Getting to Know Ruth Benson Levin & Lynn Modell - NACHMO Boston Interviews

By Nicole Harris

Photo by Olivia Moon Photography

Ruth Benson Levin and Lynn Modell’s piece was one of my favorite parts of NACHMO Boston in 2020. (Which might make it one of my favorite things in 2020 all the way around!) I’m thrilled to have them back this year and to get a chance to learn a little more about them!

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N: I noticed in your bios that you both went to Adelphi. Is that where you met?
R&L: Yes, we met in 1972 as 17-year-old freshman dance majors in the Adelphi U. dance program. After college, we moved to Boston with 2 other AU graduates and formed a company, Kineticompany, 1976-84.

​N:You have been in the Boston dance community for a number of years and have seen it shift and change, both for better and for worse. What is something that you think of as the heart of Boston Dance? What keeps it going?

R&L: The heart of Boston is the dance studios. For us, it was Green Street Studios and The Dance Complex (formerly the Joy of Movement Center). This is where we took class, taught class, rehearsed, and performed. The loss of Green Street is huge.

​N: How have you been handling quarantine? What have you been doing to keep moving and creating during this year?
R&L: We have performed outdoors 4 times since June: Twice at Larz Anderson Park, Lynn's neighborhood, and at the Starlight Theater. We have rehearsed over Zoom as well as outside. Lynn has continued teaching her classes that used to meet at United Parish in Brookline and now are on Zoom.

N: This year’s NACHMO is different than anything we’ve done in the past, with all events entirely virtual. How will you change your process to deal with the obstacles 2020 brings us? What is the first thing you will do when the month begins?
R&L: It has been difficult for us to get together since winter arrived. Rehearsing outside is unappealing and the rise in Covid numbers has limited our in-person work. We are doing most of our brainstorming and planning on Zoom.

N: This is your second NACHMO as a collaborative pair. What are you most excited about in this process? What are you most nervous about? How are those things different from last year?
R&L: The constraints of virtual performance have motivated us to develop skills in creating and editing video. We're excited to be part of NACHMO to use these new skills.

N: Who are your mentors? What makes those relationships special to you? What are you doing to pay forward the gifts they have given you?
R&L: Peter DiMuro has been a mentor to us. In the past, Judith Chaffee, Martha Armstrong Gray, and Susan Rose were quite helpful to us. We would be interested to mentor young choreographers if the opportunity arose.

N: It is important to us that we continue to lift up other artists in our community. Who are some of your favorite local choreographers? Why?
R&L: Michael Figueroa- one of Ruth's favorites. He did a concert at the Somerville Armory where the audience could listen to their own music on headphones while watching his dances. So much fun! Lynn likes The Davis Sisters.