Elisa Monte to Retire Following 35th Anniversary Season

Elisa Monte Dance (EMD) announced last night at a reception in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood that Elisa Monte will retire as the artistic director from the company that she has built, grown and established as a beacon of modern movement over its 34-years. Dancers, board members and important key players in the company's history, stood beside Elisa as she named Tiffany Rea-Fisher, long time dancer, Associate Artistic Director and Director of Operations as her successor, effective at the culmination of EMD's 35th season in spring of 2016. The announcement followed a private tour of the Fashion Institute of Technology's Dance & Fashion exhibition, where repertory costumes created by Calvin Klein's Francisco Costa for Monte's 2008 work Slope of Enlightenment are currently being showcased.

At age 9, Monte started ballet training under the tutelage of Russian classical dancer Vladimir Dokoudovsky, and continued with the School of American Ballet. She made her professional debut dancing with Agnes DeMille in the 1957 Broadway revival of Carousel. Monte danced with Lar Lubovitch Dance Company and joined Martha Graham Dance Company in 1974, where she performed principal roles in such classics as Errand into the Maze, Seraphic Dialogue, Clytemnestra, Appalachian Spring, Madea in Cave of the Heart, and O Thou Desire Who Art About to Sing.

"I always suspected I would choreograph, but I never knew at what point it would start,'' stated Elisa Monte in a 1988 New York Times interview. As Monte transitions into a new phase - her career and impact spanning more than 30 years, 200 dancers, 30 countries and more than 40 choreographic works - she is renowned for her diverse movement vocabulary that refuses stylistic conformity. Throughout her tenure, Monte issued a variety of collaborations from varying disciplines to add textural, audial and visual components to the already physically charged work.

"Movement talks about the things that words can't-it's a symbolic language that connects all cultures. This constant investigation, exploration, and evolution of movement is the legacy that I feel like I leave behind for the next generation of dancers and choreographers," said Monte during the announcement. "Isn't it interesting how things come full-circle? My signature work Treading was created as part of an initiative to develop new choreographers from within the Martha Graham Dance Company. As a result I've always been committed to identifying and nurturing new talent, encouraging the dancers in this company to find their personal voice-and their exploration has inspired my work."

One of these dancers, Tiffany Rea-Fisher, who joined EMD in 2004, quickly became an integral part of the company's organization, as well as a principal dancer. While shining on stage, she also took on a major initiative to develop the company's educational outreach and helped the company to find and secure grants, expanding opportunities not only for Elisa and the dancers, but for the Monte legacy abroad.

"When I picked up my first paycheck 10 years ago, I knew there was more I could offer this company. They needed help in the office and I was eager to absorb as much experience and mentorship as I could," recalls Rea-Fisher. "While dancing many of Elisa's roles there was a trust that developed between us right away. EMD has been such a large part of my life - it shaped me as a dancer and performer. I met my husband, Matt Fisher who also performed under Monte, was afforded the platform to explore my own choreographic voice, and have been given the opportunity to be cultivated to sustain leadership qualities for the company's next generation."

"Tiffany simply champions individuality," explains Monte. "She is a leader, a mentor, and above all, an exceptional artist. With this clear devotion to the company, the clear understanding and identification with both my personal mission and the company's mission to use dance as a universal vehicle-there was no doubt for me that Tiffany would take this company into the next era and grow it to become a mainstay in the modern dance community "

EMD dancers will celebrate its 35th Season in Fall 2015 with a premiere by Monte and a premiere from Rea-Fisher to highlight this grand partnership and collaborative relationships that has led the company to its future. The company will also present a selection of signature works, and Rea-Fisher's why so curious and Persona Umbra. Additionally, the season will highlight alumni dancers, including Rea-Fisher who will also return to the stage to perform.

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