Valda Setterfield
| Valda Setterfield | |
|---|---|
| Born |
September 17, 1934 Margate, Kent, United Kingdom |
| Occupation | dancer, actress |
| Years active | 1958–present |
| Spouse(s) | David Gordon |
| Children | Ain Gordon |
Valda Setterfield (born September 17, 1934) is a British postmodern dancer and actress, noted for her work as a soloist with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company and for her performances in works by her husband, postmodern choreographer and director David Gordon. She has been described as his muse. Their son, playwright and actor Ain Gordon, has worked with Setterfield on a number of projects as well.
In England, Setterfield trained in ballet with Marie Rambert and Audrey De Vos, and mime with Tamara Karsavina, and performed in English pantomime. She also performed in an Italian revue. In 1958, on the promise of a scholarship to study with José Limón, she came to the United States, following her good friend David Vaughan. Vaughan and Setterfield have remained good friends.
Setterfield appeared with the improvisational dance company The Grand Union and in the works of Katherine Litz, Yvonne Rainer, Robert Wilson, Richard Foreman and JoAnne Akalaitis. She performed with David Gordon at The Living Theater and Judson Dance Theater. She is also a founding member of Pick Up Performance Co(s). She was featured artist on the WNET/PBS Dance documentary America’s Beyond The Mainstream and in 1987 costarred with Mikhail Baryshnikov in Gordon’s Made in USA for WNET/PBS Great Performances. In 1988 she returned to Rambert as guest artist in Gordon’s Mates.
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