Considered a fountainhead of American modern dance, the Denishawn organization systematically promoted nonballetic dance movement and fostered such leading modern dancers as Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, and Charles Weidman.
Initially a fusion of British and West African musical and step-dance traditions in America, tap emerged in the southern United States in the 1700s. The Irish jig (a musical and dance form) and West African gioube (sacred and secular stepping dances) mutated into the American jig and juba.
Ruth St. Denis became a vaudeville and concert dancer. She is known as the "First Lady of American Modern Dance". Which 2 modern forerunners established the Denishawn School of Dancing and Related Art?
Rainer was noted for an approach to dance that treated the body more as the source of an infinite variety of movements than as the purveyor of emotion or drama. Many of the elements she employed in the early 1970s—such as repetition, patterning, tasks, and games—later became standard features of modern dance.
African American cultureAfrican American culture has been a huge influence on the development of jazz dance. For example, the Charleston, Lindy Hop, Jitterbug, Swim, Watusi, Breakdancing, and Hip Hop all grew out of the full-bodied, free- spirited music and dance heritage of African American culture.
Jazz dance is a performance dance and style that arose in the United States in the mid 20th century. Jazz dance may allude to vernacular jazz about to Broadway or dramatic jazz. The two types expand on African American vernacular styles of dance that arose with jazz music.
The Denishawn School of Dancing and Related ArtsThe Denishawn School of Dancing and Related Arts, founded in 1915 by Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn in Los Angeles, California, helped many perfect their dancing talents and became the first dance academy in the United States to produce a professional dance company.
John Cage. Why did Nikolais often put his dancers in bags, etc.? He did not feel that the self had to be the main focus on stage, so he often had his dancers in costumes that made them appear as objects.
It is believed that Bharatnatyam was revealed by Lord Brahma to Bharata, a famous sage who then codified this sacred dance in a Sanskrit text called the Natya Shastra. The Natya Shastra is one of the fundamental treatises on Indian drama and aesthetics. Kathak is one of the most important classical dances of India.
By the mid-1920s Wigman became known as the leading exponent of the new "Ausdruckstanz," or Expressionist Dance, in Germany. In 1920 Mary Wigman opened a school in Dresden, which soon became the focal point of German modern dance.
Martha Graham It is regarded as the first codified modern dance technique. Graham technique is based on the principle of 'contraction and release', which was based on the breathing cycle.
Acro dance is a style of dance that combines classical dance technique with precision acrobatic elements. Acro's unique choreography seamlessly blends dance and acrobatics into this new art form.
What ethnic dance forms contributed to the early development of tap dancing? tap comes from african step dancing and clog dancing from the british isles.
Modern dance—developed at the beginning of the 20th Century primarily in the United States.
Social dances also became part of the repertoire on stage, such as the Charleston, foxtrot, big apple, one-step, slow-drag, the Latin-influenced tango, rumba, samba, mambo and cha-cha.
In our multicultural society, folk dance embraces, among others, the Anglo-American square dance, Native American fancy dance, Spanish fandango, Latin salsa, Irish jig, Bohemian polka, Scottish highland fling, African American hip-hop, and English Morris dance.
American artists notable for their contributions or influence to the Judson Dance Theater were painter Robert Rauschenberg, conceptual artists Robert Morris and Andy Warhol, and composer John Herbert McDowell. Choreographers who influenced the group included Merce Cunningham, Simone Forti, Anna Halprin, and James Waring, among others.
Yvonne Rainer 's 'No Manifesto', in which she rejects any confines to technique, thrill, spectacle, glamour, or assumed space, is a prime example of many of the artistic intentions of the cooperative: a rejection of spectacular, virtuosic, narrative, and expressive choreographic approaches. The collective was a place for collaboration between artists in fields such as, dance, writing, film, music and multi-media.
The collective was a place for collaboration between artists in fields such as, dance, writing, film, music and multi-media. Although the collective remained in this undefined state, several reoccurring themes and styles emerged from the work.
Robert Dunn started off studying tap and then studied and taught music in England. From there, he began studying at the Boston Conservatory where he began working with Merce Cunningham. He
Music was a big part of Dunn's life. He was great influenced by john Cage and applied his concepts into his compositions and accompaniment of classes. He mostly contributed in the post-modern time in New York. In the 50's and 60's some political and social events that were happening included; segregation becoming illegal, JFK's assassination, and the sending of troops to Vietnam. He believed that the sense of human relationships and social occasions arise in the interface of art and life. He was also very aware of the music, poetry, and literature around him and he let that influence his work.
Some things that could have influenced Paxton's artistic views could be that when he started dancing with Limon, Cunningham and other post modern dancers it was during the 1960s "The Golden Age". This is an age when tremendous change was going on! There was events like the assassination of JFK, and music was changing how people thought. This time era in general might of had a lot to do with why Paxton was so interested in partner work (contact improv). The one that sticks out to me the most would be the Vietnam war that was going on, maybe Paxton was interested in bringing people together artistically. I believe that this would have a lot to do with his development of his artistic voice. At the same time in the 60s everything was changing so much which could be why he chose to use movement that wasn't the "norm" in post modern dance. He used a lot of walking, running, and pedestrian movements, which was so different from other works. This could be because of the heat of the Golden Age, and the fact that everyone was changing their thoughts and actions!
John Cage asked Robert Dunn to teach a class in choreography and composition at the Merce Cunningham studio in 1960. Dunn was not a dancer, he mostly accompanied for Merece's studio. He gained his musical knowledge by studying at the New England Conservatory and at Boston Conservatory of music. In 1958, Dunn performed in Boston and was recognized and asked to work at the American Dance Festival in Connecticut. After this, he moved to New York and worked with artists such as Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, José Limón, and Paul Taylor. Dunn was also influenced by Louis Horst. Two of John Cage's principles he used were the use of noise and silence in music and his move towards theatrics in musical performance.
Judson Dance Theater grew out of a composition class held at Merce Cunningham's studio, taught by Robert Dunn, a musician who had studied experimental music theory with John Cage. A Concert of Dance, the first Judson concert, took place on July 6, 1962, and included the work of 14 choreographers performed by 17 people, some of whom were students in the Dunn composition class. Other performers in the concert were members of the Merce Cunningham Da…
Yvonne Rainer's 'No Manifesto', in which she rejects any confines to technique, thrill, spectacle, glamour, or assumed space, is a prime example of many of the artistic intentions of the cooperative: a rejection of spectacular, virtuosic, narrative, and expressive choreographic approaches. The collective was a place for collaboration between artists in fields such as, dance, writing, film, music and multi-media.
In 1964 when the company performances ceased, the legacy of the group continued as individual members continued to create work that upheld the group's fundamental philosophies. For instance, James Waring and his dancers continued presenting work, as well as original members and second generation Judson performers. Perhaps the most influential aspect of Judson's legacy was not the work they produced, but the lens through which they regarded their work, whi…
Developments in dance practice that can be traced back to the Judson Dance Theater include:
• Contact improvisation
• Dance improvisation
• Dance for camera
• Dance of the United States
• Grand Union (dance group)
• Postmodern dance
• Judson Memorial Church Archive at Fales Library, New York University
• Judson Dance Theater: The Work is Never Done, MoMA Audio, 2017.