Noted dance lighting designer Clifton Taylor, whose recent dance design work has been commissioned in Russia, China, France, Chile, the UK, and Indonesia—as well as throughout the United States, curated the symposium, CLIFTalks at LDI2017, about the state-of-the-art of dance lighting, production, and touring. He is the resident designer for several NY-based contemporary dance companies and he has also designed works for the Boston Ballet, the San Francisco Ballet, ABT, Paul Taylor American Dance Theater, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and many others.
The format of the CLIFTalks comprises short, compelling talks by leading designers in the dance world as they share their insights and inspiration. In this video, Ken Tabachnick, executive director at Merce Cunningham Trust, discusses relying on the house equipment for your lighting design.
Ken Tabachnick has a long diverse career in and around the arts. Beginning his career as a lighting designer 35 years ago, his career spanned the arts scene and the world (Robert Wilson, Martha Graham, Paris Opera, Bolshoi and Kirov Operas and Ballets, etc.). In academia, he served as a dean at arts schools (Purchase College, SUNY, and deputy dean at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts). He spent six years as general manager of New York City Ballet, overseeing the company’s strategic planning and the renovation of its city-owned building. An intellectual property attorney, he represented artists and artistic institutions in a broad range of issues. He has run internet businesses and served as general counsel for an internet publishing company. He is an active trustee of organizations such as Westbeth Artists Housing Corporation, the Stephen Petronio Company, and the Hemsley Lighting Programs. He lives in Manhattan with his wife and has a third degree black belt in TaeKwon Do.