Ms. Driver always has a lot to do with making the women she plays more complex than they appear on paper.

But Ms. Driver is one of the last choreographers who might have been expected to leave modern dance.

Ms. Driver had begun dipping into personal savings to buy time.

Dance should not play the victim, however, Ms. Driver insists.

Ms. Driver had been through bad times before, with financial crises occurring about every three years.

But in the end, the cumulative weight of it all became too much for Ms. Driver.

One longed to know more about what Ms. Driver was thinking.

Ms. Driver, 48, is one of the most imposing figures on the modern dance scene today.

Ms. Driver came to the decision to leave dance chiefly because of financial problems.

Ms. Driver said that she planned to turn in her bracelet for cash "because it hooks on everything."