MODERN DANCE A dance form developed in the early 20th century A concert dance form performed in bare feet that can be distinguished from ballet by its use of innovative movement time space energy and attention to socio political themes ideology Any number of dance techniques that have been codified by various dance artists beginning in the mid 20th century The Forerunners Loie Fuller o 1862 1928 o Not a dancer o The Serpentine 1889 low lights o Loie s Spectacles Manipulated cloth twisting and swirling under Experimented with different colored gels Utilized projections Stood on glass lit from below Traveled with 50 electricians Radium dances o Loie s Legacy Shed the corset Trained company of dancers in her style Loie Fuller and Her Muses Isadora Duncan o 1877 1927 o History Technological advancements o Influenced artists Modern Art Encompasses a wide range of work created from the 1860s 1970s Term refers to style and ideology of visual arts Artists began to reject depiction of historic events to portray contemporary life Western society attempting to deal with urban industrial secular society Support changing artists free from church state aristocracy making work according to individual ideas interests beliefs Ballet against the laws of nature Wanted to express her inner feelings Solar Plexus where ribs meet abdomen below sternum Where all emotion comes from o Inspirations Expression of feeling Training employed simple movements walking running skipping jumping reaching beckoning pointing and pantomime gestures Nature Flowing curves rise fall giving in to gravity Greek Art and Philosophy Body is beautiful beauty molds character Used Greek art as model for new dance form o Allegro Vivace and Revolutionary Choreography by Isadora Duncan Dancers Lori Belilove Co Rudolph Von Laban Mary Wigman Ruth St Denis wife o 1879 1968 o High kicking skirt dancer ballet acrobatics Spanish dance Ted Shawn husband o 1891 1972 o Theology student paralyzed studied ballroom as physical therapy o Denishawn Total Dancer School and company led by Ted Shawn Dance religious expression Dance integral part of life Orientalism fascination with Asian cultures Bakawali Nautch Choreography Ruth St Denis 1924 Ted Shawn His Men Who Danced Jacob s Pillow 1933 present 1790 Massachusetts farm 1850s station in Underground 1930 bought by Shawn 1933 1942 used by company of male railroad dancers 1942 Ted Shawn Theatre First Theatre Designed Specifically for Modern Dance 2012 JP still in works annual season and festival year round community programs and events Modern Dance Pioneers Martha Graham o 1894 1990 o Dancer in Denishawn o Created a complex and rigorous dance technique based on the CONTRACTION RELEASE of the center of the body o Before starting a company she spent time on her own discovering what her body could do o Purpose of body to objectify beliefs and translate emotions into physical form o Art must be indigenous o Major themes feminist perspective o Legacy Among first to integrate her dance company Presented a modern feminist perspective in ethnicities dance Codified technique Combined abstraction and theatricality into a new dramatic dance form Furthered costume and scenic design through her work with other artists o Errand into the Maze Choreography Martha Graham 1947 Music Gian Carlo Menotti Costumes Martha Graham Set Isamu Noguchi o Cave of the Heart Choreography Costumes Graham 1946 Music Samuel Barber Set Isamu Noguchi Dancer Takako Asakawa Medea o How is movement different Sharp Masculine o What feelings are evoked Scared o More drawn to technique or drama Or one in the same Doris Humphrey 1895 1958 and Charles Weidman Same 1901 1975 o Strove to find own movement experience before establishing a technique o Developed technique based on FALL RECOVERY Playing with balance and unbalance Humphrey s technique the arc between two deaths Lamone technique o Humphrey vs Weidman s interests o Humphrey Weidman s Legacy Shifted focus from solo to large group Social issues ideal society of individuals working together in harmony without losing sense of self Humphrey published first book on choreography and dance theories o New Dance Pioneers began to create techniques Second Generation The Beginning Lester Horton o 1906 1953 o West Coast o Inspired by Native American culture and worked in collaboration with musicians such as Duke Ellington o Designed his technique to stretch and strengthen different areas of the body through a large range of motion Characteristics Flat Back Deep Lunges and squats Lateral Balances Ascents and descents o Legacy Among first to integrate his dance company Codified technique Dance Drama complete theatrical experience Launched generation of talented dancers and choreographers including Alvin Ailey Katherine Dunham o 1912 2006 o Dancer Choreographer Anthropologist Vodoun o Orozco Priestess o Created a technique that integrated CULTURAL DANCE FORMS BALLET AND MODERN and featured Flexible torso and spine Articulated pelvis Polyrhythmic movements Isolation of the limbs o Legacy Katherine Dunham Centers for the Arts and Humanities Technique incorporating different cultural techniques and forms including Broadway glamour Illuminated West Indies DANCE CULTURE AND RELIGIONS Jamaica Cuba Trinidad Haiti Martinique Authored 3 books on Haiti Pearl Primus Erick Hawkins o 1917 1994 o Hawkins Technique Simple movements Native American influence o Trained in Graham married principle male dancer o Plains Daybreak Choreography Erick Hawkins 1979 Music Alan Hovhaness Set Lights Ralph Dorazio Robert Engstrom Performers member of Erick Hawkins Dance Company Merce Cunningham o 1919 o Trained in Graham Jose Limon o 1908 1972 o Trained in Humphrey technique solidified and can be referred to as Limon technique Alvin Ailey o 1931 1990 o Studied with both Horton and Graham o Took over teaching choreography of Horton s company o Premiered Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre in 1958 NYC o Legacy Coast Horton Technique spread particularly to the East Broke down racial barriers and stereotypes about dancing and race Individual dancer versus a specific type Cultural ambassador via extensive touring Utilized modern jazz African American cultural dance with a focus on African American heritage Integrated AAADT in 1962 Used the work of other choreographer Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble Ailey 2 Alvin Ailey American Dance Center BFA in collaboration with Fordham o Revelations University