Agnes de Mille was an American dancer, choreographer and director. Mille was born on September 18, 1905 in New York City. Agnes de Mille came from a middle classed family with a history in the theater. Her father, William Churchill de Mille was a famous playwright and her mother was Anna George. Agnes de Mile’s uncle was a well-known Hollywood director. As a young child she had an interested in dancing, but she then had an interest in dance. However, her parents’ didn’t believe that dance would be the best career plan and so her parents were unsupportive and wouldn’t let her dance. When she was younger, her and her family moved to California. She attended an all girls private school. She later graduated from the University of California …show more content…
At this time America was at war: “America was at war and the work appealed to one’s love of the United States” (Agnes De Mille (1905 ~ 1993), (n.d.). This made people realize their love for America, even at difficult times. Many of the rows in the theater were filled with men in uniform. Oklahoma symbolized home, which reminded the men in uniform what they were fighting for. She brought laughter, happiness and tear to her audience: “Although the piece was laced with comedy and happy moments, the uniformed men and women who attended performances were often moved to tears” (Agnes De Mille (1905 ~ 1993), (n.d.). After Oklahoma’s performance in the United States they went to London and at this time London just faced a tragedy with war. When the London audience saw Oklahoma they were amazed by the performance and didn’t want it …show more content…
As stated in Agnes De Mille (1905 ~ 1993), To this day, the remarkable impact she’s made not just on American dance, but in the world of dance are distinctive achievements worthy of constant recognition and a place in major dance and theater history” (Agnes De Mille (1905 ~ 1993), (n.d.). Even after Agnes de Mille death, she wasn’t forgotten: “At the time of her death in October, 1993 at the age of 88, was still an influential and productive leader in the cultural life of our country” (Agnes DeMille Dances – Biography,
Gill, Glenda Eloise. No Surrender! No Retreat! : African American Pioneer Performers of Twentieth-Century American Theater. New York: St. Martin's, 2000. Print.
Katherine Dunham died on May 21, 2006. (Katherine) “As artist, educator, anthropologist, and activist, Katherine Dunham transformed the field of the twentieth-century dance” (Das
Dance is an ever evolving form of art; in much the same way that one can categorize and differentiate between eras and styles of architecture one can also do so with dance. These eras at times have sharp delineations separating them from their antecedents, other times the distinction is far more subtle. Traditional forms of dance were challenged by choreographers attempting to expand the breadth and increase the depth of performance; preeminent among such visionaries was Seattle born dancer and choreographer Mark Morris. Mark Morris' began as one of the millions of hopeful individuals attempting to simply make a career in dance; he not only succeeded but managed to have a lasting effect on the entire landscape of dance.
In the dance world a staggering number of choreographers have made a lasting impact on the way dance is seen to its audience. Alonzo King’s exceptional oeuvre of work includes him in this great history of significant choreographers. He not only created the link between modern and ballet in the twentieth century, but he bridged 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.
Alvin Ailey played a large role in the diversification and cultural storytelling that can be seen in modern dance today. With the founding of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, his dance company stands strong as one of the most respected and prosperous dance companies because of its artistic representation of the beauty that is otherwise known as the African culture. His work absolutely changed the atmosphere of modern dance because he was able to provide the modern dance community with a wider variety of content that had otherwise not been popularized before. Not only did he draw his inspiration from the African culture, but he also amalgamated this with his personal experience growing up as a black child during times of segregation.
She graduated from Dunbar Junior High School, then went to Horace Mann High School, which at that time, was an all black school.
Both Copland and de Mille forged an American masterpiece with their groundbreaking music and choreography, respectively. The work that both artists put into Rodeo contributed to the revolutionary new genre of 20th Century American ballet. The music and dancing work in parallel and in close interaction, to convey this humorous and lighthearted story. There would have been no ballet without both of these components. Nonetheless, the music composed under the inspiration and choreography of the story is successful as an entity.
In 1992, she moved to America and decided t enhance her self- taught skills by taking art and photography classes at Montgomery College in Maryland.
According to Katherine, “A creative person has to create. It doesn’t really matter what they create. If such a dance wanted to go out and build the cactus gardens where he could, in Mexico, let him do that, but something that is creative has to go on. (Katherine, Dunham, Dancing a life, 2002)”. It has been said that an idol is someone whom everyone looks up to because of the great things they accomplished throughout their life span. Acknowledged as an African American dancer, choreographer, anthropologist, civil activist and writer. Katherine Dunham, not only normally known for the generous acts of kindness but also for the huge impact she had in incorporating different dance styles and creating them into her very own ballet pieces. An influential woman who supported African American culture and believed there shouldn’t be any divisions between people. Not completely another mother of modern dance but a women who greatly influenced modern dance to enhance it in many ways. Katherine is and was famous for her anthropology movement in the world of dance, her creativity and dedication.
She was raised as Christian and after she graduated college, she stayed in the Cholistan
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.
Born January 5th, 1931 in Texas, Alvin Ailey was an African-American dancer and choreographer. Leaving Texas to move to Los Angeles, he studied dance under modern choreographer Lester Horton, a teacher and choreographer of a modern dance school and company. He then moved on to pursue broadway, making his debut in Truman Capote’s House of Flowers in 1954, in New York (Alvin Ailey Biography n.d). It was here that he also had to opportunity to study dance with Martha Graham and in 1958 Ailey founded his own dance company, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre (Alvin Ailey Biography n.d). Over the course of his career Ailey both choreographed and danced in his pieces until his death in 1989. Ailey’s pieces include influence of African culture, most evident in his piece Revelations (1960). Studying this particular piece of work over the course of five weeks I saw that it
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.
Steve Paxton: Speaking of Dance – Conversations with Contemporary Masters of American Modern Dance. Academic Internet Video. Directed by Douglas Rosenberg. Oregon: Alexander Street Press, 1996.