14/01/2021
Robert Cohan who died peacefully on Tuesday night was my teacher and more recently my friend for over half a century.
In 1967 the Martha Graham Dance Company came to the Savile Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue. As an art student I went to see every programme, primarily to see the sets of Isamu Noguchi. Particularly striking among an extraordinary group of dancers was a tall long legged man with the looks of a Hollywood film star, Robert Cohan. Slipped into the programme was a piece of paper telling us that classes in the Martha Graham technique would be given by members of the company in London following the Savile season, and Bob Cohan was among them. I hurried along, and one way or another the rest of my life was influenced by this man.
As a teacher he was nothing short of a genius, his scientific knowledge of anatomy demanding of us ever more exact muscular detail- and of course, I'm not going to be coy about it, his physical beauty was mesmerising. The Graham Technique was unforgiving in its demands and my body could not really cope but gazing besottedly at this handsome man got me through a lot of pain. These were the very early days of what was to become the London Contemporary Dance Theatre- early days filled with promise and excitement, and I duly signed up to be one of the first cohort of students at London Contemporary Dance School. Bob taught us often over the three year course and it was always heady stuff.
We moved in 1969 to a building called The Place near Euston station where Bob developed his choreography on his new company, also presenting work by other choreographers. A particularly inspiring instance was Martha Graham's El Penitente performed by the star cast of Bob, Noemi Lapsezon and William Louther. They made a deeply inspiring impression which is still with me to this day. Bob also invited me to present my early choreography with the Company and six of my dances were performed between 1970 and 1975.
Life moved on and I became something of a rebel, Bob keeping an eye on me with a wry and cautious smile. I went to New York in 1975, primarily to study with Merce Cunningham. When I returned after two exciting years Bob asked if I would make another piece for LCDT and the dance,Rainbow Bandit, was a distillation of the exhilarating energy I had so enjoyed in New York. I worked for two years teaching and making work for my own small company. Then in 1979 I was asked if I would join Ballet Rambert as Resident Choreographer and Bob took me aside and said " If I'd known you wanted to work with a larger company I'd have asked you to come back here" but I was stubbornly determined to be the one that got away. I had twelve years with Rambert with many happy moments but we parted company in 1992, and it was Bob who was the first person to call me and offer me encouragement- I've never forgotten that.
It was not long before I was busily teaching, back where I belonged- London Contemporary Dance School and then, in 1993 Bob called me and asked if I would consider becoming Artistic Director of the Company. I agreed to interview but truthfully I did this for Bob- my heart wasnt in it. Unable to make a decision, the Board decided to close London Contemporary Dance Theatre, a big shock to many people, myself included. Only a year later I was again approached, this time to be Artistic Director of The Place and- stipulating that I needed to choreograph (convinced that this was my raison d'etre to be on this earth) I accepted.
From this time on, I forged a new relationship with Bob who had retired to France. We became friends i'm very glad to say and offered each other much advice and support. This increased when Bob moved back to England and began to find his feet back in this country after many years abroad. He was wonderfully enthusiastic about what I was now doing and the dances I was making and, best of all he related supportively to my teaching and coaching. I was ecstatic and valued his feedback hugely.
In these last few years he was offered wonderful opportunities to once more make work for Yolande Yorke-Edgell and her company. He would invite me to showings or rehearsals in the studio and ask me what I thought. I always tried to be absolutely straight with him and he would say to me "I ask you, Richard, because you tell the truth". I found it very moving to see him clearly inspired again by individual dancers for whom he made beautiful work. Since being ninety he has coped with many physical or medical problems and time and again he said to me"I must work- I only live to work". I'm so glad that when in the last month he lost his short term memory he also seemed to lose the memory of his physical ailments. In hospital he was calm, if puzzled." I think I'm in Jerusalem- its very different from a British hospital" but then only a day or so later- " l look out of the window and I know I'm in London- the skies are special in London". Only a week later he went to sleep (at home) and didnt wake up. I do so hope he is at a much deserved peace.
Richard Alston
