Margot C. Lehman
1926-2021
All of us at ADG would like to pay tribute to Margot C. Lehman (1926-2021) who passed away on August 3rd, 2021 shortly after her 95th birthday in July.
Margot was a fully committed Lifetime Member of the Guild, living her advocacy of dance through teaching, organizing, editing, conferences, and her love of the ADG. President from 1991-1993 Margot spearheaded conferences titled “Dance: A orce for Social Change,” (1991) and “Dance in a Global Community, Celebrating Differences” (1992). In 1993 along with Murial Manings who succeeded her as President she created the New Dance Group Gala Performance and Video of 18 historic modern dances, preserving them for posterity. She remained as mentor and consultant to the Guild's current board.
A longtime Marymount College (Tarrytown, NY) dance professor, she was also involved with the Dance Notation Bureau; and other organizations promoting dance performance and preservation. Born in Munich, Germany on July 23, 1926, Margot came to New York with her family in 1935. She attended Smith College (BA), where she majored in sociology and developed a passion for modern dance. She is also a graduate of Martha Hill’s master’s-degree program at New York University. Margot’s early career includes seven years of teaching and formative communication with Lucas Hoving, and performing with the Delakova-Berk Company and in children’s dance theater. She curated several exhibits of Barbara Morgan photographs, and helped edit Doris Humphrey: The Collected Works Vol.2, which was published by the Dance Notation Bureau. As well as co-producing the Guild’s The New Dance Group Gala Concert, Margot produced “Masters in Performance: Breaking the Age Barrier” (1996). In addition, she was Project Director/Editor of the Guild’s Branching Out: Oral Histories of the Founders of Six National Dance Organizations.
Margot was pre-deceased by her husband, Alan Corneretto, and her two brothers, Herbert and Edgar. She is survived by a step-son, six nieces and nephews, and their offspring.
Muriel Manings
April 5, 1923- October 25, 2018
Muriel Manings was president of ADG from 1993-1997, and an active lifetime member for much longer. Muriel spear-headed the June 1993 production of the ADG New Dance Group Gala Concert, An Historic Retrospective of New Dance Group Presentations 1030’s-1970’s (now available on video). In 1994 she organized the conference “Celebrating California’s Unique Dance Heritage” honoring Donald McKayle, in Santa Barbara, CA. In 1995, she presided over the conference titled “Kindling Creative Fires” featuring Dennis Nahat, produced at Hunter College in New York. Even in her “retirement,” Muriel continued to be a vibrant presence at every Guild performance festival in recent memory. We were expecting her to attend opening night of Festival 2018 at the Ailey theater on October 25, only to learn later that she died on that day, peacefully in her home. Please read the wonderful obituary below – appropriately titled.
Rima Sokoloff
October 7, 1930 – March 30, 2014
Rima Sokoloff, former president of the American Dance Guild from 1984 – 88, died at age 83 on March 30, 2014. The cause was leukemia.
Rima was a huge force in the growth and success of The American Dance Guild, which she loved and worked hard for. She was president of ADG for two terms from 1984-86, and from 1986-88, but her influence and work went far beyond those years. While president of the Guild, she started the “President’s Council” which brought together presidents of numerous dance organizations to coordinate their conferences to avoid conflicts and to support each other. She served as advisor to ADG 1988-90, was NYC Conference ’89 Chair, and coordinator of the 1990/35th ADG Gala. She was honored by the Guild for her achievements at the ADG 50th Anniversary Celebration in 2007 in a salute to all Past Presidents of the Guild.
Rima conceived, edited and produced the ADG Souvenir Conference Programs from 1985-1991, covering a world of topics. These journals alone represent a huge resource in the ADG archives. In designing the conference pograms, Rima also solicited ads from colleges, commercial costume makers, and dance resource agencies, helping to raise funds for the Guild through this effort. While still on the board, one of her many triumphs was to help organize an ADG Conference in Beijing, China with visits to five cities in 1990, the year after the Tiananmen Square uprising in 1989.
Her inexhaustible energy and enthusiasm for dance, dance education, and the mission of the Guild will be sorely missed.
Rima Sokoloff earned a BA in Dance/Theater from Queens College and an MFA from Brooklyn College in Performing Arts Administration. Her dance training included study with: Graham, Weidman, Humphrey, Limon, Joffrey, Arpino, Primus, Katya Delakova and Fred Berke, Sophie Maslow, William Bales, Jane Dudley, and others.
She also studied at The New Dance Group and performed in concerts with the original Merry – Go – Rounders Company at 92nd Street Y. She founded, choreographed, and performed with NY Dance Workshop, and co-founded, directed, and choreographed with The Danceabouts Company.
She received grants from Queens Council on Arts, NYC Council of Cultural Affairs, and NYSCA. She was a charter member, board member, and president of Queens Council of the Arts.
Rima was an Assistant Professor at Molloy College, in Rockville Centre, NY for forty three years, from 1969 – 2013(?). As a member of the Communication Arts and Physical Education Department, Professor Sokoloff taught Dance Appreciation and Criticism, Dance History, Choreography and Composition, Theatrical Dance and Modern Dance and Ballet Techniques. She taught Music for Dance within the Music Department and Creative Dance Movements for Special Education in the Education Department. From 1968-1985, she administered, directed, and choreographed under the Molloy Modern Dance Theater Collection for their performances on and off campus.
Professor Sokoloff’s excellence in teaching won her invitations to teach Dance History at Lehman College and to serve as the coordinator and professor of dance at Queens College where she taught “With an Eye on the Arts,” “An Appreciation of Dance,” and “The Jewish Experience in the Arts.”
Rima also practiced as an Early Childhood specialist/motoric consultant in Queens and Long Island. She was an Associate producer of cable tv’s Gown and Town from 1982 – 83 in Woodbury, Long Island.
Rima Sokoloff resided in Queens and was married to Stanley Turkel for 43 years and had four children: Joshua, Marc, Benay, and Allison and 5 grandchildren: Samantha, Sam, Juno, Will and Anaya.
Thank you, Rima, for your vibrant spirit, dedication, and service to the dance community. We will all miss you!
