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During the early 1900’s, ballet was still strong in it’s Classical form and with a new modern day form due to choreographers and dancers such as Diaghilev, Nijinsky, Balanchine, Tudor, Joffery and Robbins. These dancers saw what was being created through modern dance and portrayed these new views through their choreography – some of which were even ballet.
Balanchine’s Apollo that was created in 1928… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUNQjjbozF8
Meanwhile modern dance was exploding; some were loving it while others still found it very odd and even inappropriate.
Modern Dance does not have a set definition due to it being born out of a revolt against any one codified style. Instead it is about the underlying philosophy of movement as individual expression.
Breaking new artistic ground initially meant discarding the entire classical ballet vocabulary Such willingness to break the rules required strong-minded women and men These women and men tended to have their own approach and their own beliefs about the nature of movement and expression.
The “Roots” of modern dance lie in two directions… • Individual expression • Revolt against the establishment
Modern Dance “Trailblazers” (A few amazing women (and ever fewer men) dared to blaze their own trail in developing a new way of dancing… a way that was respectful and artistic) Isadora Duncan Ruth St. Denis Ted Shawn
Isadora Duncan Isadora Duncan’s desire was to create movements that were natural and congruent for her body… and movements that were inherently expressive.
It was Isadora’s ideas rather than her actual dancing that contributed so much to the development of modern dance. She wanted to create expression through movement, she began taking ballet lessons, but eventually discarded what she saw as a conforming and unnatural movement form to create her own.
Isadora LOVED children, she even adopted several of her own students. She had a great desire to create a school in which her students could find their own way of expressing themselves through movement; unfortunately none of her attempts were successful. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPlN_gO5TOM
Ruth St. Denis Ruth St. Denis was transformed by pictures in books of other lands and people. She became interested in Indo-Asian thought, art, and her interest was more theatrical than scholarly.
Denishawn Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn created a school in Los Angeles called Denishawn. Unfortunately this school no longer exists. Denishawn was filled with classes teaching… Ethnic, Barefoot, Ballet, Folk, Ballroom, And more
Modern Dance “Pioneers” These dancers were called Pioneers because they learned from the Trailblazers, took their ideas, and “ran with them”. Martha Graham Doris Humphrey Lester Horton
A major contribution to modern dance during the Pioneer timeframe was the development of a summer dance festival at Bennington College in 1934. This would later become known as the American Dance Festival.
From Denishawn came… Martha Graham Martha Graham is easily the most famous modern dancer of the time. She broke through many barriers and pushed the envelope where it had never been done before. She created nearly 200 works – many of which were considered masterpieces
Lamentation (1930) Lamentation is a piece that Martha Graham is highly known for. This piece is about one struggling with inner emotions and the need to express them knowing it is borderline inappropriate. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb4-kpClZns
Martha Graham’s technique… “The Graham Technique” was based on contraction and release. This video shows a piece that reiterates the use of contraction and release. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozu2M1nD1B4
Lester Horton http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm7nHpS_JqE
Characteristics of Modern Dance… • The torso was fully used • “new” movement vocabulary was explored • all levels of space were used (high/middle/low) • Costumes and stage designs were simple and stark • Limbs were angled as well as curved • Music was often written for the dance, or simple percussion was used or silence was used • Dancers performed wherever they could, ie. Lofts, studios, small NYC theatres, college gyms, church basements (this was not an opera house art form!)
Modern Videos To Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uL1rB0GPIhI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zACQ0URYgmg (9/31/38)
