Most of Dean’s movement involves geometric patterns, spinning and cannon phrases—the same phrase of movement performed successively one dancer after another—and often is viewed as abstract and energetic. Dean’s dances have a strong connection in their movement to folkloric dance. In fact, published in an article for Dance Magazine in 1994, Marilyn 
Hunt stated, “the usual folklike quality of Dean's work is still present in the simple repeated steps, geometric floor patterns, and sense of community.”
Ecstasy and Infinity, the two pieces Hunt writes about in her article, are good examples of how Dean incorporated her classic motifs into more modern works with styles that differ from her earlier pieces. This might have something to do with the versatility of her motifs, which are easily adapted to different styles of dance. Although she has created many different works of individualistic choreography, it is easy to see some of her most famous motifs, such as spinning and cannons, continuously within her works. This connection remains, no matter which style of dance the movement was set for. Dean considers her work Tympani (1980) to be her signature work. Dean created the majority of the costume designs for most of her works. Although Dean has worked with many lighting designers, the three lighting designers that she worked with for most of her career were Craig Miller, Richard Nelson and Tom Skelton. There was only one time that a visual artist was involved with her work. This was the architect Michael Graves. He created the sets and costumes for her work Fire, which was commissioned by the Joffrey Ballet in 1982.
She has published articles in Drama Review, Dance Scope, and Contemporary Dance.
Reconstructions
In January 2009, Dean made the decision to stop all reconstructions of her work. She has also stopped the use of her choreographic and music material in classes, workshops, lectures, panels and the use of her work in any way whatsoever. Over the past 20 years, Dean has had many reconstructions of her works done by many reconstructors. Some of these reconstructors were ex-members of her company and some were members of the companies that had a Dean work in their repertory.
Please note; There is no one "official reconstructor" of Laura Dean's works. There never has been just one "official reconstructor" of Dean's works. There have been many reconstructors of Dean's works. All of these reconstructors were the official reconstructors of Dean's works. If any person says they have been the one and only official reconstructor of Dean's works, they were not.
As of April 25, 2010 there are no activites of any kind using Laura Dean's choreography and/or music. There are no licenses or authorizations for the use of Laura Dean's choreography and/or music. Laura Dean will no longer be issuing licenses and rights for the use of her works. This also includes the use, in any way whatsoever, of any of Laura Dean's choreographic and/or music material. Laura Dean holds all the copyrights to her works. Unauthorized use of Laura Dean's work will be prosecuted.
If anyone is teaching a class, workshop,lecture etc. using Laura Dean's choreography and/or music, please contact Laura Dean through this website. The only person who teaches Laura Dean's choreography is Laura Dean.
Works
All Choreography by Laura Dean:LAURA DEAN SOLOS (performed by Dean): 1975 SOLO FOR PIANO-CHOREOGRAPHY AND MUSIC LAURA DEAN;1971 A DANCE CONCERT; 1971 BACH PRELUDES with pianist Steve Chambers; 1970 IN SILENCE-SPINNING AND SINGING; 1970 AT ALAN SARET'S LOFT; 1968 UNTITLED; 1968 RED-WHITE-BLACK - SITTING AND SPINNING; 1968 FAREWELL; 1967 LIFE IS ALL AROUND YOU; 1966 3 MINUTES, 10 SECONDS; 1966 MEDIEVAL. LAURA DEAN MUSICIANS AND DANCERS: 2000 VIEW OVER ATLANTIS music: Jon Scoville; 1999 CELESTIAL NAVIGATION music: John Zeretzke (Ray One);1998 SOLO: CELESTIAL NAVIGATION music: John Zeretzke. 1998 SOLAR WIND music: Traditional African; 1998 SPHERE music: Anugama; 1997 SEA music: Enya. 1993 ECSTASY music: Laura Dean. LAURA DEAN DANCERS AND MUSICIANS: 1991 SACRED DANCES music: Laura Dean; 1990 INFINITY music: Laura Dean; 1989 MEMORY music: Egberto Gismonti (Natura); 1988 EQUATOR music: Laura Dean; 1987 SHAMAN music: Laura Dean; 1986 MAGNETIC music: Laura Dean; 1985 IMPACT music: Steve Reich (Sextet); 1985 TRANSFORMER music: Anthony Davis (Wayang); 1984 TRIO music: Laura Dean; 1983 ENCOCHIAN music: Laura Dean/Don McGlashan/David Yoken; 1983 INNER CIRCLE music: Laura Dean/Don McGlashan/David Yoken; 1982 SKY LIGHT music: Laura Dean; 1982 SOLO IN RED music: 
Laura Dean; 1980 TYMPANI music: Laura Dean; 1978 MUSIC music: Laura Dean; 1978 PATTERNS music: Laura Dean; 1977 SPIRAL music: Laura Dean. LAURA DEAN DANCE COMPANY: 1976 DANCE music: Laura Dean; 1976 SONG music: Laura Dean. LAURA DEAN AND DANCE COMPANY/STEVE REICH AND MUSICIANS: 1975 DRUMMING music: Steve Reich (Drumming); 1973 WALKING DANCE music: Steve Reich (Clapping Music); 1973 SQUARE DANCE music: Steve Reich (Phase Patterns); 1972 TRIO music: Steve Reich (Four Organs);1972 SQUARE DANCE FOR FOUR music Steve Reich (Phase Patterns).LAURA DEAN AND DANCE COMPANY: 1974 CHANGING music: John Smead; 1974 SPINNING DANCE sound design by Laura Dean; 1974 RESPONSE DANCE sound design by Laura Dean; 1973 CHANGING PATTERN STEADY PULSE sound design by Laura Dean; 1973 JUMPING DANCE sound design by Laura Dean; 1972 STAMPING DANCE sound design by Laura Dean; 1972 CIRCLE DANCE sound design by Laura Dean. BALLETS FOR THE JOFFREY BALLET: 1999 CREATIVE FORCE music: John Zeretzke (Ray One); 1996 YOU DON'T BRING ME FLOWERS; 1993 SOMETIMES IT SNOWS IN APRIL (Billboards Part I) music: Prince; 1992 LIGHT FIELD music: Glenn Branca (Lightfield); 1992 STRUCTURE music: Glenn Branca; 1985 FORCE FIELD music: Steve Reich (Six Pianos); 1982 FIRE music: Laura Dean, sets and costumes Michael Graves; 1980 NIGHT music: Laura Dean. BALLETS FOR THE OHIO BALLET: 1992 EARTH music co-composed John Zeretzke/ Richard Kosinski; 1990 QUANTUM music: Mark Isham; 1987 GRAVITY music: Laura Dean; 1987 FOR TWO music: Jean-Baptiste Breval; 1985 PATTERNS OF CHANGE music: Philip Glass (Music in Twelve Parts, Part Two). BALLETS FOR THE ROYAL DANISH BALLET: 1994 CLOUD music: co-composed John Zeretzke/Richard Kosinski; 1990 DELTA music: Gary Brooker (Delta); BALLETS FOR THE ALBANY BERKSHIRE BALLET: 1992 NIGHT WIND music co-composed John Zeretzke/Richard Kosinski; 1989 ARROW OF TIME music: Totem. BALLETS: ATLANTA BALLET, 2001 ASTRAL JOURNEY music: Robert Chumbley. RALEIGH DANCE THEATRE, 2001 TAO music: co-composed John Zeretzke/Richard Kosinski. BALLET OMAHA, 1995 NI BTHASKA KE music: Laura Dean. NEW YORK CITY BALLET, 1988 SPACE music: Steve Reich (Four Sections); THE FRANKFURT BALLET, 1987 FIRE music: Laura Dean. Reconstructed with costumes by Laura Dean and lighting by William Forsythe. MODERN DANCE WORKS FOR OTHER COMPANIES: AMERICAN INDIAN DANCE THEATRE, 1998 NEW DANCE/THE GIFT music: Native American. PICK OF THE CROP DANCE COMPANY, 1995 NIAGARA music: co-composed John Zeretzke/Richard Kosinski. RIRIE/WOODBURY DANCE COMPANY, 1994 TENMILE music: John Zeretzke. AMAN FOLK ENSEMBLE, 1993 LIGHT music: co-composed John Zeretzke/Laura Dean. CONCERT DANCE COMPANY OF BOSTON, 1988 DREAM COLLECTOR music: Terry Riley. THE BAT DOR DANCE COMPANY OF ISRAEL, 1984 TEHILLIM music: Steve Reich (Tehillim). WORKS FOR ICE SKATING COMPANIES: ICE THEATER OF NEW YORK, 1994 REFLECTIONS music: co-composed John Zeretzke/Richard Kosinski; 1991 SEDONA SUNRISE music: David Storrs. THE NEXT ICE AGE, 1989 OCEAN music: Tingstad and Rumbel. JOHN CURRY ICE SKATING COMPANY, 1983 BURN music: Jean Michel Jarre; 1983 SYNCHRONICITY music: The Police. Laura Dean has also created 26 music and dance works for students. These were created over a 28 year period in the many residencies that her music and dance company did with colleges,universities and dance seminars in Europe and the United States. In a 34 year period (1968 to 2002), Dean was a teacher, as a guest artist, in over 200 universities, colleges, dance seminars and dance festivals.
The following is a partial list of some of the festivals, museums, universities and colleges where Laura Dean has given lectures, taught and/or created student/community works: Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York (student work for 25 dancers); University of Rhode Island; University of Texas – Austin; University of Texas-San Antonio; Southern Methodist University, Texas (student work with 20 dancers and musicians with original music score by the musicians of SMU); California State University- Long Beach (student work for 8 dancers with original music score by John Zeretzke); University of California- Santa Cruz; California State University, Los Angeles; University of California- Santa Barbara; New York University, State University of New York- Brockport ( student work for 15 dancers); Avignon Festival, France (community work with 40 dancers);The American Dance Festival-spinning workshop (1978); The American Dance Festival (1996);The American Dance Festival (student work for 30 dancers –Laura Dean assisted by Amy Chavasse in 1997); Loyala Marymount University- Los Angeles (student work for 12 dancers with original music by John Zeretzke); Arizona State University-Tempe; Arcosanti Foundation, Arizona (community work with 100 dancers); St. Cloud State University, MN. (community work for 40 dancers and musicians with original music score by Paul Epstein); University of Minnesota- Twin Cities; Minnesota State University-Mankato, MN.; College of Saint Benedict, St. Joseph, MN.; York University, Canada; Dartmouth College, NH; University of Auckland, New Zealand; Limbs Dance Studio, New Zealand (community work with 40 dancers and musicians); India University, Lucknow; University of India, Madras; California State University- Humboldt (student work for 75 dancers and musicians with original music score by Jason Cirker); University of Washington; Oregon State University;American Society for Eastern Arts, San Francisco; San Francisco State University; University of California-Berkeley; University of Montana; University of Michigan; University of Nebraska-Lincoln; University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; University of Wisconsin-Madison; University of Iowa; New Jersey State University; Princeton University; Harvard University; Radcliffe College; Colorado State University-Fort Collins (community work with 50 dancers and musicians with original music score by musicians from Fort Collins); University of Denver- Colorado; University of Colorado-Boulder;Walker Art Center (community work with 75 dancers and musicians with original music score by Laura Dean); Columbia College, South Carolina (student work for 8 dancers with original music score by John Zeretzke); Oberlin College (student work for 40 dancers and musicians with original music score by Laura Dean); MoMing Chicago (community work with 35 dancers and musicians); American University, Washington D.C. (student work with 9 dancers and one musician in 1979 with original music score by David Yoken);American University, Washington D.C. (student work with 30 dancers and musicians in 1976 with original music score by Laura Dean); University of New Hampshire; Duke University Ballet Lab, Duke University, North Carolina (student work for 8 ballet dancers); Fairmount Center for the Arts, Ohio (student work for 12 dancers); Detroit Museum; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Guggenheim Museum, New York; Whitney Museum, New York; Chicago Art Institute; New York Library at Lincoln Center; University of North Carolina-Charlotte; University of North Carolina- Greensboro;University of Utah (student work for 12 dancers and musicians with original music score by Jon Scoville played by University of Utah musicians); Virginia Commonwealth University; Wesleyan University; Meredith College; Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; The Boston Conservatory; Windham College, Putney, Vermont (community work for 30 dancers and musicians with original music by Laura Dean played by Laura Dean and Pat Graf); University of California-Riverside; University of California-Irvine; Goddard College, Vermont (community work for 20 dancers and musicians); California Institute of the Arts; University of Akron, Ohio; Kingsborough Community College, The City University of New York, Brooklyn, New York; Adelphi University, Long Island, New York; Amherst College, MA; Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York; Cornell University, Ithaca, New York; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; University of California-San Diego; National Committee on United States-China Relations with Laura Dean, Charles Reinhart, Arthur Mitchell, Stuart Hodes, Michael Smuin, Bella Lewitzsky, Suzanne Shelton and translator Julie Reigenbaum- Beijing, Kunming, Chungdu and Shanghai in 1980; American Embassy/Japan in 1980; American Dance Festival/Tokyo,Japan in 1984; The College of Staten Island-The City University of New York, Staten Island, New York; Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil; Graz University, Graz, Austria; Berlin Kunstalle, Berlin, Germany; Maison de la Culture, Rennes, France; The Holland Festival, Amsterdam (community work for 18 dancers); Raleigh Dance Theatre, Raleigh, North Carolina (student work for 8 dancers); University of Belgrade, Yugoslavia (1983) and The University of Ljubljana, Yugoslavia (1983).
