Visual Artist & Dancer Frances Alenikoff Dies at 91

Frances Alenikoff, a dancer, choreographer and visual artist, this benefit is often closely linked with the movement of the slides, films, talking, singing and recordings, died on June 23 in Southampton, New York for 91 years.

His daughter, Francesca Rheannon, confirmed the death.

Ms. Alenikoff, during his professional heyday, he worked mainly in New York City, has been an active participant in the artistic ferment and around the loft in Soho, and after mid-century.

Since 1950 his work began to take on aspects of what is now called multimedia performances, using slides and to add color and music for dancing feet.

He founded and directed two dance companies. First, the Theatre Dance and Song Aviv, began in 1959. Specializing in dance Israeli jasídico, Russia and Africa, the Carib, has been made in the black schools segregated south, 92 Street Y in New York, Broadway, musical revue Josephine Baker in 1964.

Ms. Alenikoff second company, Frances Alenikoff Dance Theater, founded in mid 1970. Focused on dance as a means of changing forms of theater, which increases the work of the dancers on stage with a series of images and sounds.

His interest in creating these multimedia works, Ms. Alenikoff often said, was rooted in his fascination with the imperative form - including body movement, the appearance of the images, counterpoint and rhythm the spoken dialogue of the texture by hand.

Among his best known works are two solo pieces as a choreographer danced: "In no way," conducted under the direction of the avant-garde poet Armand Schwerner, and "Re-remembering", created the Mrs. Alenikoff of 70 years after recovering from a potentially fatal attack of babesiosis, a tick disease.

In recent years, working from home in East Hampton, Long Island, Mrs. Alenikoff was also a visual artist, producing paintings and collages, which was full of color and form.

The daughter of Jack Clement Lipman and the former Ruth Alper, Frances Lipman was born in Queens August 20, 1920, and grew up in Manhattan. His mother was a dancer who later helped to introduce yoga in Hollywood.

Frances has a degree in art and psychology at the University of Brooklyn. Later he studied African dance and Haiti, the drums and singing with Katherine Dunham, one of only a handful of white students to be accepted into the predominantly black school, Mrs. Dunham in New York.

First marriage of Mrs. Alenikoff, Jules Alenikoff, ended in divorce, as did his second, with Martin Freedman. He is survived by his daughter, Francesca, his relationship with Guido Teunissen, a grandson and a nephew.

His work has been the topic of "things that make up a choreography Journal," a documentary by Robert Machover.

Ms. Alenikoff continued dancing in public, until she was about 80 years. Reviews of their performances at the end of life sometimes noticed, was willing to pay, after a particularly high calcium, to inform the public exactly how old it was.