Lecture 5 Flashcards
where did graham and humphrey study and perform
at the denishawn school and in the denishawn company
who were the 4 pioneers of modern dance in america
doris humphrey
charles wiedman
martha graham
hanya hul
what is similar among the4 pioneers of modern dance in america
they all taught at bennington college
what are the 4 major premises that the modern dancers who emerged in the 1920s based their philosophies of modern dance on
- new is better than reworking the traditional
- modernism assumes the right of personal expression through art
- movement has significance in itself (line, shape, design, rhythm - without literal interpretation)
- it is the responsibility of the artist to comment on current social and political issues
new is better than reworking the traditional premises that the modern dancers who emerged in the 1920s based their philosophies of modern dance on
the new is progressive and exciting, wanted dance that expressed the american spirit
why did the pioneers of modern dance want dance that expressed the american spirit
it was a patriotic time for them, particularly those coming from the denishawn school as they had only studied dances from other cultures and were getting tired of it
- wanted to create an american dance
modernism assumes the right of personal expression through art premises that the modern dancers who emerged in the 1920s based their philosophies of modern dance on
its individualistic and leads to a diversity of styles
- artist had a right themselves and their ideas/philosophies
- very personal
how did the pioneers of modern dance see themselves
as rebels and revolutions (modernism premises that the modern dancers who emerged in the 1920s based their philosophies of modern dance on)
t or f: the work that emerged during the time of the modern dance pioneers was similar
false, there was a diversity of style
- personal expression resulted in many kinds of expression and styles and was very individualistic
movement has significance in itself premises that the modern dancers who emerged in the 1920s based their philosophies of modern dance on
dance doesn’t have to be literal, we dont have to be able to recognize things in the work
what was a continuation of abstractionism
the movement has significance in itself premises that the modern dancers who emerged in the 1920s based their philosophies of modern dance on
what did we still see literal representations of in the modern dance era
characters and moods
it is the responsibility of the artist to comment on current social and political issues premises that the modern dancers who emerged in the 1920s based their philosophies of modern dance on
not that its possible, but rather their responsibility
– social realism
what was there a lot of in early works of graham
social commentary
bennington college summer school of the dance
first college dance program in the US
- ran in the summers only
when was bennington college founded
1934
what classes were offered at bennington college
modern dance technique, composition, and repertory
who did the students at bennington college take classes with
the 4 pioneers of modern dance
what was bennington college said to be
the denishawn school of this generation
what was humphreys greatest contributions to the development of 20th century modern dance
her theories on dance technique and composition
who was humphreys partner
charles wiedman
performing career of humphrey
not long, she got arthritis, but continued as a choreographer
what did humphrey become after she stopped dancing (besides choreographing)
she became the artistic director of another dancer
what were humphreys theories on specfically
on movement and how to teach choreography and composition
- thought anyone can learn to choreograph
what was humphreys dance technique based on
fall and recovery
fall and recovery technique of humphrey
falling - give into gravity
recovery - recovering from the fall
–> body is continually resisting or giving into gravity
- sending the body off centre until you have to give into gravity
what did humphrey conclude all motion is
an arc between 2 deaths
humphreys an arc between 2 deaths (physical expression of her theory)
one death is perfect vertical stillness and resistance of gravity - static
the other death is complete inactivity on the floor so no resistance of gravity
what does the philosophical foundation of humphreys theory relate to
the work of Neitzsche and his work the birth of tragedy
what conflict was present in humphreys thoeries
apollonian dionysian conflict
apollonian dionysian conflict
apollo: static equilibrium, reason, logical thinking
dionysus: dynamic movement away from equilibrium, god of spontaneity, movement away from centre, exploration or growth, excitement
what was humphrey the first american modern choreograph to do
develop theories about dance composition/choreography and write a book on them
humphreys book on theories about dance composition/choreography
the art of making dances (1958)
t or f: the humphrey technique is still studied today
true, the humphrey/limon technique
video air for the g string
example of apollonian style of humphreys work
- dancers upright and balanced
- slow movement
- humphrey choreographed and performed
- no talking just the performance
how do people often talk about martha graham
in superlatives, she was the best….
what was martha graham the most prolific of in her era
most prolific modern dance choreographer
- created the most works (of students coming from denishawn)
what did martha graham have the longest history of
performing with her company, was still choreographing at 97
what was martha graham the most controversial of her era
most controversial dancer, especially at the beginning
what was martha graham the most influential in creating
a new era of modern dance in america
- because of her dissatisfaction with denishawn and wanting to create something more meaningful and personal to her
where and when did martha graham present her first recital
NY 1926
- also time of duncan’s last performance in paris
what is martha graham’s name most associated with
creating this new era of modern dance
how was martha grahams early work perceived
not well, people found it too modern
what is martha graham most remembered for
her choreography and dance style
what were martha grahams early works (1930s) inspired by
the philosophy that dance should be indigenous, it should be born out of and express the spirit of its home country
martha grahams Frontier
images of the american plains, connected to the history of american pioneers
what were martha grahams two works that were indigenous
frontier and american document
martha grahams american document
condensed history of the united states
- presented pioneers of america
why was american document significant
first work to introduce a male dancer
- prior to this all her company members were female, but this was the first she had brought a male into the company
what were martha grahams works from 1940s onward about
the human psyche
- less patriotic
- often about greek mythology
how did martha graham used greek mythology in her later dances
as a vehicle to explore different concepts/themes and her own personal experiences
2 martha graham dances pulling from greek mythology
cave of the heart and errand into the maze
martha grahams cave of the heart
about the destructive power of jealousy and love
- greek myth of medea
martha grahams errand into the maze
about the conquering of fear, journey into the heart to kill fear
- greek myth of theseus and the minotaur
t or f: martha graham told literal stories in her works
false
what did martha graham explore and extract in her works
explored the drama of a character, situation or relationship
- extracted the essence of a character, explored their inner psyche through movement
one of martha grahams most famous quotes
movement never lies
- cannot hide behind movement, your gestures and body language will communicate what you are feeling on the inside
where did martha graham get a lot of her inspiration
from her dad who was an early psychologist
martha graham is referred to as….
an abstract expressionist artists
why is martha graham referred to as an abstract expressionist artist
she used of combination of abstractionism and expressionism
when was abstract expressionist first used
1936
martha grahams school
martha graham school of contemporary dance
where did martha graham develop and teach her technique
at her school
what is one of the 3 major modern dance techniques still studied today
martha graham technique
what is martha graham technique called
the antithesis of ballet
why is martha grahams technique called the antithesis of ballet
- rigorous
- not interested in natural movement
- believed effort should be revealed through movement as its a part of life
- movement was percussive, sharp and angular, not very pretty
t or f: martha grahams early works were well perceived
false, people thought it was ugly
what was one of the percussive movement she developed
the contraction followed by a release
foundation of martha grahams technique
the contraction and release
contraction
expelling air out of the body and contracting it
release
rib cage opens back up
martha graham believed that dance technique gives the dancer
more articulation of expression
- thought rigorous technique allowed for this
- if you develop dancers skills in movements, the more movements they are able to perform, and the more articulate they can be in performing
how long did martha graham say it takes to be fully expressive
10 years
video: an evening of dance and conversation with martha graham
- begins with martha graham talking about her errand into the maze and it as an exploration of her fear
- was 90 when it was shot
- ended with a performance of the work
