Modern Dance

Brief History of Modern Dance Traditionally, European and American theatrical dance centered on ballet. However, in the early twentieth century, it became fashionable in dance circles to rebel against the strictures of tradition. The first two well-known American dancers to break away from classical ballet were Isadora Duncan and Ruth St. Denis. Although their styles differed, Duncan and St. Denis's unconventional approaches opened the door to a new era in dance history: the American modern dance movement of the 1920s. Leaders of this movement based their works on personal experience, using their bodies as instruments to express such emotions as passion, fear, joy, or grief. Rather than adhering to a set form and a limited range of gestures, as in ballet, the dancer created form as an outgrowth of his or her own communicative impulses.

Brief History of Modern Dance Cont. There were two developments that helped inspire a freer kind of dance movement: - The system of natural expressive gestures – developed by French Actor Francois Delsarte. - Eurhythmics – a system for teaching musical rhythms through body movement – created by Swiss music educator, Emile Jacques-Dalcroze. Early modern dancers looked beyond the dominant tradition of Western theatrical dance (ballet) in order to give their dance a more communicative power. They drew on archaic or exotic sources for inspiration. During the same period, some ballet choreographers also looked to similar sources.

History of Modern Dance cont. Modern dance is a broad genre of western concert or theatrical dance (as opposed to participation dance), primarily arising out of both Germany and the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  The oversimplification of modern dance's history often leads to the erroneous explanation that the art form emerged merely as a rejection of, or rebellion against classical ballet. An in-depth analysis of the context of the emergence of modern dance reveals that as early as the 1880s, a range of socioeconomic changes in both the United States and Europe was initiating to tremendous shifts in the dance world.

History of Modern Dance Cont. In America, increasing industrialization, the rise of a middle class (which had more disposable income and free time), and the decline of Victorian social strictures led to, among other changes, a new interest in health and physical fitness. "It was in this atmosphere that a 'new dance' was emerging as much from a rejection of social structures as from a dissatisfaction with ballet."[2] During that same period, "the champions of physical education helped to prepare the way for modern dance, and gymnastic exercises served as technical starting points for young women who longed to dance"[3]—and women's colleges were already offering "aesthetic dance" courses by the end of the 1880s[4]

History of Modern Dance cont. Concurrently, dance artists such as Isadora Duncan, Maud Allen, and Loie Fuller were pioneering new forms and practices in what is now called aesthetic or free dance for performance. These dancers disregarded ballet's strict movement vocabulary, the particular, limited set of movements that were considered proper to ballet, and stopped wearing corsets and pointe shoes in the search for greater freedom of movement. Emil Rath, who wrote at length about this emerging artform at the time stated, "Music and rhythmic bodily movement are twin sisters of art, as they have come into existence simultaneously...today we see in the artistic work of Isadora Duncan, Maud Allen, and others the use of a form of dancing which strives to portray in movements what the music master expresses in his compositions—interpretative dancing."[5]

History of Modern Dance (cont.) In Europe, at this time, an artistic movement was taking place. Expressionism was a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas. Expressionist artists sought to express the meaning of emotional experience rather than physical reality

History of Modern Dance (cont.) The term Expressionism did not firmly establish itself until 1913 The term refers to an "artistic style in which the artist seeks to depict not objective reality but rather the subjective emotions and responses that objects and events arouse within a person.“ It is arguable that all artists are expressive but there are many examples of art production in Europe from the 15th century onward which emphasize extreme emotion. Such art often occurs during times of social upheaval.

History of Modern Dance (cont.) Expressionist dance (translated as "expressive dance") is a European dance form that is part of the German Expressionist movement. Although the Expressionist dance has had origins in the modern dance pioneered by Rudolf von Laban, his student Mary Wigman is considered the pioneer of Expressionist dance proper. Hanya Holm was a German Expressionist dancer who was a student of Mary Wigman. She brought these ideas to the United States.

Modern Dance Vocabulary Dynamics The use of weight, space, flow (energy) and time to create different energetic statements.

Modern Dance Vocabulary Qualities of Movement: Swing—pendular, movement centered around a fixed point. Sustain—continuous, never breaking, even flow, often slow motion Suspend—momentary weightlessness Staccato—rhythmic, percussive, quick, sharp Vibrate—isolated, energy remains contained Collapse—to fall or cave in Explode—a burst from a center point

Modern Dance Vocabulary Locomotor Movement: Movement that moves in space from one point to another

Modern Dance Vocabulary Axial Movement: Movement that stays in one location and moves around the axis of the body

Modern Dance Vocabulary Motif A central movement theme or idea

Modern Dance Vocabulary Contract And Release The basic movement idea of Martha Graham’s technique derived from the use of breath within the body.

Modern Dance Vocabulary Fall and Recovery The basic movement idea of Doris Humphrey’s (and later, Jose Limon’s) technique based on circular motion and gravity.

Modern Dance Vocabulary Triplet Three steps usually done in a down, up, up pattern

Modern Dance Vocabulary Prance The toe-ball-heel transfer of weight from one leg to the other. Can be done with straight or bent knees.

Modern Dance Vocabulary Spiral The rotation of the spinal column along its vertical axis.

Modern Dance Vocabulary Pulse A beat at regular intervals

Modern Dance Vocabulary Weight Shifts The transfers of body weight from one leg to the other.

Modern Dance Vocabulary (Intermediate) Abstract Movement Movement for movement’s sake, non-literal, often non-realistic

Modern Dance Vocabulary (Intermediate) Some basic Anatomy: The Spine Cervical Spine—the vertebrae of the neck Thoracic Spine—the chest area of the spine Lumbar Spine—the lower back area of the spine Sacral Spine—the tailbone region of the spine

Modern Dance Vocabulary (Intermediate) Basic Anatomy Cont. Pelvis—complex bony structure made up of the sacrum and the right and left hip bones. Sitz Bones (ischial tuberosity)---the bones that make contact with the floor while sitting.

Modern Dance Vocabulary (Intermediate) Phrasing The use of dynamics to break up a sequence of movement in time. Initiation The body part or location from where movement begins.

Modern Dance Vocabulary (Advanced) Musicality The ability of a dancer to move in response to the music. Independent of the music, the ability of a dancer to move with appropriate dynamics.

Modern Dance Vocabulary (Advanced) Overcurve Lifting the body or part of the body up at the top of the curve through space. Undercurve Dropping the weight of the body or part of the body lower in the center of the curve.