hours and I love you in the light. I am listening to your choreography with my eyes, in my mind's eyes. That's what happens when I say your name, Rudy. The surfaces of your dancers' shapes and the spaces between them and the pace, slow enough so my eye can walk across them like an ant. Nobody else ever lets me do that. No choreographer or movement artist trusts me to make decisions about where to look and for how long like you do. That's the light. Your light. And because of your guidance anything can happen. What brings you here tonight to the hospital? You will find a way out. And out can be anywhere. See you for lunch very soon. I can come to you. I love you. Sasha Anawalt
Rudy perez was an artist with a capitol “A”—an old school diva in the truest sense, one who understood that he had to fight for everything he got and that it might never be enough. He was a man of color operating in the lily white sanctions of the Judson Dance theater and he never really mentioned much how or if his skin was the motivation in the structurally oriented worlds he built . His was a tradition of exacting, demanding uncompromising work chiseled crisply into the air that left a deep impact on us and dance world he operated in. Stephen Petronio
Rudy has always been a beacon of light in the dance world. He and I only overlapped in New York for a few years before he headed out West, but I'll always remember his kindness towards the callow naive youth that I was at that time in the early 70s. And when living as a guest in the home of The Today Show's producer Stuart Schulberg, that day when he excitedly caught me at breakfast and said, "You've got to watch the show this morning - a really unique dancer in white painter's suit, performing a solo....". Yep! That was Rudy, my friend. Never to be forgotten. -Jonathan Hollander
[Rudy told me a story about that Today Show experience. He said he ran into Merce in the elevator at Westbeth and told him what was going to happen and that he wasn't sure what to do since they only gave him 3 minutes while Coverage was 17 minutes. And Merce said, why don't you do two movements from each section. And that's what he did. (Sarah Swenson)]
I knew Rudy for 50 + years. We both taught at Marymount Manhattan College in New York City, where we met. A few years later, while standing in line at a bank in Hollywood, where I had moved for work, Rudy was standing in front of me. We embraced, as we always did, and were equally surprised at running into each other. We remained actively connected after that, even after I returned to New York City. Whenever I was in Hollywood, I made it a point to visit him. He was brilliant, extremely talented, soulful, warm, intense yet gentle, funny yet serious, and was someone I truly loved. I will miss him dearly and tonight a candle will burn in my home and in the Actors Church, around the corner from where I live now. Wherever you are and wherever you go, you will remain in my heart, Rudy. You have left behind a legacy that will live forever. Adios, amigo. Travel first-class to heaven. Marc Eliot
Rudy,You have, for so long, been strong of spirit and body. It is amazing all you have done. I hope you are comfortable and know that your friends and family love you. Wish I lived closer and could see you. It has been quite some time since we have visited. I have such fond memories of you teaching, dancing and choreographing beautiful visions. You were very instrumental in forming Darrin into the person and dancer he is today, and for that I am very grateful. I would guess that there are many families who feel the same.Thank you for just being who you are, Rudy. Much love! Diana Wright
Dear Rudy, I am so happy to hear that you are able to come out of the hospital. I am so glad that the time I was teaching at CALARTS you and I met and remembered the old times at DTW with Jeff, Art John, Deborah Barbara and others. We were a great group and we all loved going to your concerts and especially remember you dancing with Anthony [LAGiglia] and Barbara [Roan]. I hope you feel better. I teach choreography and world dance at NYU.
I m inspired by all you have done and do! Much love, Kathryn Posin
It has been 2 years since Ed passed. Many changes in my world. Moved back to the East coast. I enjoyed having you in my yoga class and getting to know over the years. Sending love and prayers to you. -Marie Robertson
It is very sad to see a wonderful man and human being and choreographer and teacher leave, but he left his mark on all of us and the thousands of people who went to his company's performances and took his dance classes. His creativity will be remembered and revered and the vibrations of his work is eternal.
Tom Stratis
Rudy. Hey, your energy and simply hangin' in the green room + rehearsals at the Hammer Museum space was SO mesmerizing, sort of fan-spirit, yet so finely comforting to be in communication/jabbering around you - lives with me today as one of THOSE moments - thanks my brother, appreciate you SO much. We carry on. p e a c e. Breeze Smith
I knew Rudy for 45 years. We met before he moved to California when he had his Men’s Coalition in NYC. He had a big talent and an even bigger heart. I was one of those who left a message for him last night. With sadness and great memories. Louis Pizzitola
I am so sorry to hear about Rudy. I did not know him well, and it was years ago that I last saw him. Come to think of it, it was in 1983 when my mom and I were in L.A. Rudy was really a friend of my mother, Arlyne Arndt. Mother was the accompanist for the Dance Program at the University of Colorado and she accompanied classes for Rudy when he was there in residence. I honestly don't know if it was more than one summer. But they hit it off. Mother's job was fabulous. She accompanied classes for Merce Cunningham, Pauline Koner, Paul Sanasardo, and others, and accompanied a regional master class with Paul Taylor one time in Fort Collins. For years and years she was the only person in the State of Colorado Personnel System with the job title "Dance Accompanist." Rudy came to Philadelphia one Christmas when Mother came to visit me and my partner. Maybe 1975? I'm pretty sure he stayed with us. I remember that it was very cold and the annual New Year's Day Mummers' Parade was cancelled. William Arndt
Hello Rudy, I just want you to know that I'm thinking of you and sending you healing energy, light and love! Thank you Rudy for all of the gifts that you have given me even though you may not know it - of course all of your beautiful and provocative dances; your classes that I had the privilege to participate in not as often as I would have liked, but enough to experience your clarity and specificity, that helped me to become a better dancer; your stories and holding court at the Hammer Museum in 2012 where you performed, along with Breeze and I, and many others from the L.A. visual and performing arts scene of the 1980s. Your solo was magnificent and regal! Thank you also Rudy for sending your nostalgic videos on Youtube that make me laugh, and sometimes sing along.
All of these are your gifts to me Rudy, that I cherish. Thank you for sharing all that you have given and will continue to give to me and to so many others whom your life and spirit have touched. Be well Rudy in body, mind and spirit and know that you're surrounded by good wishes and LOVE!
With fondness, Cheryl & Breeze
Dearest Rudy. Dance writers need dancers. Dancers probably don't need dance writers! But I have enjoyed every time I see that you've read my writing --- and will never forget the times I saw you dance. You are loved and appreciated! Thanks for the memory. Yours, Debra Levine
I and the whole dance community loved Rudy and his work so much. From the time I first saw his work, through the years of working with him in Dance Kaleidoscope and LACHSA and so many other places-it was always an experience of discovery, creativity and a meaningful friendship. He and his vision will always be in my heart. He was a very special friend to me. When I first saw his work in the late 70's I found a new window into dance and creativity. After I told him how I felt, he often put a chair front and center for me when I attended his studio concerts. I read in the LA Times in an article by Zan Dubin that he was lamenting the end of the original Dance Kaleidoscope. That remark was instrumental in my effort to revive the festival for another 13 years. We happily presented his company in Dance Kaleidoscope and he was on the selection panel several times. When he joined the faculty of LACHSA he was very effective in making a big contribution to many of the students. He helped them find something special and indefinable in their creative output. Don Bondi, Rudy and I often met to chat on our breaks about students, classes etc. He called us "the two Dons"! His was a wry intellect and innate compassion with a practical side. In later years, I would call him from Madison to get some advice or to get a dose of his positive philosophy and wisdom. Although I cannot fully express the depth of his character adequately, therein lies some of the magic he possessed. RIP Dear Friend. Don Hewitt
I offer this tribute to Rudy for all memorials dedicated to his memory. I made Rudy this T-shirt after we last emailed each other.
-Ed Seeman, former Multmedia director and collaborator with Rudy at the Cubiculo theater during the late 60’s with The Dance Theater Workshop performances.
Dear Rudy, I am so glad we got to have our long phone conversation a month before you passed-I didn’t realize it would be our last (at least in person). I had hoped to see you when I get down to LA in November, but, we will have to communicate in other ways now. . . During the phone call we reminisced about how long we have known each other—I met you when I was just 18, and we connected in NYC, Madison, Wisconsin, and LA. You have been a teacher, a mentor and a friend to me. When I first got to LA, in 1986, I went to all the Dance Kaleidoscope concerts at the Ford Theater to see what modern dance was like in LA, and who I would like to dance with. Your company is what hit home, and I had to work for 9 months (2 classes a week with you, regular ballet classes and 3 days a week at the gym) to get asked to join the company. Your mentorship, the family of dancers I joined, and the experiences we all had, are deeply embedded in my heart. Your understanding of how to express with both Space-Time & human body gesture is highly refined and unique. It was a joy to watch you compose in the studio. Thank you for the opportunities you offered me, all that I learned from you, and your kindness to me. Peace and Love, Anet Margot (Ris-Kelman), member Rudy Perez Ensemble 1986-1989.
Rudy and I were colleagues in New York during the same years. I had the great pleasure of seeing him perform at Judson Church while I was dancing with the Merce Cummingham and Viola Farber dance companies. We moved to Los Angeles within a couple of months of each other and our friendship grew. Rudy’s first company was made up of dancers whom he had seen while observing one of my choreography courses at California State University, Long Beach. We were both on a couple of solo programs together and although Rudy and I were not close friends, we always kept in touch, continued to support each other’s work, and were happy to see each other. The world is a little emptier without Rudy and the dance community has lost a powerful voice. Rudy Perez's work changed minds and the courses of dance artists' careers. Farewell dear friend. Make a trio for you, Merce, and Viola. Jeff Slayton
I remember being in the Hallway of Westside Ballet coming out of the 11:00 class. Rudy is walking towards me with a couple of students behind him, and I am seeing him and smiling. He comes closer and I say “Hi Rudy” and he says “Is that Sarah Elgart? I can’t see so well now.” He asks me how I am and what I am up to. I answer and offer the question back to him. I remember he replies, really offering his response up to the universe: “I’m doing everything I have always done… Teaching, choreographing…. What else em I going to do?” He smiled, I smiled, we had a brief embrace, and he continued down the hallway to his class, students in tow. This is how I will always remember Rudy. Love, Sarah Elgart
Hi Rudy, I hope you're doing better this morning, and resting well. Marty and I miss you a lot, and hope we can have a chance to visit. We think about all the good times together, here at the house with the cats and Steve, seeing your dance performances, and when you and I used to go to MOCA Openings together. Also, when I first moved to Venice, after Guy left for New York, you used to call me every morning and say "Wake up, Sleepy Head!" You house sat for me even though you were allergic to cats : ) Another funny memory: Not too long after you met Marty for the first time, we came to see your dance company perform at the Armory. You were at the door, and when you saw Marty, you said quite loudly "You even look good with your clothes on!" (The first time you met him, he was wearing shorts, since it was really hot outside). Then there were the Christmas gatherings at Teri's Craftsman house in West Adams. We're both doing well, I'm really enjoying my teaching at USC. The students are smart, and polite. They thank me as they leave the classroom! They're learning skills in the Wood Shop and starting to make their wood project assignment. Ulysses's retrospective in Berlin garnered a whole new audience, and they saw the videos of your Art Moves class that we were all in, at Ulysses's place OtherVisions. The exhibit just ended recently. I absolutely admired the Rudy Perez Dance Ensemble. The choreography, the dancers’ movements, the spare visuals and the score took my breath away. I loved Rudy’s incredible artistry, his fierce dedication. I also was blessed to know Rudy as a dear friend, where we enjoyed mundane activities together, and shared our love of cats. Simple meals and gatherings with friends provided a sense of family. Our friendship spanned forty years. I was in “Art Moves,” Rudy’s workshop for visual artists at Ulysses Jenkins’ OtherVisions
Studio in the early 80s. Rudy always came to see my work, whether they be installations or public art projects. “What a life!” Rudy used to sigh. The trials and tribulations of every day living as an artist in this world seemed to make him weary. His modest life belie his standing as a giant in modern dance. Rudy was such a steady presence in my life for so long that I didn’t realize the oversized hole in my heart would be so engulfing, that the sound of his voice would remain forever in my head. What a life you had, Rudy. What a legacy. What an inspiration. What an honor to have you in my life, you will always inhabit my space where your wisdom and your sense of humor echoes on. We love you very much, May and Marty
Dear Rudy, Last night’s email from Sarah saddened me greatly. Yet I suspect you are feeling relief and happiness. Trite as this may seem, yours truly has been a life well-lived. You made a profound difference in so many other’s lives.Through the past few hours I have reflected on the times we had together over a fifteen year period (1998-2013). That was a time of transition and transformation for me. I am grateful for your friendship and trust that was deeply personal independently from the world of dance and from your mentorship of Chris. It seemed that every time we got together you were sincerely interested in every member of my family inquiring of each one by name. So, in that spirit…Chris and Taryn remain in Winston-Salem doing choreography, dancing and teaching. They have done well to continue doing what they love well into their forties. Even so, Chris is at a point where he is seriously dealing with the question of “What’s next?” Their daughter, Bea, is now 11 and shows the artistic talent and sensibilities of both her parents. Jeremy and Leona are in Seattle. They have kept their house in Louisiana as an income property. He continues to manage (and drive) the monorail. However, he is transitioning to work on the ferries in Puget Sound. He is now qualified as a member of the Merchant Marines. They are visiting Croatia this fall as they contemplate the possibility of relocati to Europe. Their daughter, Maya, will be 20 in November. She is living in New Orleans a couple miles from me. I enjoy being able to spend time with her. She is quite a special young lady. Nancy is Nancy. She is still living at the same place in Redondo. Her unit has been completely redone such that she figures to remain there another ten years. She continues doing tax preparation and volunteering at the museum. I stay in touch with her every 7-10 days since Rose Mary’s death. Rosario’s health is failing Nancy does everything she can to look in on her and provide any assistance she can. I have been in New Orleans for six months. The city suits me well. I am embracing the city’s culture, music, food, drink and people. Finally, I most simply and sincerely send my love. Yours,
Stanley Yon
In New York in the modern dance concert scene of the late sixties, both Dance Theater Workshop and Judson Church Rudy was the first person to use “found sound.”He recorded the announcement at the Union Square subway stop that said, "Please stand clear of the moving platforms as trains enter and leave the station. “ What a shock -you can use something from the real world in your dance. And so he did. Rudy built works that questioned the girders life was built upon. What is reality? how can we explore it? Dangerous yet kind work. When I taught at UCLA in 1991 and I commented on our recent NEA Fellowships. Rudy said ,”I get one each year, but its beginning to fee like an old age pension.” We both knew these grants were a great gift. And he said “Got to keep doing the work—it’s your lifeline.” Kathryn Posin , NYC
I met Rudy at USC. He was a guest artist at school and taught a dance class. The class he taught participated in the yearly dance concert. As manager of the Bing Theatre at USC I built the master audio file and was the lighting designer for the production. Rudy arrived with an old reel to reel tape and knew exacting how he wanted the piece lit. while lighting the piece Rudy and I discussed mutual friends in the dance world. A week after the show Rudy called me to inform me, I had the gig as his lighting designer. My experience working with Rudy had commenced. Rudy would schedule times for me to come and watch the pieces emerge. His taught class on Sundays at a studio in Santa Monica. I watched as they crossed the floor in practiced combinations. Rudy giving notes to the dancers in a constant repeating but slightly changing combinations. Next, they moved on to presenting their current work so I could learn it as an observer and determine how it should be lit. No experience in the studio could prepare me for the immense transition of each piece from studio to stage with a live audience. The amount of emotion and relationships between the dancers evolved into a beauty I cannot fully express. In my eyes each dancer slowed down and the movement became fully defined. The emotional connection between each dancer as they moved across the stage was palpable and filled the theatre from the back wall of the stage to the last row in the audience. Each show was unique to the space and time it was performed. Between shows Rudy would call and invite me to art openings and other gatherings. I learned quickly he needed a guide to attend the events, I became a subtle pair of eyes. When I met Rudy, he had already lost a lot of his vision. Inside the dance studio he never seemed impaired. But in public settings he felt safer with a friend to drive and guide him in and out of the spaces he wanted to visit. I met many of his friends and colleagues during the outings. I was exposed to an art scene I did not know and was better for the experience. Then I got an offer to move east for a better full-time job. I sold my house and moved to Connecticut. I got married to my wife Karen and we had a daughter Emily. Each time we flew back to California I made a point of visiting Rudy and bringing him treats from trader Joes. We would get the rental car, drive to the store, and fill a few bags with treats. As Emily grew, she got to know Rudy. He loved talking to her about his experiences with dance. He was excited that she studies ballet. He grew to love and care for her and became the cool uncle for Emily to see and hang out for an afternoon each trip west. Rudy was a true member of our family. Then came COVID we were limited to phone call communication. Rudy loved it when I called him from Grand Central Station in NYC. He called me an official New Yorker as I traveled under the city on my way to my job in Brooklyn. To me Rudy was the consummate new yorker in thought, word, and deed. His accent, attitudes and work ethic remind me of many new Yorkers I have befriended. Rudy could be sharp and tough, but he also was loyal and compassionate about his love of dance and his friends. Rudy was a presence in my work and family life. He instilled an ethic and interest that filled my small family with joy with each visit. We will carry him in our hearts. Sue Brandt
Rudy, in every sense of the word, was a champion. He is loved and deserves all the honor we can bestow on him. xxxooo Grover Dale
RIP Rudy, I am so going to miss our great conversations and your laugh! I am so sorry for our loss. Susan Perry-Miick
So sorry to hear this very sad news. I played for his classes at LACHSA and wrote a few original scores for him, one of which was nominated for a Lester Horton award. I valued our collaborations and our excellent working relationship. He will be missed but much remembered. R.i.p. Rudy. Jeremy Gillien
An independent creative spirit with a wry humour and wit he presented with kindness.. I enjoyed our many many Sunday afternoons at Don Bondi’s house, eating and sharing life stories and thoughts on art…Although he lived in LA for so many years he never lost his NY street spunk. What a great loss.
Marian Kliger
I, ROSALINE GEORGE, a former Arts Journalist, am mourning the Loss Of my Dear Friend Rudy Perez who passed away this past Sept 29, 2023. Rudy and I were both from The Bronx, N., We became friends when Rudy moved to LA in the late 1970's where I have been living since 1050 thanks to our love for Dance. We had a mutual friend in Claire,Dukalsky , who majored in Dance Therapy at Hunter College , NY. It is my understanding Rudy had also worked with Ms,Dukalsky in Dance Therapy, at one phase in his life. Rudy was an extraordinary creative , giving person. We shared our 90's Rudy at 93, I 96, living near each other in Hollywood, in facilities for the Elderly, and thus were able to stay in touch and send each other love. I miss You Rudy, RIP.
Love, ROSALINE GEORGE
I met Rudy in the eighties when I first started working in dance. I had no dance background but as I got to learn and watch and talk to people, I had a whole world open up to me. Modern Dance was foreign at first but became what I loved best. My conversations with Rudy about dance, all kinds, and our dance community, kept our talks lively to say the least and plentiful. I was privileged to work with Bella Lewitzky to present Rudy in our IN THE WORKS Series and again to work with Ellen Ketchum to present Rudy in our FEETSPEAK series. Rudy was a hero to me. He was the consummate artist his whole life, through easy and not so easy times. He never wavered and that is one of the things I loved about him. He inspired so many artists and observers like me. You will be in my heart always. Serena Tripi
Rudy Perez: uncompromising artistic integrity. I first saw Rudy perform in the mid-1970s in New York in various venues. He had quite a following, as a staunch iconoclast, in the thriving downtown dance scene of that time. After his move to LA, I invited him repeatedly to teach master classes and seminars during my tenure as dance department chair at Idyllwild Arts. It was always eye-opening for the students to experience his inimitable, take no prisoners approach to movement. Never a dead moment! Jean-Marie Martz
I will never forget Rudy Perez performing Countdown in 1968. If the word “riveting” did not exist, it would have to be invented for that performance. Sitting in a chair, his feet rooted to the ground, his focus unwavering, he took a super slow-motion drag on a cigarette. He slowly stood up, and without breaking his tempo, streaked his cheeks with green paint. Were they tears? Were they war paint? The recorded music of the “Songs of the Auvergne” transported us to a faraway place. Rudy was perhaps remembering something beautiful that arrested his everyday action. Countdown was also an example of radical juxtaposition, a term I didn’t know then, which describes a dada-esque collision of opposites that forces the viewer to create their own cogency. (It was a term Yvonne Rainer borrowed from Susan Sontag.) His work also had a whiff of satisfying absurdism. Of course Rudy never used such terms to describe his choices. Read the rest of this remembrance. Wendy Perron, dancer with Rudy Perez, 1969-70.
Thank you, Rudy for your massive contributions to dance. Your work, commitment, and leadership has greatly supported our community. We are so pleased that you made LA home and your contributions to dance here in LA will long be remembered. I know I will always have the image of Countdown in my mind and you will always be in my heart. Lee Werbel.
I met Rudy when I first came to NYC in 1977, fresh from college and grad school. I had always been a lyrical dancer and was pushed by teachers to “go to NY and dance with the Limon Company!” But one of the very first auditions I went to was for Rudy Perez. He asked me to be in a piece of his, and we rehearsed and rehearsed and rehearsed and I just kept wondering when he would teach me the steps. But this performance involved sitting in a chair and sometimes standing and always staring out at the audience! What a shock for this ballet trained young dancer! I will never forget his intensity, his vision, and his extreme kindness. He will be sorely missed. Nancey Rosensweig
Please tell Rudy that I love him and have been greatly contributed by his way of thinking. I hang on to his words, and have found myself returning to them time and time again at different junctures in my life. Bertha loves him too, and appreciates everything he has done with me and others, the words, the conversation, his workshops, his presence. Our daughter remembers running around in the workshop, and has fond memories of Rudy and others as well. Please tell Rudy that our family loves him. My father and mother and brother remember him well, even if they only met a couple times. Thank you Rudy, we love you. Thank you for your fierce intelligence and loving energy that always urged excellence, experimentation, and a strong expression. Sincerely, Diego Robles
I got to know your work when I was a dance writer and critic in Los Angeles, but then I had the honor of counting you as a friend. Dance on, Rudy. Martin David
I left New York as a critic for “Dance Magazine” in the early 1970s to go to WGBH, Boston’s public television station. Rudy Perez had already been there two years earlier, creating a ground-breaking dance piece for the medium. It was called “District One.” Commissioned to create a site-specific work (pretty unusual for the time), he chose Government Plaza -- a bustling urban square flanked by large buildings, open spaces and many different
levels filled with an assortment of dancers, marching bands, and other denizens(including pigeons) . He was paired with a visionary (and generous) director, Fred Barzyk, who encouraged him to design choreography specifically for the camera. Up to this point most dance was taped/filmed with a traditional “long shot”, where everyone was an inch tall, and at a great distance. Fortunately, Rudy had a friend in New York who had just bought a small portable video camera called a portapak. He came up to Boston and together they worked to design all the shots—close-ups, bodies in motion --and the viewer became an active participant in the dance. This became the shooting script for the expensive broadcast camera and professional crew, who came in a week later. A whole new revolutionary approach to working with dance and video was created- the choreographer finally became director of his own work. I had never seen anything like it; and it became the model for all the programs I did with choreographers and television for decades after. Years later, we actually met in Los Angeles and I was lucky enough to videotape many of his concerts across the city. We became very close friends and colleagues. Rudy, you really were one of a kind, and I’m so grateful our paths crossed. May you rest in peace. You certainly made the world a better place for having been here. Nancy Mason Hauser
Dearest Rudy,
On first seeing your work at Royce Hall in ’81, I was stunned. Neither narrative nor abstract, it lived between both worlds, equally intimate and apart. I was captured by your unique command of space and time and felt embraced within its emotional minimalism, its powerful stillness. I had never seen anything like it and, let me say it, it was also beautiful. Later it was my privilege to collaborate with you on projects at seven different venues. I learned that your magic was achieved without planning, that it was the natural outgrowth of your brilliant instinctive feel for movement, your love and respect for your dancers and your colossally rigorous craft. Your drive for artistic excellence was unrelenting. Privately you were caring and engaged. Once you told me how you had lost your mother as a young boy. She left home to be treated for TB and never came back. No one in your family every told you that she had died. You waited for her quietly. How painful and bewildering that must have been. How that must have marked you. I wondered if that experience forms the substrata of your choreography, especially of your powerful solos. They seemed to send an ever-open, ever-unanswered question into the unknown. In your declining years you remained disciplined in body, mind and spirit. Exercising in your small room, phone calls with friends and enjoying many happy memories. You were filled with grace and expressed an almost beatific gratitude and love towards all who had shared your journey. Your passing was an example to us all, almost choreographed. You remained your own person and our teacher to the end. Thank you so much, Rudy. Strawn Bovee
Dearest Rudy, It's Kelly here in London. I woke up in the middle of the night thinking of you and hope you are breathing easily now. I guess this is your farewell note. You made so many dreams come true for me. You believed in me and pushed me to limits I did not know I had. Thank you. I will never forget Dance Theatre Workshop...picking up the New York Times in the early morning with my friend Pat at Times Square!. Rudy, You have been a rock in my life and you have no idea how much you encouraged me to be to be the person I am. I was just a little girl from Tulsa but you believed in me and helped me realise me potential which I will always try to uphold. We have had so many wonderful chats and solved the problems of the world and family on many phone conversations. You are one of the few people who encouraged Olivier and me to adopt our four children in 2003. You never ceased to amaze me with your memory of the children's names and what they were up to .I will miss hearing you at the other end of the line but will never forget the sound of your voice...Our friendship and understanding of each other has grown deeper. Thank you Rudy for being my teacher, guide, mentor and wonderful friend over the years. I love you to the sky and back. Rest easy my dearest and darling one, Kelly Lynne xxx
I remember Rudy's audition piece for the New Choreographers program at Clark Center in NYC. The dance [Bang Bang, (1966)] was performed to Julia Child's recipe for cooking asparagus. I was the only non dance person on the audition panel and was totally enthralled by the piece- the others were Lucy Venable and P.W. Manchester, a dance critic, and the woman who did the lighting for Clark Center. Each choreographer was given time to perform their number on the stage. Rudy completed the whole dance and then the Committee reviewed the impact of the piece, the originality and the musicality of the work. Rudy’s work totally fascinated me by its originality and a mocking of how conventional our society is. I immediately stated that to me the work as a whole is what impressed me- the performance, the originality and the comic element of Rudy's work. At the end of the piece he did something with a stick to resemble an asparagus spear. it may have been a “stabbing”. The other members who were always impressed with feet were more cautious, but Rudy was chosen for the show. That evening there were many modern choreographers that auditioned- I heard Pachelbel's Canon in D so often- but Julia Childs was very creative. Rudy ended up teaching at The Los Angeles County High School for the Arts with Don Martin who used to dance with Alvin Ailey. Leo Murphy
Please tell Rudy that Erica, Jim, and all of Emma Lew’s family are sending our love to him and wishes for his comfort at home. Rudy has been a part of my life since I was a child, watching him on stage, spellbound, he inspired me to be brave and follow my creative spirit with the power of his artistry. He is indelible in my heart, and has continued to inspire generations of people with his extraordinary energy. Please tell him that we thank him for all that he has tirelessly done, and for the legacy he has created for all artists around the world. Many hugs and love, love, love. Erica Nashan
Decades ago I ran sound and lighting for a few of Rudy’s performances. I was so awed to be included, and he was wonderfully kind to me. David Colker
It was very special for me to get to meet Rudy Perez directly, for the Elaine Summers Legacy Project. Via Sarah Swenson we had been in touch earlier, when a curator in Italy wanted to use one of the photos from an early shooting with Elaine (see here) By that time Rudy was one of the last people who had known Elaine from the very early days at Judson Church. Unfortunately there was not enough base for a full interview. But the (remaining) conversations taught me a lot, also as we loosely kept in touch. For the first time I could feel the edge of a personal imperative privacy, which I learned is reflected in Rudy's work - only comparable with what I'd understood about John Cage or Merce Cunningham. The distance protects and also gives freedom, both to him and to whoever sees the work, to remain themselves. The energy that Rudy created with his voice and presence on the phone have stayed with me ever since. I already miss the possiblity of calling speaking with him. With all the above, I especially send my condoleances to his lifepartner James P. Kovacs and ongoing thanks, special appreciation and gratitude to Sarah Swenson and all collaborators for all that she and they did and is and are doing. I know of this kind of work, which makes it extra special to say so. Please take good care, we need you. In the wake of Rudy Perez, let's dance on . Thomas Körtvélyessy
Dear Rudy, I was at UW when you were a guest back in 1982..? I was not mature enough to appreciate you but I did like you. You came to an outdoor dance I preformed at the Madison capitol in the beautiful fall season. My piece was called Pumpkin Aura. You said you liked the piece … ‘but what’s up with throwing your leg up for no reason?” I was over doing it for sure! You gave me some of the best advice I have ever received and I still have it scrawled on a small gift card. “Keep it on the ground.” regards, Rudy. Jennie Burrill
Rudy was a great artist, well ahead of his time with his powerful and pioneering choreography and ideas.. He was also an amazing human being: gentle, caring, thoughtful and curious.. I came to Los Angeles for about 3 years when my husband was working there and took leave from American University. That is where I got to know Rudy and spend time with him.. We went to some concert together and it was always wonderful to see his excitement and wonder at seeing new and old dance, and meeting new and old people. Naima Prevots
Rudy did share with me that after a class with Martha Graham she told him he shouldn't continue to dance as he had neither the gift nor the body for it. Haha. He showed us all that what he had was courage. Rip dear Rudy. Love, Jean Isaacs
Dear Rudy, You are the greatest mentor a little Mexican American girl from the suburbs of LA could ever have had. It was a blessing that I encountered you at LACHSA. I was pint size but I had talent that you recognized and honed. You loved to pair me with Victor. And the two of us loved dancing for you, with you and embraced all the dance wisdom you had to give us. I got into Purchase because I scrapped the solo Mr. Bondi choreographed for me and simply improvised a post modern Rudy inspired little diddy. The judges loved it and knew you so I was in! You handled my father well when he tried to get you to get me not to go to NY. You were so happy when I landed at the Cunningham Studio allowed to take Merce’s Monday class. You’ve always been a strong presence in my life. my dear mentor, I thank you for all the support and love you’ve always shown. All the honesty and integrity that you taught us to have on stage and off. My dear Rudy, I wish you love and peace. Please know that I’m eternally grateful for your influence and never ending mentorship. With all my heart, Veronica De La Rosa. LACHSA, Kitetails, 1995 and beyond.
No words can describe the sadness I feel over this tremendous loss. I feel extremely blessed to have known Rudy all these years. He is a true trailblazer and a remarkable talent who pushed the boundaries of dance and performance culture. Glenna Avila
Hello! I was just working on my email. Well, here is where I was. I send all my love to Rudy and company. You are a legend Rudy. I will make sure you continue to be celebrated. You once told me to stay on the yellow brick road, keep pushing for new discoveries. I think about it all the time. Thank you for seeing something in me when no one else seemed to. I cherish our time together. Love and Affection, Always, Jamie Benson
Safe travels Lieber Rudolfo. Will pop the cork on our chilled champagne which you always looked forward to when you joined Natalie and I for those outstanding soirées...Love you...Thais Leavitt
Dear Rudy, I so remember you from early days at ADF (Monumental Exchange?) and early DTW. You remain an icon of all that dance can be, even when you’re just “counting down” in rigorous physical presence. No one that I’ve seen (and I’ve seen a lot in my decades as a producer) has ever commanded a stage the way that you have. Know that I and so many others have you in our thoughts. You have never been anywhere else. With love and deep caring, David White
Today we lost one of the pioneers of post modern dance, Rudy Perez. He was part of the ground breaking Judson Dance Theatre here in New York in the 1960's. A group that shattered the boundaries of traditional theatrical dance. I worked with Rudy in Los Angeles, where he spent most of his career. I studied with him and performed in a few of his dance theater pieces. Rudy was old school, not always easy to please, a perfectionist and demanding. But he also was passionate, dedicated to his art, a master of movement and creativity and an "artist" in every sense of the word. One night after a performance he kissed me on the cheek with a wide smile and said "Oh Michael thank you." I will always remember that night. Rest well Rudy. I am sad today.....Michael Carrera.
Dear Rudy, Oguri and I are we are thinking of you. It has been so meaningful over the years that you have kept in touch. We are grateful for all that you have done in our lives and for dance. We always think of you when listening to music because of your wide discerning and eclectic taste. You taught us that what is good is good, no matter what genre. We loved that guidance. Your commitment to the magic of simplicity, clarity, and excellence stays with us as a teachers and dancers. In the late 70s, just after you moved to Los Angeles, I was at Bennington college and we documented the Judson Church reconstructions in New York. You were truly missed in that event, but I had the aspiration to meet and work with you back home. I am so grateful for you having been part of my family dance/life in Los Angeles and remember sharing with my mother, our deep appreciation for you as a teacher to all of us and an inspiring choreographer. Roxanne Steinberg
When someone dear to you, someone deep in your life passes there begins a series of “firsts”. This past Sunday was my first dance concert after Rudy‘s passing. All through the concert I kept thinking of things I would have told him: 13 dancers, 6 females, 7 males - all stunning! ; three dances- the 1st one‘s great lighting, the 2nd one - a bad case of “dance -itis” (what Rudy would call a dance with little stillness) and the cool club dance moves in the last piece. Rudy had a profound impact on my aesthetics. I was lucky to be Rudy’s driver for many years to all of the most prestigious events he was invited to, and given great seats too. We were quite the social butterflies. He never forgot the time we came out of the theater to find my car had been towed! I also regularly took Rudy shopping - to the 99 Cents store, Trader Joe’s, Rite Aid, where, if it was on sale, Rudy would let me buy him a bottle of Absolut Citron which we took back to his apartment to be sipped over a meal he prepared while we chatted, gossiped, butted heads, He always considered me an artist in my own right and I was honored when he asked me to do a duet with him at the Luckman: "Feelings for Open Spaces; None for Crowded Areas." These photos are from that piece, Lewis Segal called it the best dance piece of the year. He never asked me what I was doing with my ASL signs. One time I volunteered and told him that I had given him a sign-name, (one does not fingerspell R U D Y, but rather incorporates the first letter of the name into a sign that says something about the person). I told him I used his R in the sign for RESPECT. He was very pleased. But my favorite role with Rudy, and his too, was me as a young Ruth Saint Denis in his tour de force "The Dance Crazy Kid from New Jersey meets Hofmannsthal". He always called me his "dance crazy kid". The last time we spoke on the phone, two days before he went into the ICU; I had called to read his emails to him. He always wanted to know what was going on in New York City, in LA, who was dancing what where. He was also very interested in what Jeff Boynton and I were doing. He was so proud that I was still dancing with my sign languages. He and Jeff would always joke and discuss Jeff's interesting projects. He was in such a chipper mood, thanked me for always helping out and he told me he loved me. He was such a great and grand man and will leave an everlasting emptiness. As I told him everytime we said good-bye: "Love ya, Rudy." ... and thank you for sharing your wisdom and your friendship... RIP Mona Jean Cedar
Meeting the Master, Rudy Perez 1929–2023As of six months ago, “Meeting the Master” might evoke the histrionic single by Michigander rock band Greta Van Fleet. It’s not unlike Medium Medium’s “Guru Maharaj Ji” from four decades before, which I’ve described as “either a snide putdown, or a pedestrian description, of the teacher-student dynamic.” I added: New York Times’ Robert Palmer writes that the song “manages to be understanding and wryly humorous.” (The epitome of this polarity might be The Beatles’ “Sexy Sadie,” written by John Lennon about Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.) Last month I wrote to my filmmaker friend Albert Gasser about all the gurus I’ve “followed,” secular and non-, among them César Chávez (UFW), Arthur Janov (Primal Therapy), Rudy Perez (dance performance), Charles Cameron [literary and spiritual mentor], Tarkovsky (you introduced me to him), Roman Catholicism, Robert Adams (Advaita Vedanta), Lowell May (IWW), Guy McPherson (abrupt climate change). To that list I would add my wife Andrea Carney, whose writings salt-and-pepper this blog. And from the New World and Old World respectively, Ricardo Reyes (art and culture) and Álvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca (compassion on a tightrope). And to that original list I added, to Albert, “If I spouted the party line, I hope usually it was for a brief while. But oh, what I learned.” Rudy Perez died yesterday morning after a severe asthma attack that took him to the ICU. A year ago I had my first such attack, mild by comparison, but scary enough for an ER session, and as the doctor told me, “You can deal with a lot of things, but not being able to breathe…?” Breathing—inspiration—is the ether of an artist’s engine, and Rudy wore his on his sleeve. “C’mon, people,” he exhorted in one workshop, “ABT will be here soon,” meaning American Ballet Theatre’s L.A. residency in the 1980s. In 1981 he devoted an entire program to, well…, “In Collaboration.” Although he didn’t recall it in our conversations, I know that Rudy’s solo “Remain in Light,” for which Rob Berg and I did the score, had its seed in the then-recent appearance of Butoh master Kazuo Ohno, essentially bringing Rudy out of physically-challenging performing retirement.1 Earlier he had dedicated work to Butoh dancer Yoshiyuku Takada of Sankai Juku, who had fallen to his death in Seattle during a performance of one of their signature pieces, hanging from suspended ropes. Rudy admitted of his own signature solo Countdown that it’s my response to Martha Graham’s Lamentation where she does this solo bound in this stretching cloth.”2 But my solos are really very, very personal. That particular piece says a lot about me: how I restrain myself, how I let my emotion out, how I almost start screaming, and all that sort of stuff. Or I can show a lighter side, just poking fun or something. It’s who I am. People who know me can see that. But I’ve made who I am into works that are signature pieces. Like Coverage [1970], my hardhat solo. That’s a whole biographical piece. Robert Palmer’s remark, about a post-punk band from Nottingham, stands—regarding an angry, tubercular Nuyorican kid from the Bronx who took up dancing as a hobby: Rudy “manages to be understanding and wryly humorous.”
And, so, Rudy inspires me. David Hughes
Ah, Rudy.
It feels like the crisp, creative insights you have into the choreography of sounds at that construction site beautifully illuminate and celebrate the creative journey of your life. "Wow, they're doing a beautiful job," you say, enjoying the cacophony. "It's wonderful, it's amazing. Everything is so thought out, so accurate and clear and precise. It's like a performance piece.” And so it is. As is your life. As is the improvisational choreography of the planets and stars. And, very early, you found a way of celebrating and expressing that choreography. Much gratitude for your crystal clear observations of this world we live in, Rudy...And the powerful, personal insights you bring to your work and your life. Nick Eldridge
Missing Rudy
In 1967, I saw Rudy perform at Clark Center. I was taken by his still but emotional presence. I saw him in a Merce Cunningham class, and asked if he needed a dancer. That started a six-year adventure. I was also dancing with Rod Rodgers, and the contrast couldn't have been wider. Rod's movement was large, swishy, and rhythmic. Rudy's was held, still, with sudden bursts of movement and graphic with design concepts. In Rod's work, we "counted" our lush phrases. In Rudy's, we breathed together to find the length of our stillness before a slight movement would occur. The emotional intent would come from inside. Rod's emotional intent would be right there, outside, a part of the movement. Working with both these choreographers gave me so much, so much as a dancer and as a choreographer. We were such a diverse group of people and got in a lot more trouble with funny stories. I did keep calling Rudy "Rod" and Rod "Rudy" and scheduling rehearsals was horrific. I remember when Rudy told me he had to move to California because of his health, I was heartbroken. "But....I'm your Carolyn Brown!" "Yes," he said.
Rudy Perez was born in Spanish Harlem and attended New York's High School of Music and Arts, where he studied piano and voice. After graduating, he studied dance under Martha Graham, Mary Anthony, and Merce Cunningham, and was a frequent performer at the Judson Dance Theatre. Perez founded the Rudy Perez Dance Theatre in 1967. From 1968-1978 Perez held the position of artist-in-residence at Marymount Manhattan College and trained as a dance therapist. During this period, his works started to take on a larger scale and he began using the term "performance art" to describe them. His company toured throughout the United States, Germany, and Canada.
In 1978, Perez took a position as a substitute teacher on the faculty of UCLA's Dance Department and in 1979 he moved permanently to the West Coast. Since moving to Los Angeles, he has been the recipient of numerous grants and awards including National Endowment for the Arts Choreography Fellowships, the prestigious Irvine Fellowship in Dance, the Pasadena Arts Commission Grant, and Lester Horton Awards for Performance (1992) and Teaching (1997). The Los Angeles Music Center/Bilingual Foundation honored him in 1992 with the !Viva Los Artistas! Performing Arts Award for distinguished Latino artists. Perez was also on the dance faculty at Los Angeles High School for the Arts for ten years (1992-2002) and continues to teach classes at the West Side Academy of Dance in Santa Monica. Barbara Roan
Barbara Roan, Rudy, and Anthony La Giglia