ThoseWe’llMiss TanjuHalilTuzer 1944-2017
An accomplished professional dancer on the international stage and one of classical ballet’s greatest ambassa- dors, Tanju Tuzerwas a true artist who’s command of the language of ballet allowed the art formto flourish in his hands.His life outside ballet was as varied as the students he molded; hewas a craftsman, an avid fisherman, a gardener and a beekeep- er. To his core, hewas an adventurer and a lover of the human spirit.
As an artistic director and teacher, hewas “Maestro,” a brilliant oracle of dancewho had a passion for connecting the body to the soulwhile teaching students,whomhe loved dearly. In these youngminds, he cultivated tenacity and discipline. Through his commitment, he imbued generations of liveswith his strong character.He taught that the true magic of dancewas not found in powerful jumps or turns, but in the ability to transcend themundane and take the audience into a higher, ethereal plane.
Tanju, you have influenced and inspired somany.Wemiss you dearly but your spirit lives in our hearts. Your voice echoes throughout the school and your passion lives on through us.
JaniceLaPointe-Crump 1942-2017
OnChristmas day, 2017,Dr. Janice LaPointe-Crump’s two-and-a-half- year battlewith ovarian cancer came to an end and the dance community lost one of its strongest leaders.
In a career that spanned over five decades, Janice LaPointe-Crump had many stellar achievements. Early on in her life, she studied and performed withRuth Page’sDanceCompany, while academically achieving both hermasters and doctorate degrees fromTexasWoman’sUniversity. She taught both at TWUand atArts Magnet (Booker T.Washington School for the Performing andVisual Arts). She published several books and studied dance historywith both theRoyalDanishBallet inCopenhagen and theBolshoi inMoscow. There is little thiswoman didn’t achieve in the field of dance education.
Janicewas a keymember ofmany local and national organizations such as theDanceCouncil ofNorth Texas and TAPHERD(Texas Association of PhysicalHealthEducation,Recreation andDance).Mrs. LaPointe-Crumpwas also amainstay at theDentonCommunity Theatre,winning numerous awards for her choreography inmajor musicals.Andmost importantly, shewas an amazingwife,mother, sis- ter, aunt and friend tomany.
TheDanceCouncil ofNorth Texas is so grateful for having known Janice and her contributions to the organization and the dance com- munity are unparalleled.Wewill forever hold her in our hearts. Ascholarship has been named in her honor to provide an opportunity for young dancers to hone their craft and continue to grow. If you are moved to contribute, please visit
https://www.gofundme.com/janice- crump-dance-scholarship
MaryCochran1963-2017
Mary began her professional career in 1981withNikolaisDance
Theatre.As amember of the Paul TaylorDance Company from1984-1996,Mary appeared in numerous productions and originated roles in some of the company’s signatureworks, including “CompanyB.” In 1995, shewas the subject of a DanceMagazine cover story under the title “Paul Taylor’s VersatileMuse.” She served as the director of Taylor 2 from1998-1999.
Prior to joining the faculty atBarnardCollege,
Ms.Cochran taught at institutions includingMillsCollege,HarvardUniversity, theUniversity ofMichigan, and theUniversity ofNorthCarolina School of theArts. During her time atBarnard from2003-2013, she initiated, as depart- ment chair, organizational relationships that continue to this day and which enable students to connect to the professionalworld.
Mary is the granddaughter of JerryBywaterswho served as the director of theDallasMuseumof FineArts from1943-1964.Her grandmother,
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www.thedancecouncil.org DANCE!NORTHTEXAS a publication of the dance council of north texas vol. 21 • no. 1
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