Departures of note

Paul Saviour Sanasardo was born in Chicago, Illinois on September 15, 1928, to a Sicilian family from Palermo, Italy. He attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and studied dance with Antony Tudor and Martha Graham. He made his debut in 1952 with the Erika Thimey Dance Theater and subsequently performed with Anna Sokolow, Pearl Lang, New York City Opera, and in Broadway musicals.

In 1957, Sanasardo founded the Paul Sanasardo-Donya Feuer Dance Company and the following year established the Studio for Dance school, later known as Modern Dance Artists Inc. He served as artistic director of the Batsheva Dance Company from 1977 to 1981. His dreamlike, expressionistic choreographic style influenced the vividly theatrical works of German choreographer Pina Bausch, who was an early collaborator with his company.

Sanasardo continued choreographing and teaching after disbanding his company in 1986. His works, including Fatal Birds, Cyclometry, and The Seven Last Words, continue to be performed by several companies including the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. He died on July 23, 2026, at the age of 97.