The Workers Dance League (WDL) was founded in 1932 in New York City during the Great Depression . Created by young modern dancers, WDL used dance as a form of social protest to address class struggle and worker's rights. It recruited workers as participants and audiences and brought dance to union halls, political rallies, and public demonstrations to raise awareness.
22-568: American poet Edith Segal began using dance as a means of expression and protest as early as the 1920s, performing works that celebrated leaders of the socialist movement. In 1924, she performed a memorial solo at the Lenin Memorial Meeting in Chicago's Ashland Stadium, a piece that began solemnly but shifted to celebrate Lenin's legacy and the continued fight against capitalist oppression. Segal's early formation of The Red Dancers in 1928 laid
44-461: A bill. However, the veto may be overridden by the Legislature if there is a two-thirds vote in favor of overriding in each House. Furthermore, it has the power to propose New York Constitution amendments by a majority vote , and then another majority vote following an election. If so proposed, the amendment becomes valid if agreed to by the voters at a referendum . The legislature originated in
66-564: A means of expression rather than an elite, aesthetic pursuit. The WDL combined technical dance training with working-class themes, reflecting everyday struggles in choreography and often using mundane activities as the basis for dance material. WDL members performed for the general public, including at John Martin's evenings of dance at the New School for Social Research in 1934. Other choreographers and notable dancers include: Helen Tamiris , Sophie Maslow , Jane Dudley , Anna Sokolow . In 1935,
88-527: A member of either house, one must be a citizen of the United States , a resident of the state of New York for at least five years, and a resident of the district for at least one year prior to election. The Assembly consists of 150 members; they are each chosen from a single-member district . The New York Constitution allows the number of Senate seats to vary; as of 2014 , the Senate had 63 seats. The Assembly
110-506: A memorial she organized for him. The next year, along with other American artists, she visited the Soviet Union and upon returning declared with the others that "Art is a weapon". During this period she also studied with Martha Graham . In 1930 she created her best-known work, Black and White , along with Allison Burroughs which was one of the first interracial dance performances in the United States. Black And White has been noted as
132-572: A professional dancer in the late 1930s, Segal became a dance teacher and was active for decades at the progressive Jewish Camp Kinderland . She published numerous books of poetry around progressive themes, often illustrated by her artist husband Samuel Kamen . Well known progressives including Langston Hughes and Dr. Spock praised her writings. She died in New York City in 1997. New York state legislature Minority caucus Minority caucus The New York State Legislature consists of
154-456: Is headed by the speaker , while the Senate is headed by the president, a post held ex officio by the State lieutenant governor . the lieutenant governor, as president of the Senate, has only a tie-breaking " casting vote ". More often, the Senate is presided over by the temporary president, or by a senator of the majority leader's choosing. The assembly speaker and Senate majority leader control
176-527: The two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York : the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly . The Constitution of New York does not designate an official term for the two houses together; it says only that the state's legislative power "shall be vested in the senate and assembly". Session laws passed by the Legislature are published in
198-611: The Depression. The League comprised two primary dance styles: modern dance, led by choreographers like Anna Sokolow, Jane Dudley, and Sophie Maslow, and agit-prop dance, which used a more direct, propagandist style performed by recreational groups linked to unions. The WDL's performances were accessible, using stages in union halls and spaces associated with worker organizations. WDL members incorporated techniques from prominent modern dance figures, including Martha Graham, Hanya Holm, Doris Humphrey, and Charles Weidman, emphasizing movement as
220-611: The Needle Trades Industrial Workers Union (N.T.I.W.U.) Dance Group and the Furriers Dance Group, bringing dance directly into union halls and working-class communities. Inspired by Marxist ideals, the WDL encouraged dance as a tool for social change and class consciousness. The group was part of a larger revolutionary movement that emerged in response to the 1929 stock market crash and the inequalities amplified by
242-524: The United States by enacting the Field Code . The Code inspired the enactment of similar codes in 26 other states, and gave birth to the term " code pleading " for the system of civil procedure it created. The first African-American elected to the legislature was Edward A. Johnson , a Republican, in 1917. The first women elected to the legislature were Republican Ida Sammis and Democrat Mary Lilly , both in 1919. The first African-American woman elected to
SECTION 10
#1733084988380264-648: The WDL organized under "Unite Against War and Fascism," and renamed themselves the New Dance League, shifting focus toward broader themes, including the Spanish Civil War and the global rise of fascism. Though not officially affiliated with the Communist Party, the WDL had strong left-wing influences, underscored by support from the Workers' Laboratory Theatre. The Workers Dance League remains significant as one of
286-521: The assignment of committees and leadership positions, along with control of the agenda in their chambers. The two are considered powerful statewide leaders and along with the governor of New York control most of the agenda of state business in New York. The Legislative Bill Drafting Commission (LBDC) aids in drafting legislation; advises as to the constitutionality, consistency or effect of proposed legislation; conducts research; and publishes and maintains
308-620: The beginning of the 2019–2020 legislative session, the Senate Democratic Conference held 39 of the chamber's 63 seats and the Assembly Democratic Conference held 106 of the 150 seats in that chamber. The Senate Democratic Conference increased to 40 seats after Democratic senator Simcha Felder was re-accepted into the Conference. The Legislature is empowered to make law, subject to the governor's power to veto
330-612: The documents of the Legislature, such as the Laws of New York . The LBDC consists of two commissioners, the commissioner for administration and the commissioner for operations, each appointed jointly by the temporary president of the Senate and the speaker of the Assembly. In the 2018 elections, Democrats won control of the State Senate and increased their majority in the State Assembly. At
352-477: The first American dance organizations to bridge art and activism, setting a precedent for socially conscious dance that persists in modern American choreography. Edith Segal Edith Segal (November 11, 1902 – 1997) was a Jewish-American choreographer , dancer , poet and songwriter . Born and raised in New York City to immigrant parents, Segal chose to pursue a professional career in dance against
374-598: The groundwork for the Workers Dance League and led to collaborations with other leftist performance groups. The Red Dancers were soon followed by the formation of other workers' dance groups. By 1932, eleven workers' groups had been formed in the New York City area. The Workers' Dance League was created after a mass dance celebrating May Day. With the Harlem Dance Group, Anna Sokolow led the Dance Unit, and Segal led
396-570: The legislature was Bessie A. Buchanan in 1955. Five assemblymen were expelled in 1920 for belonging to the Socialist Party . In 2008, when the U.S. Supreme Court reluctantly affirmed the constitutionality of a statute enacted by the New York legislature, Justice John Paul Stevens wrote in a concurring opinion : "[A]s I recall my esteemed former colleague, Thurgood Marshall , remarking on numerous occasions: 'The Constitution does not prohibit legislatures from enacting stupid laws. ' " There
418-708: The official Laws of New York . Permanent New York laws of a general nature are codified in the Consolidated Laws of New York . As of January 2021 , the Democratic Party holds supermajorities in both houses of the New York State Legislature, which is the highest paid state legislature in the country. Legislative elections are held in November of every even-numbered year. Both Assembly members and Senators serve two-year terms. In order to be
440-591: The revolutionary New York Provincial Congress , assembled by rebels when the New York General Assembly would not send delegates to the Continental Congress . The New York State Legislature has had several corruption scandals during its existence. These include the Black Horse Cavalry and Canal Ring . In the 1840s, New York launched the first great wave of civil procedure reform in
462-642: The signature work in American leftist dance. Other Segal choreographed works on race relations included Scottsboro , Third Degree and Southern Holiday . In addition to civil rights themes, Segal created many dances around Jewish cultural themes as well as worker’s rights, always sympathetic to communist causes. During the Red Scare in the 1950s she was called to testify before the New York state legislature investigating committee regarding her communist ties. Retiring as
SECTION 20
#1733084988380484-508: The wishes of her mother who called her a “bummarke” ( Yiddish for bum). She soon became a dance student of the highly regarded Blanche Talmud , and later earned a scholarship with ballet dancer Michael Mordkin . An early supporter of the Soviet Union , in 1929 she formed a dance company known as the Red Dancers . Some of her first works were in tribute to VI Lenin and were performed at
#379620