Dance History Final

Deborah Hay

Founding member of the Judson Church Group Helps lead through 2nd season Danced for Cunningham's company briefly Focused on large-scale dance projects involving untrained dancers, fragmented and choreographed music accompaniment, and the execution of ordinary movement patterns performed under stressful conditions.

David Gordon

Most notable for his frequent use of spoken dialogue, even in "dance" pieces, and theatricality... His pieces frequently reference films and other aspects of popular culture, and are often autobiographical... Was a member of Yvonne Rainer's company, and actually was put in charge while Rainer was in India...

John Cage

Musician who worked with Merce cunningham Musical director for Cunningham's company Very experimental/ avant garde Uses sounds like coughing, sounds from airport etc. Also Cunningham's life partner

Jerome Robbins

Known well for his attributions to broadway Choreographed On the Town, Billion Dollar Baby... **Conceived, choreographed, and directed West Side Story in 1957! Also creates for NYCB Fancy Free-sailors in wartime ballet for NYCB

Simone Forti

Worked a lot with Anna Halprin, but danced with many of the founders of the Judson Church Group... Started "Dance Constructions" event...performance of many works by many artists, lots of Judson Church Group pieces were performed; Forti danced in many, as well as created a few installments of her own. Art instillation performances with various props Well known for writing her book Handbook In Motion

Anthony Tudor

Psychological motivation in dance, known for emotionally expressive movement Known for Pillar of Fire, plot=sad seamstress desperate for love, throws herself for a stranger bc has unrequited love for another. Eventually man comes to love her Resident Choreographer for Ballet Theatre for 10 years

Asadata Dafora

West African dancer and singer who came to America attracted to the Harlem Renaissance Leading exponent of African dance heritage in America (1930s) Fusion of African dance and Western staging Brought African dance--critics had never seen anything like it Called "exciting" and "intoxicating" Synthesized African folk dance with American staging "Ostrich Dance"

Martha Graham

lamentation also

Dianna Adams

A principal dancer for NYCB and ABT A favorite of Balanchine Became teacher and dean of SAB Danced with Arthur Mitchell in Balanchine's Agon Also danced for Antony Tudor and Agnes de Mille Was one of Balanchine's four wives

Martha Graham

Main motto: contract and release!! "Wigman opened up the ugly, while Graham opened up the effort" First codified modern technique, reaction to eclectic approach at Denishawn Didn't want to imitate nature; wanted the human experience Choreography: Appalachian Spring, Night Journey (ancient greek theme) Minimalist music, uses symbolism, use of male-female intentionally (began with all female dancers)

Mark Morris

Making fun of ballet, but also embracing it Lots of "funny hands" Making the old new Swan lake piece The characters are two men and not man and woman

Isamu Noguchi

Martha Graham's Set Designer made really abstract/geometric/mechanic looking sets

The Big Four

Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, Charles Weidman, Hanya Holm

Twyla Tharp

Comes from Judson Church experience

Louis Horst

Composer associated with Graham Influenced her to think about art

Tatsumi Hijikata

Conceived butoh "What has become of our bodies?" "We should live in the present" "Again and again we are reborn" "My dance is far removed from conventions and techniques...it is the unveiling of the inner life" "We should be afraid!"

Steve Paxton

Contact Improvisation Initiators with Nancy Stark Smith (boss ass bitch with braid) Initially created to dance in the moment (not from choreography) Play with falling and centripetal forces Using physics in partnering "makes it real"

Elizabeth Streb

EXTREME physicality DANGEROUS Use of INSANE props "Little Ease" Someone dancing in a box suspended in the air

Erik Hawkins

First male dancer of Graham's company Was at one point Graham's life partner

Carolyn Brown

Founding member of Merce Cunningham company Trained at the Denishawn School After attending one of Cunningham's masterclasses, she decided to pursue her dance career, moved to NYC, and attended the Julliard School. She was the most important member of Cunningham's company for 40 years Preformed in Europe w/ Cunningham She now sits on the Cunningham Dance Foundation's Board of Directors Butoh (know the basics about where it came from, what it looks like, and central concepts)

Viola Farber

Founding member of Merce Cunningham company (one of 7 original dancers) A main performer in Summerspace (speckled leotards) From germany In 1965, she left Cunningham's company and in 1968 founded the Viola Farber Dance Company. She often used improvisation in her rehearsals and in some of her first works... She allowed her dancers to rearrange and reshape the movement, however she set explicit limits... She would almost ask dancers to manipulate the phrase and provided cues for beginning different sections...

José Limón

"All choreography is autobiographical whether one intends it or not." Came from Humphrey and Weidman School Dance as Autobiographical Expresses growing up in Mexico, death of mother, being outsider Has his own Limon Technique Opposition in reaching and stretching Weight of the legs into the ground Gravity, release of tension Choreographed Psalm (1967) Oppositional pull-release technique Shapes, fluidity Circular community with one person being pulled away and coming back Much more fluid, more use of gravity instead of sustained movements Abstract with shapes, feelin, fluidity of movement; still a sense of drama, very presentational Common theme of one individual getting pulled away from the others Grew up in Mexico, saw his uncle die, mother died in childbirth, Limon blamed the Catholic church, made his family move to the U.S. Idea of being an outsider Choreographed Missabrevis https://vimeo.com/61125360 Solemn seriousness Religious and communal feeling Inspired by Warsaw rebuiling Masculinity to dance

Workers Dance League

"Dance is a weapon." Use bodies as social markers to show "what it means to be me" Dance as voice for the self Sokolow, Tamiris Racial equality

Alwin Nikolais

"Dance is motion, not emotion." "Don't indulge." "Focus on the thing done." "Don't be mad, sad, or glad." "Divorce yourself from yourself." "Motion is communication." Choreographed Crucible (1950s) Had the mirror, lights and projections on the bodies Very abstract Known as the father of multimedia Almost as if he came from Loie Fuller because of lights/effects, but in actuality, he came from Hanya Holm... Was a puppeteer and a musician puppets= all motion, not emotion Not about the individual person, but about the larger whole Didn't believe in "dance technique" per sex; introduced unisex costumes Individual absorbed into the environment Created a company of dancers, had a system of training that was very influenced by pilates Choreographed Totem (1960) which had narrow, pyramid-like structures on set Lots of hand/arm movements and gestures Dancers masked behind opaque columns Eerie music, very minimal, more so random sounds than melody Cosmic vagina dance Composed all his own music too, and would hand paint the projections seen in his works Choreographed Tensile Involvement Ribbons all across the stage Rib-looking costumes/unitards

Agnes de Mille

-Works with early Ballet Theatre (ABT) --Choreographs Black Ritual for them, unsuccessful -Rodeo was her first piece choreographed in 1942 --First ballet to use tap dance --Love story about american southwest --Created for ballet Russes --American choreographer --First successful choreography

Merce Cunningham

-ya have to look good in the tard "When I dance it means this is what i'm doing" gesture= gesture "There's no thinking involved in my choreography...I don't work through images or ideas—I work through the body." Bridge between modern and postmodern Danced with Graham company Experimental "Decentralized" technique "Divorcing the self from the self" Choreographed Points in Space Patterned unitards, lots of colors Can really see importance of ballet technique Music very minimal...random noises Lots of formation changes, lines in space, moving shapes Abstract Ballet bottom, Modern top = Cunningham Technique Stiff, erect movements About shapes and lines in space Very influenced by eastern philosophy Eliminating the self Worked a lot with chance while choreographing Would flip a coin Aimed to remove all impulses...different from improvisation Sometimes dancers would hear the music on opening night Dancers would tour with him in a VW bus (9 people in 9 person van)

Pilobolus

A company founded by a group of Dartmouth College students in 1971. The company's performances are characterized by a strong element of physical interaction between the bodies of the performers and exaggerations or contortions of the human form (or other anthropomorphic forms), requiring extreme strength, flexibility and athleticism... As seen on Sesame Street and America's Got Talent!! Also in performance at the Oscars

Meredith Monk

A composer, singer, director/choreographer and creator of new opera, music-theater works, films and installations. Recognized as one of the most unique and influential artists of our time, she is a pioneer in what is now called "extended vocal technique" and "interdisciplinary performance." Theatrical effects and poetic fantasy Compared more to graham but had her own mythology Dance in alternative spaces (in Guggenheim) Juice-dancers as actors in 'wacky play' Tableaux

Murray Louis

Alwin Nikolais' life partner and dancer in his company Began choreographing and eventually formed his own company Uses comedy Junk Dances

Robert Joffrey

American dancer, teacher, producer, choreographer, and co-founder of the Joffrey Ballet Known for his highly imaginative modern ballets

Tanaquil Le Clerq

Another principal dancer of NYCB, characteristic of Balanchine aesthetic (comes from SAB) Dance career ended young, was paralyzed waist down from polio illness in Copenhagen during the company's European tour Danced for Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and Merce Cunningham; was definitely Robbins' muse... Was the fourth and last wife of Balanchine's

Choreography of George Balanchine

Apollo: (Ballets Russes) (1928), "the ballet of which he came of age"/turning point; more about dance, less about costumes, no corps, less storyline. Emphasized shapes & patterns Serenade: "class on stage" dancers in long blue tutus. Done in early years at SAB. emphasized shapes & patterns. Ritual where "normal women became dancers" Concerto Barocco: (1948) simple white costumes to show off body/short skirts, sharp staccato/crisp technique The Four Temperaments: shows raw mechanics, leotards, male isn't there as a partner, not doing ballet "for the King," "unmannered," long legs/short torso aesthetic Agon: (1957) mixed race duet=statement, "nervous intensity," high legs

Lester Horton

Based in LA Influenced by Native American dance Wanted dance to be a form of social change Created a company that he called "colorblind" with dancers of all races Created his technique, Horton, which was supposed to just make a body be able to do anything strength/conditioning, muscularly controlled movements, flatbacks and tilts Beloved; looking at the world around you and using dance to comment on it in someway Based on news story about domestic violence (source = world around you) Couple around a table shows struggle Theatrical and dramatic

Arthur Mitchell

Black male who partnered white female (Diana Adams) in Balanchine's Agon Went on to create the first African-American classical ballet company Dance Theater of Harlem

Lincoln Kirstein

Brought Balanchine to America wanted to start a new American tradition of ballet Founds the School of American Ballet (SAB) with Balanchine (at first, accepts anyone) Then City Center ballet → ABT → NYCB

Kazuo Ohno

Butoh dancer, Author of several books on Butoh "The best thing someone can say to me is that while watching my performance they began to cry. It is not important to understand what I am doing; perhaps it is better if they don't understand, but just respond to the dance." "The dancer's costume is to wear the universe"

Erick Hawkins

Came from Graham Became a choreographer and created his own technique Looking at kinesiology of the body Being efficient with movement Less willful Claims injury from Graham technique, makes his more effortless "The body is a clear place" Kinesiology, looking at how body, bones, etc really work Anatomy Feeling gravity, using body to be safer and dance longer Known more for his technique than for his choreography Zen Philosophy

Paul Taylor

Came from Graham Hawkins and Taylor both wanted to really break away from Graham and the big four techniques and methods, they created a new face of modern while Limon was more of a continuation... While he did many experimental pieces, a lot of his work was not experimental Dance doesn't necessarily have to be immensely meaningful 3 Epitaphs - contrast between ape-like and human Aureole, 1962, famous solo "Fluid like water" Esplanade, 1975, considered his masterpiece Running, skipping, walking, minimal gestures...pedestrian Wasn't about a big story or social statement, more about patterns and shapes, came from watching people on the street Tried to make a piece with no dance steps in it "Pedestrian movement" Considered his masterpiece Also creates a piece of two people frozen on stage Louis Horst writes review of "blank" dance

Talley Beatty

Came out of Dunham company...second generation (after Big Four) Choreographed Mourner's Bench, dancer grieves for a life lost to racial violence Meaning without narrative, explores mourning and hope

Jane Dudley

Came out of Graham Explore what we know as humans Worked with Sophie Maslow Choreographed Harmonica Breakdown in 1934 Rhythmic, human, technical but no ready-made steps, embodying a struggle

Alvin Ailey

Carried on Horton's technique Took over Horton's company for a year after Horton died Moved to NYC, feels need for a repertory company there Created Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater First performance in 1958 Had a feel of not being uniform, still very technical First ballets were "blood memories" from Texas, gospel music and folk songs, intense feelings... Revelations, Company of primarily black dancers, the beauty of black people was a social statement in itself Choreographed Blues Suite First ballets about black roots, celebrating the black experience Romantic ballet was about escape; his work is about real life experiences

Hanya Holm

Carried on Mary Wigman's legacy in America Opened Mary Wigman School of Dance Choreographed Kiss Me, Kate

Sophie Maslow

Choreographed Folk Say Danced w/ Graham

Donald McKayle

Choreographed Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder about chain gangs Bodies like machines All male group piece Important to depict things happening in society, even if they aren't beautiful

Anna Sokolow

Choreographed Rooms; dealt with themes of isolation and despair, and was based on growing up Jewish on the lower east side of Manhattan Tenement apartments Personal experience = understanding of humanity Talks about class struggle Came from Graham (some resistance bc Graham seen as elitist, removed from society)

Pearl Primus

Choreographed Strange Fruit in 1943 (poem) Not shying away from harsh subject matter Dealt with the American South kinesthetic , emotional experience to

Pina Bausch

Create Tanztheater company "I'm not interested in how people move, but in what moves them." - opposite of NIkolais quote "Dressed up" Postmodern dance Comes from Kurt Joss (roots in german expressionism) No rules Life is a performance Changing attitude about who can dance and what is dance Challenged traditional gender roles Dancers seen as human beings Opened up possibilities, no music, no real stage, ect Would ask dancers about memories and daily lives Ask them to act out recollections and dance grows from it Dressed up post modern dance Question idea of performance This is just real life Real life is a performance Performers to the audience but also real life Putting on lipstick is a performance Uses process to create a piece Revived Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring (done as a solo at a circus) "1980" Repetition Emphasizes the importance of the movement Changes the meaning Neutralizes the meaning Plays with construction of social identity Full of gender but empty of myself "Nelken" Men screaming Men in dresses What ele do you want to see? Get rid of all those boxes Kontakthof ---- translates to contact zone Men in suits touching pina Not just preaching, captures a feeling, an essence but exaggerating Pieces in general Tell things but not stories, (put together by individual) Can be unsettling

Bill T. Jones / Arnie Zane

D-Man In the Waters, 1989 In response to AIDS epidemic About process AND product Held survival workshops where he helped terminally ill patients, then would set their movement on his own dancers... choreographed Still Here Stories and movements of people with terminal illness Really using process, using dance as healing Expanding WHO can dance Body politics Very different body types within his company Multiculturalism, taking hold of your own cultural identity and sexuality etc.

Trisha Brown

Dancing on the side of buildings! Exploration of the relaxed body Watermotor (1978) No music Exploration of the relaxed body Man walking down the side of a building Walking on the wall Rooftop Set and Reset Roof and fire piece Dance on roof in all red Eventually adds back costume, music for performance

William forsythe

Deconstructs ballet

Betty Jones

Helped found jose limon company

George Balanchine (the WOAT) (New American Ballet)

If you want to be SHOOK again... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzBUw2qunfg "Ballet is woman" "Music must be seen, dance must be heard" -comes from imperial theatre/ballets russes -creates the Balanchine aesthetic in dancers The gist: quickness in technique, extensions, dance+music, paired down movement, lines in space Neoclassical- mixing new and odl Collaborated with Stravinsky

Anna Halprin

Influenced Judson Church Group Movement therapy Dance for healing workshops Body informs the mind=learning about yourself 2 ways to move: mind informs the body and the body can inform the mind

Robert Dunn

Influenced Judson Church group Musician at Cunningham's studio Started creative workshops for improvisation, worked with various musical scores "Score" for improvisation = rule for example fall every 2 minutes, scream etc

Yvonne Rainer

No manifesto (of the Judson Church) Strip everything down Clean slate Choreographed Trio A--very undynamic, task-oriented movement, no emotion, more ordinary movement "As boring as an ant farm" Process > product Importance of the ordinary: not about training the body to be something else, but rather exploring it as it is Fascinated by novel chance procedures

Edna Guy

Pioneer for black female dancers, created dances about African spirituals Inspired/corresponded with Ruth St Denis Admitted into Denishawn after many attempts, but wasn't getting to perform Worked as seamstress at Denishawn, shows persistence

Pauline Koner

Principal in jose limon company Works in russian (has russian roots) then returned to america Returns home "fired with enthusiasm for social change" Known for versatility and technical range and compelling stage presence

Judson Church Theater

Process over product What is dance? What isn't dance? Opens up who can dance, challenges gender roles etc. Very much a part of the counterculture going on in the U.S. (hippies) Stemmed from Cunningham, who in many ways acted as a sort of bridge between modern and postmodern dance... Technique is used to make movement Task, real pedestrian (anti-elitist) Clearing the slate---> then putting stuff back in Contemporary dance: word/term for the new modern; identifiable from partnering Washington Square Park

Katherine Dunham

Received a fellowship in 1936 that allowed her to go to the West Indies to study dance and ritual...which she later used as source material to create works Studied Caribbean dance in Haiti (roots of her heritage), wanted to dignify the material, bring to stage and show its beauty Scholar, anthropologist Dunham Technique = isolate every part of the body 2nd Codified Technique Combines african technique with ballet and modern Basis from "The Steps of the Gods" she learned while in Haiti Choreographed Barrelhouse Blues in 1938 Created for Broadway Based on "slow drag" Sizzling, hot, scandalous Learns from spiritual part of dance Saw dance as a way of communication and expression

Butoh

Scary dancing in white paint Dance form developed in Japan after WWII In reaction to the horrors of the war Translates to "dance of darkness" Very extreme side of darkness from within, digging into one's self, darkness Getting into mind space Mostly improvised Ex: Sankai Juku company

Sidra Bell

Sidra Bell Dance New York 6 dancers Collaborative National and International tours Also works as a solo artist at Universities Developing "Module" Workshops Pedagogy research "Devised Theater"

Trends In Contemporary Dance

The Merging of the Disciplines (mixing ballet and modern) Pluralism- everyone with their own individual style Multiculturalism- look @ culture, gender, sexuality etc. in dance Fusion (mixing different styles, i.e. hip hop and modern) Neoclassicism (making the old new, i.e. Pina Bausch's Rite of Spring) Dance and technology (what major questions/theories are being explored?)

Charles Weirdman

Trained at Denishawn school Partnered up with Humphrey Also known for his own all male dance company, and his characterization and humor in

Doris Humphrey

Trained at Denishawn school, with Weidman, they create the Humphrey-Weidman school/company Partnered up with Weidman "Humphry falls" and other movements showing Fall-Recovery and Suspend-Release "For every fall there is recovery"

Lucinda Childs

Trained with Hanya Holm and Helen Tamiris. Studied briefly with Cunningham before joining Judson Church Group. Her work is known for its minimalistic movement yet complex transitions. Most famous for being able to turn the slightest movements into an intricate choreographic masterpiece. Choreographed "Street Dance", stage was a street of Manhattan with audiences on a nearby loft. Dancer disappears into a freight elevator, appears across the street Bridge between art and reality

Daniel Nagrin

studied with Martha Graham, Anna Sokolow, Hanya Holm, Bill Matons and Helen Tamiris whom he later married. Becan with commercial theatre, but strayed away and created work that reflected his life Jazz settings Solos about his life (collage of characters representing aspects of human condition Develops new presentational format (he remained on stage throughout performances) Film and dance

Maria Tallchief

the original Firebird dancer for Balanchine Also a wife of Balanchine in the beginning (surprise) First "true star" of NYCB Did not have characteristic legs/height of balanchine aesthetic (ironically)