Birds of America
Right before the premiere of Birds of America (1960), Anna made one last addition to the improvisatory tasks: she handed each dancer a ten-foot pole. The bamboo poles amplified the dancers' presence in space and encouraged a suprisingly aggressive narrative as the dancers made spearlike gestures. Birds of America was choreographed and performed by Anna Halprin and Dancers’ Workshop Company including John Graham, Daria Halprin, Rana Halprin, A.A. Leath. The music was by LaMonte Young (Trio for Strings), with Jo Landor as artistic director and lighting by Patric Hickey. Birds of America was performed in many locations including: International Avant-Garde Arts Festival, Vancouver, British Columbia; San Francisco Contemporary Dance Theater, San Francisco.