Paul Sanasardo

Paul Sanasardo was born in 1928 in Chicago.

He studied sculpture and painting as a child. Later on, he studied in the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) and also experienced dancing. In 1951, he won a scholarship for study in Martha Graham’s school, and trained with her and with Antony Tudor. In 1952, he began dancing with the Erika Thimey Dance Theater. In 1953, he joined Anna Sokolow’s company in New York and danced on Broadway stages and with the New York City Ballet. Sanasardo was also invited as a guest dancer in Pearl Lang’s company, and was her partner for a certain period. In 1957, he founded the Paul Sanasardo-Donya Feuer Dance Company, and a year later he established a dance studio of his own. His company staged more than fifty works throughout the US and Europe. In 1970, Sanasardo won the Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts, US & Canada.

In 1977, Sanasardo was appointed as Batsheva’s artistic director, a position he held until 1980. During those years, he choreographed the following pieces for the company: Step by Step with Haydn, Abandoned Prayer, Meditation on an Open Stag, Lisztdelirium (1978); Stravinsky Dance Circus (1979); Songs, The Spirit of Babi-Yar (1980).
In 1981, Sanasardo returned to the US and continued managing his company. After its disbandment in 1986, he continued teaching and choreographing for various companies and his choreographies are included in the repertoires of many distinguished companies, including the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.