Marsicano, Merle

Biographical notes:

Merle Marsicano (1903-1983) was an avant-garde dancer and choreographer. Born in Philadelphia, Marsicano began her education in dance under ballet teacher Ethel Phillips and then Mikhail Mordkin. After dancing in many local opera ballets, she moved to New York City to study Spanish dance under Angel Cansino. She also studied acting and dance at the Neighborhood Playhouse under Sanford Meisner and Martha Graham. After two years at the Playhouse, she went home to Philadelphia and began to give her own full length concerts there. In 1950, Marsicano returned to New York City to perform and teach.

Marsicano sought to reduce the authority of music over choreography by selecting low-key pieces that would not detract from the dance. She gave her first concert in New York in 1954. Because of her close association with painters (her husband was artist Nicholas Marsicano) her work was closely tied to abstract expressionists. In 20 years, she gave concerts using whatever theaters were available to her, including the Henry Street Settlement, the Kauffman Auditorium, Hunter College, and even Judson Church. Marsicano and her husband retired to Woodstock near the end of her life.

From the guide to the Merle Marsicano papers, 1955-1983, (The New York Public Library. Jerome Robbins Dance Division.)