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The importance of dance
What culture does dance influence
The importance of dance
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1. What are the innovations of Isadora Duncan, Denishawn, Martha Graham, and
Cunningham. Discuss these in relation to style, technique and theory.
Many Historians say that Isadora Duncan was the first dancer to present “modern dancing” to the public. Duncan felt that the pointe shoes and costumes that ballerinas wore were to restrictive. She began to dance in a way that seemed to be more natural to her. Her inspirations came from the movements of the tress, the ocean and other forms from nature. Her techniques included hopping, swaying, skipping and running. She felt these type of movements were natural and expressive. Also, the history of the Greeks inspired her to dance barefoot and wear tunics similar to those of Greek style. Isadora Duncan paved the way for all modern dancers and choreographers who were to follow her. Learning About Dance pg.61-62
Denishawn was a dance school created in 1915 by Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn. Denis and Shawn were greatly inspired by different cultures, especially the Asian cultures. Although the dances Denishawn performed weren’t authentic, they were still able to bring other countries dance views to American audiences. The purpose of Denishawn was to educate the “total” dancer. Meaning to bring together the body , mind and spirit.
Learning About Dance pg. 62-63
Martha Graham developed a technique known as “contracting” and “releasing” through the ...
Katherine Dunham led a rich and full life not only as a dancer, but as someone who studied the people she loved, wrote extensively, and stood for causes that meant so much to her. Her legacy lives on not only in the great anthropological studies she did or the important political and social stances she took, but in the modern dance of today. Modern dance, or dance in general for that matter, wouldn’t be what it is today without her studies and influence.
The new dancers wanted their movements to be authentic and to tell a story. An example of this is Isadora Duncan, a dancer and choreographer of the 20th century, when “in 1904 [she] established a school in Grunewald, Germany (and others in France and Russia), in which pupils were trained through gymnastic exercises and encouraged to express themselves through movement” (Kassing). Duncan inspired dancers to unravel themselves in their own movements, and to use the music and nature as a muse: “My art is an effort to
Dance today is completely different from what it was like during the Renaissance. Steps and movements were much more simple than what choreography is today. Performances were at courts, provinces, bourgeois houses and marketplaces (Mccowan 1) instead of on a stage or in auditoriums that were invented later by Italian set designers (Homans, 11). Dance studios, as the world knows them today, would not exist without the influence of the renaissance kings and queens.
On the inside of the club door a large notice is pinned up. The notice
Isadora Duncan’s lifelong advocations of her own ideals of dance broadened the spectrum of possibilities for Western dance. The earliest of the three choreographers, Duncan has been called the “founding mother of American modern dance” (Albright). Following her background training in classical ballet,...
Modern dance flourished in the twentieth century embodying a tradition of theatrical dance unique to classic ballet. Unlike in classic ballet, modern dance did not represent expression, but rather an obsession with modern art itself. By analyzing the contrasting cultural elements of dance from both ballet and modern dance it will reveal the hybridity of dance culture. Early modern day American dancers Isadora Duncan and Ruth St. Denis symbolized the breakaway from the classical ballet European culture (Thomas). Modern dance represented a rebellion from European ballet traditions imposed on American ballet.
Learning about Dance: Dance as an Art Form and Entertainment provides visions into the many features of dance and inspires scholars to keep an open mind and think critically about the stimulating, bold, ever-changing and active world of dance. Learning about Dance is particularly useful for those who do not have a wide and diverse dance contextual, such as students in a preliminary level or survey dance course. This book consists of twelve chapters. Chapter one dance as an art form focuses on the basic structures of dance. Dance is displayed through the human body, it has the control to communicate and induce reactions. Dance can be found in many different places, it enables the participants and seekers to touch and knowledge the joy of movement. Dance is discovered as being one of the oldest art forms worldwide. Dance existed in early cultures was recognized in a sequence of rock paintings portrayed dance. Since this discovery of rock paintings, several other forms of art have been found that depict dance. People used rituals in order to worship the gods and believed that the rituals held magical and spiritual powers. During the ancient period civilizations sentient decisions began to be made with regard to dance. Other periods that had an impact on dance were the medieval period, the renaissance period, and the contemporary period. Chapter two the choreographer, the choreographer is a person who comes up with the movements created into a dance routine. The choreographer expresses themselves through choreography because this is their way of communicating with the audience. In order to be a choreographer you must have a passion for dance. Each choreographer has their own approaches and ways of making up a routine. Choreographers ...
At the end of the 19th century, ballet was the most prominent form of dance. However, to Isadora Duncan, "ballet was the old order that needed to be overthrown, an embodied symbol of all that was wrong with oversymbolized 19th century living" (Daly 26). Duncan believed that the over-technical, over-standardization of ballet was not what dance should be about. Her vision of dance was one of emotions, ideas, social betterment, and the complete involvement of the body, mind, and soul (26). With these ideas in mind, she began to create a new form of dance; what she referred to as the "new dance" (23), and what is now known as modern dance. In creating this new dance, she was inspired by composers such as Beethoven, Nietzsche, and Wagner, writers like Walt Whitman, scientists Darwin and Haeckel, her Irish grandmother, and ancient Greek culture, as well as the spirit of America and its people (Duncan 48, 54). It was a combination of these influences that helped her to create the most expressive, soulful dance known today.
Every dance that is created by a choreographer has a meaning and or purpose behind it. The dance choreographed could be used to send a political, emotional, or a social message. Regardless of the message being sent, each dance created possesses a unique cultural and human significance. This essay will examine and analyze two dance works from history and give an insight into what each dance work provided to the society of its time.
The fine art of modern dance is like many other fields in that it is based on the actions and deeds of those who were pioneers in the field. These pioneers helped to mold modern dance into what it is today. Of the many people who are partially responsible for this accomplishment is Isadora Duncan. Duncan, often referred to as the “mother of modern dance,” inspired many other dancers to the extent that the art of dance would not be the same today without her many contributions.
Ballet first originated in Italy in the 1400’s, its purpose was to impress the nobility of other countries. The ballerinas would wear the fashion of the times, with big dresses, wigs, and shoes that were not good for dancing in. Ballet was brought to France when Catherine de Medicis married King Henri II. She brought the culture of ballet with her to Paris. Eventually Paris became the capitol of the ballet world. Up until 1681 all of the female ballet roles were played by men. Many people fell in love with ballet. George Balanchine brought ballet to America.
Martha Graham has had a large impact on modern dance throughout the years and even after her death. She took the conventional dances of her time and revolutionized them. Martha Graham and her techniques have greatly affected modern dance by introducing new and innovative concepts. As Alma Guillermoprieto figured out, Graham was “the first creator of modern dance to devise a truly universal dance technique out of the movements she developed in her choreography” (qtd. in Terry). This statement shows that Martha Graham and her techniques’ affects were universal through dance.
[6] Cohen, Selma Jeanne. International Encyclopedia of Dance: A Project of Dance Perspectives Foundation, Inc. New York: Oxford UP, 1998. Print.
The start of American Modern dance began in the 20th century as dancers began to pull away from traditional forms of choreographed dance like ballet. One of the founders of this rapidly modernizing dance movement was Isadora Duncan. Isadora Duncan seeked to create dances that were free with out the rigorous or confined movements of ballet. As a result Isadora Duncan formed a dance style that was reflective of her free spirit. She looked for inspiration in classical Greek arts, social dances and nature. In a speech entitled The Dance of the Future she stated that the future of dance would be similar to the dance of the ancient Greek, natural and free. Consequently she developed a dance style based on improvisation and interpretation. Her dance movements consisted of running, rising, falling and skipping all movements that became the foundation of her dance style.
Dance is an ancient human practice, however the earliest record of human dance remains a mystery. By