\u201cHer gift to the Music Center has made it possible for us to bring the joy and beauty of dance into the hearts, minds and souls of countless Angelenos and visitors from around the world,\u201d Music Center President and Chief Executive Rachel Moore said in a statement. \u201cAs a result of Glorya\u2019s significant visionary leadership and generosity, Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center today stands as a vital part of Los Angeles\u2019 cultural fabric.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kaufman also donated an undisclosed sum to create and endow the USC Kaufman School of Dance, and to build its home, the Glorya Kaufman International Dance Center. When it launched in 2012, the program was the first new school to be established at the university in 40 years. It opened in 2015 with 33 students and has nurtured the talents of dancers who went on to work with internationally recognized companies and artists including Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Staatsballett Berlin and Ballet Jazz Montreal.<\/p>\n
In a tribute published by USC<\/a> staff on the university\u2019s website, USC Interim President Beong-Soo Kim said, \u201cGlorya\u2019s love for dance was contagious, and she spread that love by creating opportunities for people everywhere to experience the transformative impact and joy of the arts.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cWe have so much [dance] talent here in L.A.,\u201d Kaufman told The Times in 2012<\/a> when the gift to USC was first announced, \u201cand there\u2019s no place for them to go. We want to get the best students, the best teachers, and the kids, when they graduate, will be able to make a living right away.\u201d<\/p>\n Later that year, The Times described Kaufman\u2019s importance to the dance world<\/a>:<\/p>\n \u201cThe new biggest name in dance is Glorya Kaufman, who shook up the arts world last month when she gave the University of Southern California a gift that despite its undisclosed amount, has been called one of the largest donations in dance history.\u201d<\/p>\n USC was not the first L.A.-area institution of higher learning to benefit from Kaufman\u2019s largess. In 1999 she gave $18 million to fund the restoration of the UCLA Women\u2019s Gym \u2014 now called Glorya Kaufman Hall. The Times wrote that her donation was<\/a>, \u201cthe largest individual gift the university has received outside of the health sciences area, and the largest arts donation ever in the University of California system.\u201d<\/p>\n Kaufman also gave money to schools in New York City, including four lifetime endowments for undergraduates at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. A 2,300-square-foot dance studio at the Juilliard School, which she funded, is also named after her.<\/p>\n Although dance was her primary focus, Kaufman\u2019s influence was felt across L.A.\u2019s cultural landscape. She was a founding member of the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art and also gave to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. In addition, she was a founding trustee of the Geffen Playhouse and donated money to build an outdoor reception area at the theater.<\/p>\n Kaufman believed that dance should be experienced by as many people as possible and was committed to helping less advantaged students gain access to programs in their communities. She created an endowment for a dedicated dance teacher at Inner-City Arts in East L.A. and provided funds for more than 17,000 kids to take free dance classes there each year. <\/p>\n