Sally Banes

Sally Rachel Banes (October 9, 1950 – June 14, 2020) was a notable dance historian, writer, and critic.

Born and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C., Banes studied dance, and particularly ballet, throughout her childhood.

It was a day-long performance beginning at the lagoon in Hyde Park and ending at a popular local bar, Jimmy's. The audience followed the performers from the lagoon and down 57th Street while listening to a Charlie Parker record on repeat and having soybeans thrown at them.

On the way, the performance traveled through Banes' apartment, conveniently located on 57th Street, where they were greeted by her grandmother.

They exited onto her back porch and continued on.

When it became dark nightgown-clad dancers appeared in the large lighted windows of the Regenstein Library as the performance continued to its end at Jimmy's. This work was meant to be a celebration of Hyde Park as well as the blurring of lines between everyday life and art.

This dissertation was later published as ‘’Democracy’s Body: Judson Dance Theater, 1962–1964.’’ While doing her doctorate work, she studied under and with some of the biggest names in dance research.

Her doctoral advisor was Michael Kirby and she also learned from Deborah Jowitt, John Mueller, Dale Harris, Gretchen Schneider, David Vaughan, and Selma Jeanne Cohen.

Some of her classmates were Sally Sommer, Barbara Barker, Brenda Dixon-Gottschild, and Joan Acocella.

Banes was married to fellow art and film philosopher Noël Carroll.

Joining in 1970, Banes became one of several actors who met several times a week to collaborate on work.

These collectively written theater pieces were performed in workshops as well as public performances.

After graduating college, Banes continued to live and work in Chicago.

She attended the University of Chicago and graduated in 1972 with an interdisciplinary degree in criticism, art, and theater.

While at college, she worked as a lighting assistant and wardrobe mistress.

She also belonged to a group known as The Collective.

Banes first worked for the Chicago Reader starting in 1973.

In 1974, she founded the Community Discount Players which was a loosely organized company of actors, dancers, filmmakers,and visual artists.

Like The Collective, the Community Discount Players focused on collaboration to produce work and performances.

She also founded MoMing, which was a collectively owned theater where actors and dancers could come to teach one another class.

It also provided an environment for further collaborative efforts and the performance of these partnerships.

This is where she first performed for Kenneth King.

She also performed in ‘’Paris/Chacon,’’ a dance-theater collaboration by Meredith Monk and Ping Chong.

In 1976, Banes moved to New York City.

She continued exploring the post-modern world and attended workshops with members of Judson Dance.

She also performed for Simone Forti, Kenneth King, and Meredith Monk.

As she grew older, Banes continued to take dance classes in both Chicago and New York City.

She studied ballet with Ed Parish and Peter Saul.

She also studied modern with Jim Self, Maggie Kast, and Shirley Mordine as well as taking class at both the Martha Graham and Merce Cunningham studios.

At one point she raised $70,000 for an alternative multicultural bicentennial celebration.

In 1978 Banes produced a film of Yvonne Rainer's 1966 dance piece "Trio A (The Mind is a Muscle, Part 1)."

While in New York, she continued her education by enrolling in NYU’s Department of Graduate Drama.

She earned her PhD with a dissertation on Judson Dance Theater.

Banes continued to explore "Sophie" upon reaching New York in her piece Sophie Heightens the Contradiction which was performed at P.S. 122 in 1983.

In May 2002 Banes suffered a massive stroke, from which she never recovered.

Banes also collaborated with Ellen Mazer on a series of works about an imaginary 19th century woman named "Sophie," who was "sometimes a ballerina, sometimes a communist."

In the piece Sophie Eats Shrimp, Banes and Mazer load cartons on and off a rental truck.

In another piece, an old-fashioned washing machine and pieces of broken glass litter the stage.

She remained cognitively and physically severely handicapped until her death of ovarian cancer on June 14, 2020.

Banes' first work, A Day in the Life of the Mind: Part 2, was created in collaboration with dancer Ellen Mazer.