Alterantive Final Assignment / Publication
1
Cleveland Reed
Dr. Morejon
DAN 211 (R)
20 April 2021
Expression of Inner Feelings:
interpretations, Experiences and Creativity
Modern dance is a theatrical dance that was developed in the United States and Europe late in the 19th century. It started as a protest against both the traditional ballet and the interpretive dance of the time. Modern dance is a dance style that focuses on a dancer's own interpretations instead of structured steps, unlike the usual traditional ballet dancing. Modern dancers reject the limitations of classical ballet and favor movements derived from the expression of their inner feelings. Listed below are names of many people who impacted what we know as modern dance today.
Rudolf Laban was a dancer, a choreographer and a dance movement theoretician. Laban established choreology, which is the system of dance movement. Laban also raised the status of dance as a true form of art. His explorations into the theory and practice of dance and movement transformed the nature of dance scholarship. Rudolf Laban spent twenty years understanding movement by creating signs on paper that could represent body parts moving in space and time. That is in fact called Labanotation, his system caters for the needs of the modern dance world. Just as musical notation has to adapt to the changing needs of composers, so Labanotation has to grow to cope with modern needs and technologies.
Mary Wigman’s impact on dance throughout central Europe changed the course of dance history. Wigman was a German dancer, a leader of the modern expressive dance as developed in central Europe. She formulated her own theories of movement, dancing without music or to percussion only. Although she made her debut as a dancer in 1914, her career as a dance choreographer began after World War I. Wigman later toured the united States.
Isadora Duncan was an American dancer whose teachings and performances helped to remove ballet from its conservative restrictions and presaged the development of modern expressive dance. She was one of many who raised interpretive dance to the status of creative art. Duncan studied sculptures of ancient Greece at the British Museum. The classical use of those dance movements and gestures that hitherto instinct alone had caused her to practice and upon a revival of which her method was founded. Duncan was invited to appear at the private receptions of London’s leading hostesses, where her dancing was distinguished by a complete freedom of movement, charming those who were familiar only with the conventional forms of the ballet. It was not long before young women began dancing bare foot in crowded theatres and concert halls throughout Europe.
Ruth St. Dennis was an American dancer. St. Denis’s choreographic style broadened to include group numbers occasionally derived from European as well as Asian influences. Among her choreographic creations were “music visualization” which is is a concept that called for movement equivalents to the timbres, dynamics, and structural shapes of music in addition to its rhythmic base. A related choreographic form that she called “synchronic orchestra” a technique, comparable to the eurythmics of Émile Jaques-Dalcroze, that assigned one dancer to interpret the rhythms of each instrument of the orchestra.
Ted Shawn is an American modern dancer, founder of Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and a co-founder of the Denishawn School and Company. Shawn established a company of all male dancers in an effort to prove that dancing was an acceptable art form for men. They rehearsed, choreographed, and trained at Jacob's Pillow, Shawn's farm in Massachusetts, and performed throughout the United States from 1933 to 1940.
Charles Weidman was an American modern dancer who was remembered for the abstract, rhythmic pantomime he developed and employed in his comic and satiric works. Weidman
became interested in dance after seeing Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn perform. After studying with Elinor Frampton in Lincoln he joined them and became a leading Denishawn dancer. In the late 1920s he left Denishawn and with Doris Humphrey founded the Humphrey-Weidman school and company, which endured until 1945. In later works Weidman fully integrated dance and pantomime with distinct sequences of each that were no longer recognizable. Weidman was also one of the first to expand modern dance thematically from its concern with the individual to include observations on society.
Doris Humphrey was an American modern dancer and an innovator in technique, choreography, and theory of dance movement. She joined the Denishawn dance school and company in Los Angeles. In 1920 Humphrey had began doing choreography, composing many of her early works with St. Denis. Denishawn did not like Humphrey's approach to choreography, which became more experimental and self-expressive than exotic over time. She also emphasized ensemble pieces over individual works, which was also against the school's teachings. Humphrey and Weidman choreographed more than 40 dances, touring their repertory throughout the United States in the 1930s. They and their company members served on faculty at the summer sessions of the Bennington School of the Dance, where Humphrey was given the chance to work on her own choreography. She became interested in the relationship between breath and momentum and developed a theory of fall and recovery that would become the basis of Humphrey-Weidman style.
Modern dance in America and Europe started in response to traditional ballet and the interpretive dance of the past. Its focus on the dancer's own interpretations, experiences and creativity made it a special dance form. Its free movements derive from the expression of the dancers’ inner feelings. It is precisely its genuine, authentic and humanistic approach what makes it a unique dance style all the way from Laban’s concept of choreology to Humphrey’s theory of fall and recovery.
2
Jayci Eskalyo
Jorge L. Morejón PhD
DAN211 (Q)
26 April 2021
Struggles Through Dance: Shaping the Way
Throughout this paper, I will be discussing different dancers and their main contributions to modern dance. The dancers who will be discussed are Rudolph Laban, Mary Wigman, Isadora Duncan, Ruth St. Denis, Ted Shawn, Charles Weidman, and Doris Humphrey.
Rudolph Laban was very influential in the dance world and continues to be taught about today. His practices were central Europe’s first exposure to modern dance. Laban is a dance/movement theoretician, a dancer, and a choreographer. He is best known for creating a system of dance notion called the Labanotation or Kinetography Laban. Laban created community dance because he believed that dance should be available to everyone. “His analysis of forms in movement, known as choreutics, was a non-personal, scientific system designed, like Labanotation, to apply to all human motion” (Hutchinson). Laban worked aside very influential dancers. One of his collaborators was Mary Wigman, who will be discussed in the next paragraph.
Mary Wigman was a German dancer who is known as the pioneer of expressionist dance in central Europe. Wigman used her talents and experience to educate the world on her ideas. Wigman enrolled in one of Laban’s classes in Switzerland, where she was taught about his technique. Wigman worked with a method that was based on contrasts of movement. These contrasts of movement included pushing and pulling and expansion and contraction. Wigman eventually worked as Laban’s assistant. World War II impacted her style of dance. She was viewed as leftist by Nazi Germany, which resulted in her school being shut down, but she was allowed to continue teaching dance under their rule. Wigman was faced with many obstacles, and she portrays her struggles through dance.
Isadora Duncan was an American dancer who traveled to Europe when she lost inspiration in America to continue exploring her love for dance. She would dance for wealthy Londoners, and she drew inspiration from Greek vases she would observe in their homes. Isadora Duncan is known as “the mother of modern dance.” Duncan danced very freely, and that is what brought her so much attention. She was influenced by the world around her, for example by Renaissance paintings. She opened up a dance school and continued to explore dance before a tragic death in Nice, France.
Ruth St. Denis is an American pioneer of modern dance. Her work drew upon religion and Eastern content. Her influences drew largely of those of Egyptian culture. “She was the first in the Western world to introduce to a legitimate audience Oriental and Eastern dancing” (Biography). Ruth St. Denis was co-founder of the notorious American Denishawn School of Dancing and Related Arts. Ted Shawn was one of her students. He himself became an influential person in the world of modern dance.
Ted Shawn is a modern dance pioneer who took the form of dance to cure his paralyses. He married Ruth St. Denis a month after meeting, and together they formed the Denishawn Company and School. He brought dance to mainstream America and was the first man to gain worldwide recognition with regards to dance. Shawn believed that dance should be integrated into everyday life. Shawn drew inspiration from cultures of North African, Spanish, American and Amerindian. He focused on an eclectic style of dance which also incorporated ballet. Shawn formed an all-male dance company which was the first of its kind.
Charles Weidman is an American modern dancer, a choreographer, and a teacher. His career began while dancing at the Denishawn Company and School. Later in life, he started the Humphrey-Weidman company with Doris Humphrey and Pauline Lawrence. Weidman was concentrated with gravity in his work. It was something new and innovative that strayed away from the “normal.” His style was known as kinetic movement. These movements were sharp and snappy. He focused on comedy in his work. He helped shape modern dance into what it is today.
Doris Humphrey was a very influential dancer who focused on fall and recovery. She strayed away from the techniques taught at the Denishawn Company and School and came up with her own ideas, which still continue to be taught today. Gravity intrigued her and was the reason that she focused on it. She described her theory of fall and recovery as “the arc between two deaths.” Her ideas are still being taught today and continue to be very thought-provoking.
To conclude, Rudolph Laban, Mary Wigman, Isadora Duncan, Ruth St. Denis, Ted Shawn, Charles Weidman, and Doris Humphrey were all very influential people in modern dance and shaped the way that we perceive it today. I appreciate their styles and have enjoyed learning about how they contributed to modern dance.
3
Jason Chapin
Dr. Morejon
DAN 211 (R)
30 April 2021
From Laban To Humphrey: The Evolution of Dance
Dance is a form of visual art that many people enjoy doing in their free time, or as a hobby. Dance is a major part of many components in society, such as at weddings, to musicals. However, many people developed the dance techniques that people utilize today. Throughout the course of the class, there have been several dancers that have helped shape dance routines the way that they are today. Without these dancers, modern dance may not be the same.
The first major dancer that was covered in the class was Rudolf Laban. Laban was a German dancer, and he is well known for developing the dance style, Labanotion. Laban utilized paintings and other forms of art for his inspirations in some of the dances that he invented. Later on in his life, Laban established dance and performing schools in different parts on the European continent. Laban also developed many dance techniques to elevate expression. One major component in many of Laban’s dances is having a wide amount of space. Space is crucial in developing the dances that Laban had. Laban and his dance movements were focused on structure.
The second major dancer that was studied in the class was Mary Wigman. Wigwam was also another well known German Dancer. One of her most famous dances was titled The Witch,which involved Wigman wearing a mask of a witch when she performed the dance on stage in front of crowds. Wigwam also had Laban as one of her teachers for dance. When the first World War ended, Wigman went on tour, and this became the height of her dance career. She toured all over Europe, and performed in front of many different people. Overall, Wigman was famous for portraying expression in her dance.
The third major dancer that was studied in the class was Kurt Jooss. Jooss, like Wigman, was also a dance student of Rudolf Laban. Joos went on to learn about and study dance in France and Austria. When Jooss was done with his studies, he created a music school in Germany. Throughout many of his dance routines, Jooss had several people involved in his dances. However, Jooss had to leave from Germany because Adolf Hitler came to power. After the Second World War ended, Jooss returned to Germany, and he reopened his school of dance. Jooss was famous for his piece called The Green Table because it utilized movements that Laban had come up with and created.
The fourth major dancer that was covered in the course of the class was Isadora Duncan. Duncan was an American dancer who was famous and well known for getting rid of some of the stereotypes and misconceptions that people may have had regarding ballet. Duncan drew inspiration to develop her dances from many aspects of Greek culture and mythology. A wide variety of Duncan’s movement techniques that she utilized when dancing had a carefree and authentic tone to them.
The fifth major dancer that was studied in the class was Ruth St. Denis. St Denis was an American dancer who was famous for the techniques that she developed in her dances. The movements of St Denis had very light and rapid movements. In addition, St Denis tried to move away from dances that revolved around the typical ballet format. St Denis was also married to fellow dancer Ted Shawn. The two of them both founded the school called the Denishawn. St Denis had many influences that developed her dance techniques. One of her inspirations for dances came from Egyptian mythology and culture.
The sixth major dancer that was covered in the class was Ted Shawn. Like mentioned in the previous paragraph, Ted Shawn was the husband of Ruth St Denis. He started to become a dancer after he had a sickness. Ted Shawn’s dances often contained multiple people in them. Ted Shawn used many historical dances for inspiration when he developed his own style. One group that he drew inspiration from were the Native American’s spiritual dances. In addition, Shawn was well known because some of the dances that he created were more designed for men, and this could have potentially changed the mindset on what men thought of as dance. According to the class notes, Shawn founded the first group of all men dancers and his dances established a manly tone to dance.
The seventh major dancer that was covered in the class was Charles Weidman. Weidman started to develop a passion for dancing and movement because he witnessed Ruth St Denis and her husband, Ted Shawn at a performance one time. Wiedman started his dancing journey at the Denishawn school. Weidman also had a very lighthearted and humorous tone to many of his dances. Overall, there was a fun and enjoyable feeling to the dances that he developed. In addition, Weidman was also married to dancer Doris Humphrey.
On the topic of Doris Humphrey, Humphrey was also the eight and final major dancer that was studied throughout the course of the class. Humphrey was also a part of the Denishawn school, like her husband was. Many of Humphreys dance techniques involve gravity and weight to them. Humphrey and her husband also founded their own dance school in New York City.In addition, another technique that was a major part of Doris Humphrey’s dances were falling to the ground. Humphrey concluded that if the fall to the ground was gigantic, then getting back up on her feet would have to be equally as great. This technique and belief makes it appear as though the fall and getting back up have a proportional relationship with each other. This is because if one thing increases, then the other must also increase, and if one is smaller, then the other one must also be smaller as well.
Dance has been a very important part in cultures all over the world for a long time. Many dances have a variety of purposes. Some are used for religious reasons, while other dances are just used for forms of entertainment. While all of these dancers have many differences, they do have one gigantic similarity. They all played a role in the evolution of dance, and developing their own styles. Some of the dances that people do today originated from their styles and developments. Without the contributions of these choreographers and dancers, dance would not be the same today. In addition, dance would not be as expressive and abstract. I think that dance is a very important part in cultural aspects. I learned that everyone has their own style, and is trying to come up with what that style is what learning to dance is about. I also have learned that everyone has their own limitations with dance. It is important to know what my limitations are in dance because if I am not aware, I may not be able to perform a move successfully.
4
Nesta Silvera
Dr. Morejon
DAN 211 (R)
28 April 2021
Modern Dance Forerunners: Emotions Through Body Movement
Introduction
The 20th century developed a freestyle of expressive dance: folk, belt, ethnic, religious, and social dancing. Modern dance is the creation of freestyle moves to express the dancers feelings and movements. In recent years, modern dance included speech and art when presenting different performance elements.
Rudolph Laban
Rudolph Laban was a dance artist, choreographer, and therapist, and he was considered one of the top dancers of modern dance. He was the founder of the Laban art of movement guild. He was the first person who establishes norms of community dace or nation dance. In 1948 he started his life as a dancer from an art of movement studio in Manchester. After his too many struggles or devotion for school, the art of movement studio was renamed as Laban center for the movement. Laban wrote many books and articles on dance, art, expressions, and performances. In many countries, major dance courses include his theories of presentations in their curriculum.
Mary Wigman
She was born in Germany at 1886 and later considered one of the pioneer dances of expressions and movements. Mary Wigman also meets Rudolph Laban; from him, she learned a lot about dance movements and expressions. She danced without any music and instruments used very casual dresses; she danced on natural topics like death, war, and destruction. Wigman worked on a new choreographic technique. No step is ugly or wrong in her vision if it is performed with full
expressions and feelings. She conveyed the different emotions of people which they faced in difficult time through her dance.
Isadora Duncan
A famous dancer, Duncan is known as the mother of modern dance; she was born in San Francisco. At an early age, she danced in public ceremonies and engagements. When she collects amounts from these engagements, she opened her studio for dance classes. Later, she opened a school for dance classes for young ladies who desired to dance with emotions and rhythm; she moved to the United States and moved her school there. Duncan gave a new direction to modern dance as sacred art. She emphasized focused steps and natural movements and she showed different signs of dance as sad dance and happy dance. She used to dance barefooted and woar tunics during the dance.
Ruth St. Denis
St. Denis was also an American dancer who gave new directions and modes to modern dance. She focused on eastern ideas of dance into art. She danced as Radha with Hindu mythology; Radha was narrated from the story of Krishna. Her Radha performance was highly entertaining for audiences. She taught dance and choreography in collaboration with other famous artists in American universities. A Lotus Light and An Unfinished Life are two favorite books of hers. There are so many legendary students of her from the Denishawn School, whom she taught about modern dance. Miss Denis wrote many books and articles on dancing and performing.
Ted Shawn
Many people from America gave new styles and forms to modern dancing. Ted Shawn is also a leading name from them. He was the first male in the contemporary dancing world who created the first well-known all-male dance company. He opened a dancing school for male members, which was promoted in all colleges at the national level. Ted Shawn was the most influential choreographer at that time in the masculine movement. He was married to St. Denis; they played the Radha and Krishna roles in their performances. Their choreography was spiritual and physical based on eastern cultural dances. Ted Shawn wrote nine books on modern dancing and created an all-male dance company.
Charles Weidman
Weidman was also a well-known American dance teacher and choreographer. He created a new break-free style of dance in dancing academies. He wanted to collaborate the dance of male and female, so he tried to have men and women to partner with each other in dance. He danced different styles such as comedy, religion, and other serious works. work. He choreographed murders, sexual cases and racism. Charles Weidman also received a heritage award for giving new meanings to modern dance. He enhanced dance by creating the ideal of the pull of gravity in movement.
Doris Humphrey
Humphrey was known for dancing through the great depression. Doris Humphrey opened a school for children and young girls for dancing classes. She generated the theory of fall and recovery in modern dance and created more styles and expressions relating to fall and recovery. Her most projecting work includes Water Study, The Shakers, Color Harmony, and Drama of Motion. Doris Humphrey choreographed dance and movement to represent the idea of sexual domination, which later achieved great appreciation.
Conclusion
These forerunners of gave a new direction to modern dance. They dance works influenced the way dance began to be performed. Modern dance depicts sadness, happiness, and other emotions through body movement. This dance style still encourages dancers to use their sentiments and moods to create their own dance pieces.
5
Delone Scaife
Dan 211 (Q)
Final Paper
Modern Dance: Evolved and Transformed
Many different individuals from all over have contributed to modern dance. They have all created their own techniques or special way of dancing which most of them have based their way off of other art forms from different cultures. Even though all of these dancers have their own particular style and inspirations, it has all come together over the years to produce modern dance as we know it.
The first person to discuss if Rudolph Laban. Laban had many ideas when it came to dance. His first idea was the kinesphere inside of a cube. The kinesphere is a specific shape or area where one is supposed to dance using large movements while staying in one's own personal space. He also defined the different components of movement. Movement has direction like direct or indirect, weight like heavy or light, speed like quick or sustained, and flow that can be free or bound.
Another thing he contributed was the effort actions that were used to make people feel their own inner self when expressing themselves through dance. Some of these are wring, press, and flick. These different components of movement and the effort actions both gave dance variety and different expressions which is still used today.
The next person was Mary Wigman who had several ideas on how dance should be. She believed that dance should have feeling and emotion. This style was called expressionism. In expressionism, feeling and emotion should come from both the music and the dancers. You can tell she did this throughout her dances because of how she changes the dynamics of her dance with the dynamics of the music. Her goal was to use expressionism as a way to have the dancers connect with the music in a way that they had never before. While there was already a choreography, she encouraged the dancers to influence the dance by bringing out the emotions inside of them and putting it all into the dance.
Isadora
Duncan’s style of dance was different than others before her. She got
her inspiration form the Ancient Greek statues. She used their positions
and body language to determine how they were moving and modeled her own
dance movements off of that. The
statues were still but still were able to express something, so she
wanted to use the same expressions in her dances. For women’s dance, she
wanted to show the concept of women’s freedom. She still used ideas
from the ancient Greeks and incorporated their duality of the body and
soul into her pieces.
The idea of transcendentalism also gave her inspiration for being in touch with nature and having a natural feel. This is when she created her own focus and flow. This was important for her dances because her technique was having energy flow from the body to the limbs. The energy would come from the solar plexus which was the center of the chest then move throughout the body, to the limbs, and end up outside of the body. This idea was Duncan virtuosity which was about controlling and sensing this energy. All in all, she made dancing freer.
Ruth St. Denis was involved in creating the Denishawn School and Company. She created this as a space for the greatest dancers to come dance and learn more about dancing. She viewed dancers as a way to incorporate life into dance. The biggest thing for her was to make sure there was creativity in dance. She wanted to be unique and not like the other dancers who would imitate one another. Her style was influenced by different cultures like Indian, Japanese, Chinese and Egyptian.
Ted Shawn saw dance as different than any other form of art. He would say that dance was unique because after it was performed, the moves were pretty much gone, unlike other art forms where the art would stay around for a long time. In his choreography, he wanted to show that men could dance as well in a productive way that still showed their strength, musculature, and agility through dance. His dance embodied the working man in manual labor.
Charles Weidman changed dance by creating a different type of dance that was American. He wanted it to be different from ballet because he felt ballet focused too much on making a human represent something else while he just wanted them to represent being a human. He created a dance that gave in to gravity and used that to make his move. He focused on having his dancers fall and rebound in a way that was graceful and produced dance movements. His ideas were similar to Doris Humphrey.
Doris Humphrey technique was also built around people giving into gravity as a form of dance. She worked with Weidman to create different concepts of this new type of dance. It involved fall, recovery, shapes, rhythmic contrast, and suspension. To fall was to give into gravity, when you recovered the movement shapes changed. The speed of fall and slowness of movements was what created the rhythmic contrast which was the difference in moves. When the fall was resisted there was suspension, and getting back up from a fall was the rebound. All of these concepts were put together in Weidman's and Humphrey's choreographies. The differences in each concept is what made possible so many different types of choreography.
I
think that it was interesting to explore all of the different types of
dances because you can see where modern dance came from as well as
seeing where their own influences came from. It
shows that dance can really come from anything like from sculptures to
ancient rituals, yoga, martial arts, and other things. In some cases, all of their techniques may be seen in the same choreography. You can see how much of what is known as modern dance has transformed and evolved into the modern dance we know today.
6
Chengkun Liu
Jorge Morejon
DAN211
May 5, 2021
Modern Dance: A Necessary Evolution
Modern dance has its roots in The United States and Europe, with time being a significant contributor to its emergence and evolution. These changes have been influenced by legendary figures who sort to revolutionize dance as people knew it during historical times, especially in the 19th and 20th centuries. Some of these figures include Rudolph Laban, Mary Wigman, Isadora Duncan, Ruth Saint-Denis, Ted Shawn, Charles Weidman, and Doris Humphrey (Naranjo 2011). They influenced choreographic representations and artistic concepts in Western culture, which have shaped how the entire world views dance in contemporary society.
Rudolph Laban (1879 – 1958)
Laban created a reputation for himself around the world through the labanotation system (Kynetography), which recorded and analyzed movement. His books and articles, such as The Mastery of Movement, Educational Modern dance, and Choreutics, are still used as references in dance history (Bradley 21). Laban theorized that human movement expressed the social state, and thus dance needed to be a communication experience. He also believed that dance could correct wrongs in society by educating people and their groups. His work influenced other modern dancers, such as Mary Wigman. His Labanotation system is now used in academic curriculum in the United States for high-level students.
Mary Wigman (1886 – 1973)
Mary Wigman followed up on Laban’s legacy, especially in Europe. Wigman developed a unique understanding of dance; criticized it using various choreographic pieces (Bradley 45). She sorted to oppose the methods and values of classical dance by creating a dance that expressed the dancer's soul. Her work is still used in the German artistic trend of expressionism (Naranjo 2011). Wigman’s practice is referred to as the dance of expression. Hanya Holm passed her ideas in the United States, and her heirs spread her practice into Europe, which is still used in modern times.
Isadora Duncan (1878 - 1927)
Isadora is considered the figure of freedom in the history of modern dance. She defied traditional dance and social codes and went against the set academic dance education. Isadora used a creative method that allowed her to translate classical music into emotions (Naranjo 2011). Her contribution to modern dance is more on the diversification of cultural processes around dance than techniques. She changed the view of social codes, which restricted movement, especially for women, which is a fact that is consistently pushed in modern society.
Ruth Saint-Denis (1877 - 1968)
Ruth Saint-Denis is well known in the United States and is a daughter to one of the first female students and feminists to gain admission into a university. Her ideologies lean mostly towards oriental religions. She believed that dance was instrumental in rejoining an individual to divinity. She worked closely with Ted Shawn to combine her passionate charisma with Shawn's technical rigor. The Denishawn School and Company (1915-1931) offered oriental religion, Dalcroze methods, and yoga which shaped some world-renowned figures in modern dance history; including; Charles Wiedman and Dorris Humphrey who were taught in the school and took part in the Company's activities (Naranjo 2011). The Company's legacy is spectacular and big format pieces that developed scenes which Ruth referred to as musical visualizations. These dances were among the first choreographic abstraction attempts.
Ted Shawn (1891- 1972)
Ted Shawn and Ruth Saint-Denis parted ways immediately after the Denishawn School was dissolved. He continued his profession independently by being part of the first men-only Company. He used his influence to attract highly intellectual individuals around the United States. Shawn is remembered for his contribution to the fight against effeminate artists' discrimination by educating young masculine individuals and creating an image of an athletic performer (Naranjo 2011). The Jacob's Pillow festival was also founded by Shawn, and it continues to offer lessons through its dance festivals in Massachusetts.
Charles Weidman (July 22, 1901 – July 15, 1975)
Charles Weidman is also considered a legendary figure in modern dance history through his ideologies of breaking free from conventional dance forms and developing an American style. He based his art on thematic elements such as comedy, tribal, and religion (Palfy 5). Weidman dedicated his pieces to figures that impacted his career. For instance Brahmz Waltzes that was dedicated to Dorris Humphrey (Naranjo 2011). Weidman is remembered majorly for integrating emotions and feelings in dance since he practiced art during a dire need of expression in society.
Doris Humphrey (1895 - 1958)
Doris Humphrey was one of the beneficiaries of the Denishawn School and Company. She formed the Humphrey - Weidman Company (1927-1944) with Charles and Pauline Lawrence. The Humphrey – Weidman Company managed to develop unique dance techniques through exploring the relationship of the human body and how it interacts with gravity, using Fall and Recovery as the primary physical principles of her dance techniques (Naranjo 2011). She was the first modern dance figure to base imbalance as a feature in her movements and to utilize physical concepts such as rebound weight, suspension, and breath. These techniques have allowed dancers to perfect extreme moves in their choreographies while maintaining a high safety level. She also gave a firm depiction of dancing groups as the central identity for choreography instead of only being a counterpoint to a soloist. These practices are used in modern society to develop the dynamics seen in dance groups which give them a much needed edge.
Conclusion
Modern dance is an evolving concept that takes a rhythmic development through the eyes of different legendary figures. There is a relationship between the significant contributors and how their practice influences one another. Each figure gave their work passion and dedication, which allowed the preceding figure a base from which to continue developing from and continuing the evolution. These concepts are backed by the fact that modern-day society uses these principles in today's artistic development. From Laban to Humphrey, it is evident that modern dance evolution was necessary to ensure that dance is more than physical movement. It incorporates the emotions and feelings of each dancer.
Works Cited
Bradley, Karen K. "Rudolf Laban." 2018.
Naranjo, Maria. "The handy e-book of CONTEMPORARY DANCE HISTORY." Contemporary-dance.org, 2011, www.contemporary-dance.org/modern-dance-history.html.
Palfy, Barbara. "Weidman, Charles." Oxford Music Online, 2011.
7
Final Paper
Gilbert Frierson
DAN211
Throughout this semester we learned about different precursors to modern dance. We learned about different styles from Rudolph Laban and his cube to Doris Humphrey’s ideas about dancing with gravity. We were able to watch videos about their styles, choreography, where their ideas came from. In this paper I will summarize they key contributions each precursor has given to modern dance.
Rudolph Laban was the first person we learned about. His main idea was Laban’s cube. His invisible cube was used as a space to control where the dancer was able to dance. They used large movements but were conscious about staying inside of the cube. In the cube, there were different components of movements that they focused on. Their movements have direct and indirect direction. When they moved, they had to worry about their weight whether it was heavy or light. Depending on the music, they would change up their speed to quick or sustained. The last thing was bound or free flow. Bound was keeping your limbs close to your body and movements tight and free was more like flowing with the air. These components are still used in every modern dance style.
Then we learned about Mary Wigman. She created a type of dance different than anything over her time. She brought emotions into dance through the technique of expressionism. Wigman brought together the music and the dance itself to tell a story about emotion. She educated the dancers to make themselves conscious about their own inner feelings and taught them how to bring that into their dancing. She really wanted the dances to come from within instead of being a mechanical choreography. In modern dance today, expressionism is still used in almost all dances.
Isadora Duncan was next with another new type of dance, but got her inspiration from many places. She was someone who was carefree in her life and did whatever she wanted which was also shown in her dances. She usually danced barefoot and expressed her sexuality. She did the same in her women’s dance as a way to represent their freedom. She took some of the ideas from transcendentalism of being one with nature and put those into her dances. She also took ideas from the Ancient Greek and their statues and based her movements off of them. Each of the statues represented their own story and even though they looked a certain way, their personalities or own stories may have been different. This is what Duncan liked about them so much. She then invented the Duncan concept of virtuosity, which was about creating, sensing, and controlling energy taken from the body and being able to transfer it to the limbs and send it outside of the body. She called these movement qualities focus and flow. The focus was taking it from the center of the body which is the chest (or solar plexus), and the flow was making the energy move all throughout. She made a lot of contributions in different dance areas.
Ruth St. Denis was also talked about because of her ideas of creativity in dance. She thought that dance was unique and should be creative. She criticized other dancers because she thought they just copied each other. Her dances were different because she incorporated life into them. Her influences came from many Asian cultures like Indian, Japanese, Chinese, and African cultures like Egyptian. She also helped establish the Denishawn School and Company as a place where dancers could come from everywhere to dance together.
Ted Shawn was similar to Ruth St. Denis because he also saw dance as unique. He considered dance a different type of art because of the performance part of it. He focused on men’s dance. He wanted to show different techniques in his dances that would show the role of the working man in society. The dances showcased his male dancer's agility and strength.
After all these influences, other precursors created their own techniques. Charles Weidman decided that he should also make a dance but make one that could be considered American. Since ballet was so popular and everyone else liked it he wanted to make something else. He criticized ballet by saying it wanted humans to be everything but human. His dance was about having a person just being a person. He also saw that a lot of dances defied gravity and thought that using gravity as a tool to dance would be artistic. He and Doris Humphrey created this technique and style.
Doris Humphrey worked with Charles Weidman on making the new dance that gives in to gravity. In class we learned about the different components to their dance which were the fall shapes, suspension, recovery, and rhythmic contrast. The differences in each of these components was what made the variety in their dances.
I
learned a lot about dance in this class but also learned about myself
and how I danced. I never knew what everything was called but through
looking at all of these people and their contributions I now can see what parts of dance come from which person and what techniques.
8
Cam Harris
Modern Dance
Professor Morejon
Final Paper
Multifaceted and Interesting Art in Motion
Dance is undeniably a compilation of emotion, physical movement, expression, and an uncontested art form. The freedom of movement associated with dance is liberating and often helps to express oneself in non-conventional ways. Without dance as an art form, many would fail to fully encapsulate the essence of music and rhythm. There have been many people throughout history that have contributed to the presence of modern dance as we know it. Without their contribution and their individually unique perspectives on dance, it would not be the multifaceted and interesting art in motion that it is today. Many of these contributors include Rudolf Laban, Mary Wigman, Isadora Duncan, Ruth St. Denis, Ted Shawn, Charles Weidman, and Doris Humphrey. These contributors each have varying perspectives as it relates to dance and the way that movement should be both interpreted and executed.
Rudolf Laban was both a European theorist and teacher of dance. His life’s work was centered around evaluating, studying, and interpreting movements. He spent over 20 years creating signs that could be transferred to paper. These signs were meant to represent various body parts as they moved freely in space and within the continuance of time. It is arguable that his contribution to modern dance has helped to propel the world of dance forward. He provided an intellectual perspective to dance and revolutionized the way that dance could be seen by both scholars, theorists, and creatives alike.
He developed Labanotation, as one of the foundational movement notation systems. Laban was also instrumental in the foundation of choreutics which was the analysis of forms of movement. Choreutics helped to specify 12 base directions of movement centered around geometrical shapes. Another one of his ideas, known as eukinetics, was aimed at helping to dynamically stabilize and control expression of movement.
Secondly, Mary Wigman is recognized as one of the primary originators of modern dance in Europe. She was a student of Rudolf Laban and a major supporter and proponent of expressionism and emotion in dance. Her movements were known to be abrupt, dramatic, and exacerbated. She frequently related movement to space and these ideas were similar to the approach made by Laban’s choreutics. Her method of dance was described as being “radical” and even “chaotic” by some.
She didn’t focus on controlled or formalized technique of dance. Instead, her movements focused on the beauty and freedom of expression. Improvisation was a major component of her movement as well, as it emphasized the imperfection of the art form. Many ideas of her work are seen in aspects of movement development and Tanztheater. Her performances were accompanied by percussive beats specifically designed for her instead of traditional classical music.
Thirdly, Isadora Duncan is known for being a pioneer in the modern dance arena. She was a performer and teacher that was instrumental in defying the traditional rules and reservations of ballet. Her dancing was based on interpretative means and propelled dance forward. Duncan studied the ancient Greeks and was able to confirm the classical use of movements and gestures.
Her movement was described as the embodiment of “freedom.” It was the complete opposite of the traditional aspects of ballet. She was also known for her establishment of schools throughput western Europe. She founded schools in Germany, Russia, and the United States. Duncan’s reliance on the subtle grace of natural movement made her an innovator of her time.
Furthermore, Ruth St. Denis, was the founder of the Denishawn School of Dancing. This institution was considered the first major organized dance experiment and instruction institution in the country. St. Denis’ work was profound and instructed many pupils that contributed to the further development of modern-day dance. These students included Martha Graham and Doris Humphrey. She believed that dance should not be strictly for entertainment or to display talent, but could also be used as a method of spiritual release.
St. Denis was known for bringing her ideas about the interpretation, understanding, and communication of ideas related to dance. St. Denis also incorporated various Asian movements and “abstract music visualizations”. Her perspective on dance and non-traditional “balletic” movements led to the emergence of what we now recognize as modern-day dance.
Ted Shawn was considered to be another pioneer for modern day dance. Ruth St. Denis had a major impact of the artistic perspectives of Ted Shawn. She greatly influenced his ideas about dance and movement. Alongside St. Denis, Shawn was instrumental in developing the Denishawn School of Dance. Shawn was also known for his impact on other dance pioneers including Martha Graham, Charles Weidman, Doris Humphrey, and Jack Cole. Ted Shawn was very important in establishing the foundation for male dancers and America’s longest standing dance festival (Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival). He was the first American man to have an international impact of the globally viewed artform. Even further, he appeared in one of the first known dance films entitled, “Dances of the Ages,” in 1912. He was arguably a pioneer of contemporary dance forms and change in the world of dance.
Additionally, Charles Weidman was a well-known choreographer, proponent of modern dance, and teacher. He was very well known for his display of humorous and satirically based pieces. His work was not only explorative but emphasized the artistic components of dance. His dances not only reflect theatrics, but also the social aspects that dance often comprises.
Weidman’s dances were also based on human gestures and pantomime. His dances often revealed social ideas and customs. Furthermore, his moves were notably abstract and at times unrecognizable by the broader society. His works included “Opus 51,” “Kinetic Pantomime,” and Atavisms. Pantomime was an important aspect of his overall dance structure.
Finally, Doris Humphrey is another renowned and reputable contributor to modern dance. She was instrumental to the development of ‘Fall and Recovery, “and movement vocabulary. This vocabulary was based on rhythmic foundations and traditions. She is also known to have created the first, “concrete, fully articulated choreographic method, “for modern choreographers. Her dances were indisputably more consistent with modern and contemporary dance styles. Her dances also revealed a more individualistic style of dance.
Conclusively,
as previously stated, dance is definitely an art form that deserves respect and
recognition. There have been many people throughout the course of history that
have contributed to the modern-day dance as we know it. Without their
contributions, it would not be accepted, understood, and interpreted with the
respect and admiration it deserves. Being a part of this course has taught me
the value of using emotion and expression through body language. It has also
helped me to develop a greater appreciation for the beauty and esteem that
accompanies dancing. Overall, this semester has taught me a lot and has helped
me to not only learn about dance techniques, but the fundamental history as well.
9
DJ Ivey
DAN 211
Final Paper
Rituals, Sculptures, Martial Arts, Yoga and More
In class, we learned about many different people who helped make dance what it is today. Much of the dances today have been inspired by different dancers who have created their own techniques from other forms of art. The other forms of art have come from many different cultures all over the world. The different arts were rituals, sculptures, martial arts, yoga, and more. They were inspired but made everything their own unique way.
Rudolf Laban created the idea of kinesphere. A kinesphere is like a cube that restricts where you dance. His idea was to have dancers do their choreography in the invisible cube but using large movements to fill the cube. He also defined types of movements and their direction, weight, speed, and type of flow. This was important for dance because it gave dance its dynamics. Direction can be direct and indirect, weight can be heavy and light, speed can be quick or sustained, and flow can be free or bound.
Mary Wigman was
the first to come up with the idea of expressionism in dance.
Expressionism was a way of bringing emotions into dance. She wanted
dance to be able to touch the audience more,
so she told her dancers to bring the feelings from inside of them and
put it all into the choreography. She thought emotion should be in every
aspect of dance, including the music. This is interesting because a lot
of dances today have a lot of emotion in it.
Isadora
Duncan used her life as a model for her dances. She was free and made a
lot of her dances about freedom. Since she was a woman, she wanted to
show women empowerment and freedom in her dances too. Another thing she
liked was being natural. She used the idea of transcendentalism for this
to incorporate naturalness. She was also inspired by ancient Greek
sculptures. She felt like they all expressed something, and she used
that in her dances. She took the sculptures and created movements based
on them to go into her dances. Lastly, she focused on energies. She
created a technique where you took the energy from inside like the
center of the chest and move it throughout your body and then outside.
This was called Duncan virtuosity since she was the only one to do
something like this.
Ruth St. Denis created the Denishawn School and company as a way to showcase great dancers. Her own dances were inspired by several cultures like Egyptian, Japanese, and Indian. Their martial arts, yoga, and other cultural activities were incorporated into her dances as well. She also looked at different cultures rituals and took some inspiration from them. She wanted dance to be creative and show life. She did this by creating her own types of dances and made sure they didn’t look like anyone else’s.
Ted Shawn worked with Ruth St. Denis before they separated. He changed dance because he saw it as a different type of art. It was different than other types because it used the body as a form of art. He did a lot of men’s dance and choreography that he used to show the working man back then. He showed their strength, musculature, and agility through their dance moves.
Charles Weidman decided that he didn’t really like ballet. He thought ballet didn’t represent life as a human enough. Since ballet was so popular, he wanted to make another dance that was also popular and American. This new dance used gravity to its advantage. He would have the dancers move then fall and get up in a graceful way. The technique varied because of the ways they would change falling and getting up. This is what would make possible the different moves.
Doris Humphrey worked with Charles Weidman to create the technique that used gravity. Together they were able to name the different moves in their dance. It consisted of the fall which was giving in to gravity. The next part was the recovery which involved changing movement shapes of the dance. Then, the rhythmic contrast was from how fast they fell and how fast they recovered. Next was the suspension which happened when a person stopped themselves from falling. Lastly, there was the rebound, that meant how they got up from falling. As previously stated, the different moves came from how these specific components were explored.
In conclusion, it is always good to know exactly
where things originated from. In this case, modern dance has a lot of
precursors whether it’s techniques, styles of dancing, or the people who
created all of its body of knowledge. I
was able to see exactly how things, from back then, came together into
almost all of the different genres of modern dance we have now.
10
Carrie Feltingoff
DAN 211
Final Paper
A New Medium of Art
Over the course of the semester, we’ve learned about several modern dance precursors and the
contributions that they have made to the art. I’ve always been an artistic person but I’ve never
spent any time studying or exploring this medium. I’ve enjoyed stepping out of my comfort zone
and allowed myself to be free and experience things that I would never have the opportunity
to experience otherwise. The forerunners that I will be talking about have shaped the modern dance
world and have influenced dancers and other artists to this day.
Rudolph Laban was a dancer, choreographer and a dance movement theorist. He is known for
developing Laban movement analysis, which is a method for describing, visualizing, interpreting,
and documenting human movement. Laban categorized movement into four component parts:
direction, weight, flow, and speed. Each of those parts has two elements: direction is either direct
or indirect, weight is either heavy or light, flow is either bound or free, and speed is either quick
or sustained.
Mary Wigman was a German modern dance pioneer, performer, choreographer, and teacher. She
rejected formalized technique in favor of focusing on expression of emotion. Dance, according to
Wigman, is a complete and unrestricted representation of the choreographer's emotions. It is highly
exaggerated, often visually jarring, and lacks a distinct technique.
Isadora Duncan is known for having helped liberate ballet from its conservative restrictions and
presaged the development of modern dance. She paved the way for dancers to be more expressive
and natural. She preferred to use mood music rather than the structured classical music. She freed
up dancers with her free-flowing movements, bare feet and loose clothing so that they could move
away from structured, classical musical accompaniment.
Ruth St Denis was an American dancer and choreographer who is remembered for being one of
the founders of modern dance. She believed that dance was a spiritual art and it is how the body
and soul connected. She introduced eastern ideas to modern dance, and was particularly interested
in Japanese, Indian and Egyptian cultures. She co- founded the Denishawn School and Company
and taught several notable performers.
St Denis’ husband Ted Shawn was the other co-founder of the Denishawn School and Company
and was known for his technical rigor. After the demise of the Denishawn School, Shawn
continued his choreographic and teaching career. He went on to create the first dance company
composed of men only called Ted Shawn and his Men Dancers. One of his most significant
contribution to modern dance was challenging the stereotypes of a male dancer to creating the
image of a masculine and athletic dancer.
Charles Weidman was a choreographer, dancer, teacher, and a pioneer of Modern Dance in
America. Weidman wanted to create a uniquely American style of movement. He also wanted to
break away from the Denishawn Company, with whom he performed, and its existing ideas in
modern dance. Weidman was focused on the idea of gravity. The goal was to see how giving in to
gravity causes one to fall, while balancing one's body against gravity can also cause movement
Doris Humphrey was one of the first modern dance choreographers. She was very
interested in making dance more reflective of modern times. She created “fall and recovery,” which
is the contraction and release of muscles. This technique is still used in dance today.
In summary, there were several pioneers of modern dance. I have enjoyed learning about all of
their contributions to the art of dance; they really paved the way for future performers. This class
allowed me to study and experience a new medium of art and I am truly grateful for that.
11
DAN 211
Final Paper
Dylan Savage
Exotic, Spiritual, Religious, and Theatrical
This paper aims to survey the impact that pioneer dancers such as Rudolf Laban, Mary Wigman, Isadora Duncan, Ruth St. Denis, Ted Shawn, Charles Weidman and Doris Humphrey had on the evolution of modern dance. Rudolf Laban (1879-1958) is a Central European dancer and theoretician who studied dance movement through the lenses of space, time, body’s weight, stability, mobility, and music. Laban created an annotation system that describes each movement in time and space through positions of neck, femur bones and other muscles. This annotation system can be compared to the musical notation system that musicians use to transcribe music and communicate through literacy.
Mary Wigman (1886-1973) is a German dancer who challenged the traditional technique and form of ballet and focused instead on expressing emotions and transporting mood. Her dance is creative and ahead of its time where she danced to percussion or without music instead of to classical or piano music. Instead of showcasing virtuoso technique of ballet dancers, she explored how body movement synchronized to percussion can exude a certain mood with the help of a witch mask, or focused on expressing emotion through her spatial flow and facial expression.
Isadora Duncan (1878-1927) was inspired by the beauty and aesthetics of Greek marble statues as well as Renaissance paintings. These artistic influences can be seen through her mobile neck position, her costumes, how she positioned both of her arms upward and swinging from side to side, and how she traveled the space vertically by hopping or jumping. It reminds me of fairies coming out of a Greek fairy tale, or a young maiden at the height of the Renaissance epoch which focuses on expression and natural beauty.
Ruth St. Denis (1879-1968) was another pioneer American dancer that incorporated Indian, Chinese, Egyptian among other multicultural elements into her dance movement. Her dancing concept and style can be described as exotic, spiritual, religious, and theatrical where she employed light, costume, and storytelling into her own signature style. She brought the American audience closer to Oriental and Asian culture.
Ted Shawn (1891-1972) was the husband of Ruth St Denis, he created choreographs specifically for a crew of men dancers, which was first at that time. Similarly, to his wife, his dance style borrows spiritual, religious and cosmic elements from North African, Spanish, American and Amerindian culture.
Charles Weidman (1901-1975) was a member of the Denishawn Dance Company created by Denis and Shawn (the 2 dancers surveyed above). He later found his own style which can be described as kinetic dance movement, exploratory of gravity, pantomiming, expressive, theatrical and emotional.
Doris Humphrey (1895-1958) was a fellow member of the Denishawn Company as well before founding her own crew alongside Charles Weidman. She focused on the fundamentals of movement and her dance style evolves around the theory of Fall and Recovery. As the body moves away from center, an adjustment of equal size should follow to prevent a fall. One of her choreographed pieces is about members of a Christian sect called Shakers, they are known to shake during worship. Her portrayal of their shaking represents both their sexual repression and shaking off their sin.
Dance is about expressing oneself, feeling comfortable in one’s own skin and connecting with one another and the universe. Dancing came on through the virtuoso ballet world into the modern dance world as experienced, experimented and felt by the pioneer dancers above. Each of them added their own style to modern dance, focusing on expressing emotions and connecting with the audience. Whether it's channeling the natural beauty as inspired by arts from previous epoch, or the exotic elements from a different culture, the pioneer dancers found a way to bring dance closer to the public, elevate dance as an art form and instill a deeper appreciation for human artistic ability
12
DAN 211
Final Paper
Alphonso Blades
Dance as Creative Art
This paper summarizes the major contributions of the forerunners of modern dance. Rudolf Laban, Mary Wigman, Isadora Duncan, began their artistic journey in Europe. Others listed below started their career in North-American. They all created the basis for this important dance style. Their work proposed an alternative to ballet practice. Although it was not fully embraced at first, eventually modern dance bacame a signature dance genre in America.
Rudolf Laban
Laban was a dancer, choreographer and movement theoretician. He was the first person to develop community dance. He set out to reform dance education, believing that it should be made available to everyone. He ran a dance theater company and an amateur movement choir. His greatest contribution to dance was his creation of the Laban Movement Analysis and Labanotation, which are two systems for understanding movement.
Mary Wigman
Wigman was a German dancer and pioneer of modern expressive dance. She was a student of Rudolph Laban. Her impact on dance throughout central Europe changed the course of dance history. She wore a mask when she danced because she believed this allow her to transfer her inner emotions onto a blank slate.
Isadora Duncan
Duncan
was an American dancer. She helped free ballet from the conservative
restrictions that had been placed on it. She was also one of the first
to bring interpretive dance to the level of creative art. She used the Elgin Marbles to design her dance moves. Eventually, her style became a major hallmark of American dance.
Ruth St. Denis
St. Denis was an American dancer, choreographer, and co-founder of the Denishawn School and Company. She is known as a contemporary dance innovator who has influenced almost every phase of American dance. She
spent much of her life promoting the use of dance in religion. She is
often referred to as the “first lady of American dance.” Her influence transcended the school she founded through the students who came out of it such as Charles Weidman, Doris Humphrey, Martha Graham and Marian Chace.
Ted Shawn
Shawn was an innovative American modern dancer and co-founder of the Denishawn School and Company. He established a company of all male dancers. He did this to prove that dancing was an acceptable form of art for men. With this company, in 1941 he started his Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Massachusetts. For over three decades this festival was established as a seminal force in American dance.
Charles Weidman
Weidman was a modern dancer, teacher, and choreographer. After watching Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn perform, became a member of the Denishawn School and was a leading dancer. He later left and formed the Humphrey-Weidman Dance Company with Doris Humphrey. Weidman is known for his abstract, rhythmic pantomime as well as the use of comedy and satire in his work.
Doris Humphrey
Humphrey was an American
dancer and innovator. She was an innovator in technique, choreography,
and theory of dance movement. She was a member of the Denishawn
School before co-founding the Humphrey-Weidmann Dance Company with
Charles Weidman. She is known for her development of movement vocabulary
based on its rhythms. She was also responsible for the creation of the
first concrete choreographic method for modern dance-makers.
Thanks to all the precursors of modern dance we all have access to a new field of studies in dance art. They paved the way for us to embody a new way of dancing. They framed dance as true form of American expression. Their contribution to dance has lasted until today. From Laban to Humphrey, modern dance's legacy still informs the way we perceive dance in America and the world.
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