modern dance - History, Legacy of Modern dance, Further information

A theatre form of dance which began c.1910 and continues to evolve. It shares the revolutionary assumptions of all modern movements in the arts, rejecting the established form of dance and ballet. Greek myths, psychological states, political comment, reflections on the mechanization of life, and alienation of modern society have been common themes, demonstrating a serious modern consciousness. Isadora Duncan and Ruth Saint Denis are often credited with originating the modern movement in the first two decades of the 20th-c, the former in returning to natural movements, the latter in using exotic Oriental influences. Later, Martha Graham and Doris Humphrey emerged as major figures, each developing a particular way of moving and a distinctive repertoire. Merce Cunningham was one of the major innovators of modern dance, redefining its concept as an emphasis on form rather than content. The emphasis in modern dance lies in the expressiveness of the human body in showing emotional states, and this required a new vocabulary of movement using natural actions such as walking, running, and breathing. The choreographer Rudolf Laban developed theories of movement which remain important, and a comprehensive notation system. In Germany in the 1970s80s, Pina Bausch's dramatic theatrical works continued the modern, expressionist movement. Since the 1960s there has been a massive expansion of small modern dance companies in Europe and North America. Audio and visual technology offered a new dimension, and inspired dancers such as Wayne McGregor (1970 ) to use computer animation and digital video images as a choreographic tool for his company, Random, notably in Sulphur 16 (1999). However, while modern dance has been transformed by technology, the prime interest of its proponents remains the expressiveness of the human body.

Portions of the summary below have been contributed by Wikipedia.

Modern dance is a dance form developed in the early 20th century. Although the term Modern dances has also been applied to a category of 20th Century ballroom dances, Modern dance as a term usually refers to 20th century concert dance.

In the early 1900s a few dancers in Europe started to rebel against the rigid constraints of Classical Ballet. Shedding classical ballet technique, costume and shoes these early modern dance pioneers practiced free dance.

In America Loie Fuller, Isadora Duncan, Ruth St. Denis, Doris Humphrey and Martha Graham developed their own styles of free dance and laid the foundations of American modern dance with their choreography and teaching.

In Europe Francois Delsarte, Émile Jaques-Dalcroze and Rudolf von Laban developed theories of human movement and expression, and methods of instruction that led to the development of European modern and Expressionist dance. Their theories and techniques spread well beyond Europe to influence the development of modern dance and theatre via their students and disciples, and subsequent generations of teachers and performers carried these theories and methods to Russia, the United States and Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

History

Free dance

main article: Free dance

1891 - Loie Fuller (a burlesque skirt dancer) began experimenting with the effect that gas lighting had on her silk costumes. 1903 - Isadora Duncan developed a dance technique influenced by the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche and a belief that dance of the ancient Greeks (natural and free) was the dance of the future.

Early modern dance

In 1915 Ruth St. Denis founded the Denishawn school and dance company with her husband Ted Shawn. Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, and Charles Weidman where all pupils at the school and members of the dance company.

After shedding the techniques and compositional methods of their teachers the early modern dancers developed their own methods and ideologies and dance techniques which became the foundation for modern dance practice. As a choreographer Tamiris made works based on American themes working in both concert dance and musical theatre. Lester Horton - choosing to work in California (three thousand miles away from the center of modern dance - New York), Horton developed his own approach that incorporated diverse elements including Native American dances and modern Jazz. Ted Shawn -

European modern and expressionist dance

Émile Jaques-Dalcroze (eurythmics) - Rudolf Laban - Kurt Jooss - Mary Wigman - Harald Kreutzberg -

See also: Expressionist dance and Ausdruckstanz

Dance as art

In 1927 newspapers regularly began assigning dance critics, such as Walter Terry, and Edwin Denby, who approached performances from the viewpoint of a movement specialist rather than as a reviewer of music or drama. Educators accepted modern dance into college and university curricula, first as a part of physical education, then as performing art.

Development of Modern Dance

Whilst the founders on modern dance continued to make works based on ancient myths and legends following a narrative structure, their students the radical dancers saw dance as a potential agent of change.

Hanya Holm - A student of Mary Wigman and instructor at the Wigman School in Dresden Holm founded the New York Wigman School of Dance in 1931 (which became the Hanya Holm Studio in 1936) introducing Wigman technique, Laban's theories of spatial dynamics and later her own dance techniques to American modern dance. Holm's dance work Metropolitan Daily was the first modern dance composition to be televised on NBC and her labanotation score for Kiss Me, Kate (1948), was the first choreography to be copyrighted in the United States. Anna Sokolow - a student of Martha Graham and Louis Horst, Sokolow created her own dance company (circa 1930). Limón’s choreographic works and technique remain a strong influence on contemporary dance practice. Influenced by Cage and embracing modernist ideology using postmodern processes, Cunningham introduced chance procedures and pure movement to choreography and Cunningham technique to the cannon of 20th century dance techniques. Erick Hawkins - a student of George Balanchine Hawkins became a soloist and the first male dancer in Martha Graham's dance company. In 1951 Hawkins, interested in the new field of kinesiology, opened his own school and developed his own technique (Hawkins technique) a fore-runner of somatic dance techniques. Paul Taylor - a student of the Juilliard School of Music and the Connecticut College School of Dance. Performing in the companies of Merce Cunningham, Martha Graham, and George Balanchine (in that order), he founded the Paul Taylor Dance Company in 1954. Alwin Nikolais - a student of Hanya Holm, not only pre-empted postmodern dance but also dance technology (as did Loie Fuller) before Judson Dance Theater in the 1960s.

African-American modern dance

The development of Modern dance embraced the contributions of African-American dance artists regardless of whether they made pure modern dance works or blended modern dance with African and Caribbean influences.

Katherine Dunham - African-American dancer, and anthropologist, originally a ballet dancer she founded her first company Ballet Negre in 1936 and later the Katherine Dunham Dance Company based in Chicago, Illinois. Dunham opened a school in New York (1945) where she taught Katherine Dunham Technique, a blend of African and Caribbean movement (flexible torso and spine, articulated pelvis and isolation of the limbs and polyrhythmic movement) integrated with techniques of ballet and modern dance. Pearl Primus - a dancer, choreographer and anthropologist Primus drew on African and Caribbean dances to create strong dramatic works characterized by large leaps in the air. Her dance company developed into the Pearl Primus Dance Language Institute which teaches her method of blending African-American, Caribbean, and African influences with modern dance and ballet techniques. Alvin Ailey- a student of Lester Horton (and later Martha Graham) Ailey spent several years working in both concert and theatre dance. in 1930 Ailey and a group of young African-American dancers perform as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York. Also, the dancers typically danced in bare feet. This is not a "beautiful" type of dance — the movements can be quite abrasive, also there is not as much point in the foot, which is typical of romantic and classical Ballet, where the dancers tend to use a more flexed foot.

Legacy of Modern dance

The legacy on Modern dance can be seen in lineage of 20th century concert dance forms. Although often producing divergent dance forms many seminal dance artists share a common heritage that can be traced back to free dance.

Postmodern and Contemporary dance

Both Postmodern dance and Contemporary dance built upon the foundations laid by Modern dance and form part of the greater category of 20th century concert dance. Where as Postmodern dance was a direct and opposite response to Modern dance, Contemporary dance draws on both modern and postmodern dance as a source of inspiration.

see also: Postmodern dance, Contemporary dance and 20th century concert dance

lineage 20th century concert dance

note: this sketch is provided for illustrative purposes only

teachers and students

This list illustrates the basic teacher / student links in modern dance.

Loie Fuller

Isadora Duncan - Duncan technique

Ruth St. Denis Ted Shawn - Shawn Fundamentals Denishawn (school and company) Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman - The Art of Making Dances (Humphrey) Humphrey-Weidman school - Humphrey-Weidman technique (fall and recovery) José Limón - Limón technique Martha Graham - Graham technique (and Louis Horst) Erick Hawkins (via George Balanchine) - Hawkins technique Anna Sokolow May O'Donnell Merce Cunningham - Cunningham technique (also see Postmodern dance) Yvonne Rainer Paul Taylor Twyla Tharp

Lester Horton Alvin Ailey

Rudolf Laban Kurt Jooss (see Ausdruckstanz) Pina Bausch (see Tanztheater) Mary Wigman (see Expressionist dance) Hanya Holm Alwin Nikolais - decentralization Murray Louis

Émile Jaques-Dalcroze Mary Wigman Marie Rambert

Katherine Dunham Katherine Dunham Technique

Pearl Primus Garth Fagan

Helen Tamiris Daniel Nagrin