Music Theatre International has launched a new concert dance division, which will add dance works to its roster of titles available for companies to license. Dancer, choreographer, and educator Elizabeth Parkinson is leading the new initiative as director of MTI Concert Dance.
The new division launches with a partnership with The Robbins Rights Trust that makes MTI the licensing home for more than 60 dance works choreographed by Jerome Robbins. Titles include Fancy Free (which would go on to inspire the Broadway musical On the Town); Afternoon of a Faun; The Concert; Dances At a Gathering; In the Night; In G Major; Other Dances; Ives, Songs; and Glass Pieces.
The division is a new development for the concert dance world, which has largely left dance work licensing to individual agents working on behalf of individual choreographers or their estates. MTI is attempting to bring the business model that is more common for play and musical licensing to the dance world, adding a company full of advocates and shepherds to not only manage works' rights, but work to see them performed more frequently as well. The setup also has the potential to make these works far more accessible to educational institutions.
“MTI is proud to bring its 70-plus years of experience as a global leader in performing rights licensing to the world of concert dance," says MTI CEO Drew Cohen in a statement. "After decades representing the theatrical work of Jerome Robbins in great musicals like West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, and Peter Pan, we are delighted to launch MTI Concert Dance by representing the catalogue of one of America’s foremost choreographers and a true artistic legend."
"Just as MTI has actively kept musical theatre classics alive and thriving, they will use those same talents to sustain the legacy and artistic vision of choreographers worldwide in a way that has never been attempted before," adds Allen Greenberg, trustee of The Robbins Rights Trust.
Parkinson is currently an adjunct professor of dance in the Musical Theatre program at Western Connecticut State University, and has performed as a principal dancer with Joffrey Ballet, Feld Ballet, Peridance Contemporary Ballet Company, Donald Byrd/The Group, Mark Dendy and Dancers, and Twyla Tharp Dance. She also is a Broadway alum, having performed in Fosse and Movin' Out, earning a Tony nomination for the latter.
“It is an honor to bring my history as a concert and theatre dance artist to MTI and to contribute to the creation and development of MTI Concert Dance," says Parkinson. "I look forward to facilitating the presentation of the works of Jerome Robbins and other master choreographers on stages around the world, and to creating educational programs and initiatives for dancers and dance enthusiasts of all ages and abilities."
“I could not be more excited about this brand-new opportunity for MTI,” adds MTI Chief Operating Officer and Director of Development and Education John Prignano. "We are so grateful to have Elizabeth leading this endeavor for us, and to offer world-class ballets from Jerome Robbins. We look forward to adding works from other renowned choreographers and to developing dance licensing for educational groups in the near future."
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