Modern Dance

The Beginning• Renaissance courts of Italy and

France-1643

• 18th Century-Extravagant costumes, start of technical basis

• Jean Georges Noverre-Natural, understood, harmony

• 1780’s-En Pointe

Romantic/Classical Ballet• Turned out positions of the body with

grace, agility, control, speed, and lightness

• Little room for creative expression

• Contrasted human and supernatural worlds

• Dominated by women

• Spreading through Europe

• Swan Lake

20th Century Ballet• Ballets Russes in Paris-1909-1929

• Male dancers

• Diaghilev-Russian Ballet-Collaborated with Picasso, Stravinsky

• US and Germany-1920’s, 1930’s

Enrico Cecchetti 1850-1928

• Born in dressing room in Italian theater• Dance career of 30 years• Taught in Ballets Russes• Revolutionized image of male

dancer in 19th century• Established school in London

with his own method

Cecchetti Method• Method codified and published in 1922

• Designed strictly upon the laws of anatomy and stresses technical and artistic development in a dancer as well as a sensitive, musical response to all movements

• Classical lines, detail, finese, musicality intelligence, individuality=good dancer

• Self esteem and discipline

Method Cont.• Exams

• Lower grades-placement, coordination, transitions

• Higher grades-movement, musicality, quality, strength

• Formal attire

• Cecchetti Council of America

>Rejection<• Early 20th Century – many

political and social changes in America and Europe–Fears of Fascism in Europe (through 1935)–Great Depression in America–Liberal Contemplation• TIME FOR CHANGE!

• Ballet involved rigid structure, definite steps, clear uniform/costume. –“symbol of imperialism”–Need to express opinions and desires rather than fit a mould that was limiting

Dancers wanted to be able to truly express and depict the social and political changes

that were taking place around them.

>Rebellion<

• Dancers and Choreographers began exploring the roots of many other philosophies and civilizations

• Lois Fuller: Experiments with stage lighting and costumes

• Isadora Duncan

Greek Influence: from folk dances/movements

Nietzsche’s influence: turning inward, internal expression.

””The dancer of the future will be one whose body and soul have

grown so harmoniously together that the natural language of that

soul will have become the movement of the human body.

The dancer will not belong to any nation but to all humanity.”

–Isadora Duncan

•Ruth St. Denis: Indian Culture and mythologyDenishawn school and Dance company 1915

Pupils: Martha Graham, Charles Weidman, Doris Humphrey –Let go of techniques they got from their mentor»Exploring gravity. »Balance V Imbalance. »Experiment with sound

>Revolution<

• One of the biggest influences of Modern Dance.

• “Picasso of Dance”• Denishawn Dance Company. • First performance – “Xotical”• Eastman School of Music

Martha Graham

“I wanted to begin not with characters or ideas, but with movements . . .I wanted significant movement. I did not want it to be beautiful or fluid. I wanted it to be fraught with inner meaning, with excitement and surge.” –Martha Graham

Mary Wigman

November 13, 1886-September 18,1973

Backgroundone of the most important figures in the history of modern dance. • Born in Hannover, Germany•Attended the school of Rythmic Gymnastics at Hellerau. 1913: studied modern dance at Monte Verita under Rudolf von Laba.Created “New German Dance”

Style• Used fifes, bells, gongs,

and drums from India, Thailand, Africa, and China.

• Primarily used percussion as a contrast to silence

• Often used masks in her pieces

• Described as tense, introspective, and somber

Preformances• Summer Dance, Dream Image, Witch

Dance, Dance of Sorrow, Visions, Cycles, the Way, Festive Rhythm, and Dance of Summer.

• 1919:1st solo concert in Berlin, followed by Breman and Hanover

• Productions for German opera houses include – Handel’s “Saul”(Mannheim, 1954), – Orff’s “Carmina

Burana”(Mannheim,1955), – Stravinsky’s “Sacred u

Printemps”(Manicipal Opera, Berlin Festival, 1957).

Witch dance

Her Schools

• 1920 - 1942, “Dresden Central School” or “Mary Wigman Schule” modern dance innovation

• Toured US with her dance troupe in 1930.

• Taught at Leipzig 1948-1949 after she fled to West Berlin

• Taught at a studio in West Berlin in 1950 until her death

Hanya Holm• Born in Germany• Influenced by Mary

Wigman and Rudolf Laban• Taught by Emile Jacques-

Dalcroze as well• Taught at one of Mary

Wigman’s schools in Germany, was sent to New York to start a new branch of Wigman dance schools.

• 1936-1967 known as Hanya Holm Studio

Holm technique

• Stresses pulse, planes, direction, aerial design, floor patterns, creative exploration, and dance without dramatic overtones.

• Directly influenced by Joseph Pilates• Trained through improvising • focused on projecting the body’s movement into

space • “Dancers without a purpose have false starts and

stops.” –Hanya Holm

-Hanya Holm method with strong Isadora Duncan influence

“Big Four”• “Big Four”of Modern Dance • founding artists of the American

Dance Festival: Hanya Holm, Mary Wigman, Doris Humphrey, and Charles Weidman.

Merce Cunningham• Avant-gaurde.• Formed their

own companies and trained together

• Paul Taylor, Remy Charlip, Viola Farber, Charles Moulton, others…

Paul Taylor• Cutting-edge• often sent

confused audience members to the exits

• Martha Graham named him “Naughty boy” of dance.

Post Modern Dance & Technology

• 1960s and 1970s• Questioned established parameters

of dance • Pushed dance and art to new levels.• Short-lived but lasting• Relationship between technology and

Post-Modern Dance.

What is PM (Post-Modern) Dance?

• Expression of feeling and emotion through movement.

• More creativity with the way they dance or move.

• Dance is always changing.• Dancers are coming up with new

and impressive ways to “speak” without speaking.

Why the Combination?

• "We need a connection with technology. There is no better art than dance in which to bring this about.” -John Cage

• Pushing technological capabilities.

PM Dance and Technology

•Dance gone digital. •COMPUTER audience. • Internet

PM Dance and Technology

• 1997 Mikhail Baryshnikov - Heartbeat• Biped

How PM Dance uses Technology

• Temporal Interference” is a performance that “explores aspects of space and memory, and how it can affect those around us.” –Bryan Leister

• DanceForms 1.0

How PM Dance uses Technology

Post-Modern Dance….

• “I would not use video in every piece. I love working with this media, but I feel I would repeat myself.” –Carlson• Technology has potential to

be an asset, as well as a threat

Does this pose a threat???

•Bhangra•Punjab, India•Traditional Bhangra

Tech/PM Dance International

Traditional Dancers Performing

• Late: 1960s and 1970s, Bhangra becomes mass phenomenon. • Early eighties• Technological Changes

Bhangra in 1970’s/1980’s

• Mix Music/Hip Hop beats• Acid Pro• Competition

Bhangra Today

My Team Competing

Recap

Ballet

Modern Dance

Technology- PM Dance