Ruth St. Denis: The Pioneer Of Modern Dance
explanatory Essay
745 words
Often called the “Pioneer of Modern Dance”, Ruth St. Denis was one of the first modern dancers in American History. Ruth St. Denis along with Ted Shawn, Isadora Duncan, Martha Graham, and Doris Humphrey formed and molded modern dance in America. As a child, she was never thought of dance being a career for her. All that changed when she went to her first recital of Genevieve Stebbins; she was astonished by the true beauty of dance. This was the breakthrough that started her career. St. Denis was the first to choreograph a piece with no music whatsoever. Throughout her long life, of 90 years, she made many contributions to the modern dance we have today.
Ruth St. Denis was born January 20th, 1877 in Newark, New Jersey on a small farm. She was raised by a physician mother and inventor father. Her family and friends and fellow peers gave her a lot of interesting nicknames such as: Little Ruthie Denis, Miss Ruth, and Ruth Saint Denis. As soon as she turned ten she was dancing and performing like crazy. She began taking part in any kind of play or dance related performance. Her career started to take off as she started dancing and acting even as a teenager .She was inspired while learning about Hindu philosophy and art. Her style of dance, contemporary choreography, was ground-breaking. She began to study social dance in Somerville, this was her first formal dance training. She started at Belasco Dance Company until 1905. Starting her solo career, the first piece she choreographed was The Rahda. This piece was inspired by oriental culture and spiritual expression. Many of her pieces were inspired by oriental culture, music visualization, and synchoric orchestra.
She had many notable pieces of choreography but there are a couple that ...
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...ng used as communication between body and soul, to express what is too deep to find for words.” Dance is more of the body speaking things that the mind can’t express fully. Dance is the silent communication that can only be spoken through actions and never spoken through words.
Analysis of Work and Influences
I am truly inspired by Ruth St. Denis’ choreography and styles of dance. I really enjoy the different genres such as Indian rituals and oriental religion. Learning about her really gave me a different perspective on modern dance and how important it is. If it weren’t for all the famous modern dancers I’ve learned about, modern dance wouldn’t be the same. I really admire all the advances she made throughout her life, I applaud her for never giving up. Ruth St. Denis was very fortunate to live 90 long years. Her legacy still lives on today, in modern dance.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that ruth st. denis was one of the first modern dancers in american history. she was astonished by the beauty of dance when she went to her first recital of genevieve stebbins.
- Explains that ruth st. denis was born in newark, new jersey on a small farm. she was inspired by hindu philosophy and art.
- Explains that the rahda, incense, cobra, nautch, and yogi were the most grand pieces of her choreography.
- Explains that ruth st. denis' dance style was contemporary dance with an oriental twist, influenced by indian, japanese, and hindu rituals.
- Explains that ruth st. denis was a major contributor to modern dance. ted shawn fell in love with her and opened denishawn dance school.
- Opines that they are inspired by ruth st. denis' choreography and styles of dance.
Related
- analytical
- explanatory
- comparative
- The New Dance And The History Of Danceanalytical essayNew Dance is described as a developing art form; this dance was articulated in the early 20th century. According to Chapter 8 in History of Dance book, “the new dance emerged as a response to the ballet that populated the variety shows and music halls, which had a rigid formula of steps and poses” (Kassing). The New Dance was a product of several strands that interlaced together dancers’ studies and backgrounds; these strands and others were woven together in a historical, political, and societal framework. For instance, one strand of New Dance consisted of the concepts, techniques, costumes, and stage settings from around the world. These strands influenced major dancers and choreographers, such as, Isadora Duncan, Loie Fuller, Ruth St. Denis, and Ted Shawn.
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- Explains that new dance emerged as a response to the ballet that populated the variety shows and music halls. it was influenced by concepts, techniques, costumes, and stage settings from around the world.
- Explains that isadora duncan, a dancer and choreographer of the 20th century, wanted her dances to be authentic and to tell stories.
- Describes ruth st. denis as a dancer and choreographer of the 20th century who altered her wardrobe and brought to america middle eastern and asian dance.
- Analyzes how st. denis' theatrical appeal came from her ability to provide sophisticated yet popular entertainment to vast audiences. her presentation quality and the combination of religious mysticism and her desire to bring dance to the american people made her successful.
- Analyzes how ruth st. denis presented a religious view of the values of her art of dancing. she entertained people and taught them history through art.
- Explains that ted shawn and his men dancers toured the united states and established jacob's pillow on his property in lee, which became an internationally known dance center.
- Explains that ted shawn's main purpose was to bring to light the male dancers during the 20th century; he wanted to inform the audience that males could also tell a story without having females on stage.
- Explains that other dancers and choreographers of the 20th century new dance relied on visuals, such as loie fuller.
- Compares fuller to isadora duncan, who was a realist. she used fabric and light as design elements, experimenting and expanding her repertory of special effects.
- Explains that loie fuller contributed to the new dance as a freelance to dance. it was an individual dance created with authenticity and imagination filled with knowledge and understanding.
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- Analyzes how the difference in style has to do with dancers’ background, childhood, home life, and other contributing factors to define how movement should be expressed in the dance they created.
- Explains that doris humphrey was born in oak park, il. her parents were well-respected among the local community.
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- Describes how dunham decided to study anthropology with a focus on african and caribbean ritual dances at the university of chicago.
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- Describes how dunham dedicated her life to dance and choreography after submitting her thesis to the university of chicago.
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- Narrates how dunham continued to write, teach, and serve as an artist-in-residence and lecturer for afro-american studies at the university of california, berkeley. in 1992, she went on a hunger strike to protest u.s.
- Describes katherine dunham's rich and full life as a dancer, writer, and anthropologist. her legacy lives on in the modern dance of today without her studies and influence.
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In this essay, the author
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- Explains that martha graham's modern-dance companies are like galleries that are established and driven by her choreographers to perform her works throughout the 20th century.
- Cites pbs' "about the dancer martha graham." language arts 77.5 (2000): 446. proquest. web. accessed january 19, 2014.
- Cites the york times, may 29, 1988, and a&e networks television's "martha graham biography."
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- Explains that katherine became an author and wrote many books. she was happy to see black performances gain fame. however, she did not stay quiet and stood up for racial inequality.
- Explains that dunham's company had become a hit with new and exciting dances. the school was open to everyone; race did not matter.
- Narrates dunham technique seminars where she taught her dance students how to move their body like a snake. she also taught them the cultural history behind her technique.
- Narrates how dunham's dream to open a school to help the children of st. louis was to educate them about black culture and dance, which kept them away from the streets.
- Explains that katherine opened a museum with everything she had collected and wanted to give people the real feeling of hope. dunham paved the way for african dance.
- Describes how dunham's centers for the arts and humanities preserved her legacy and fulfilled her dream of showing the people of east st. louis that there is a larger world out there.
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In this essay, the author
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- Explains that isadora duncan, a feminist, was raised alongside three siblings by her mother alone. she fought against the many restrictions placed on women in her personal life and dance.
- Analyzes how isadora, a feminist, revolutionized dance by introducing an improvisational, emotion-driven form that gave birth to an american style of dance.
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In this essay, the author
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- Explains that merce cunningham was born on april 16, 1919 in centralia, washington. he sparked his passion for dance under the study of maude barrett, a retired circus performer and vaudevillian.
- Explains that merce attended george washington university for a year before transferring to the cornish school of fine arts in seattle in 1937.
- Explains merce's contribution to the dance world was the boundaries that he pushed with chance operations, technology, and collaboration.
- Concludes that merce was a legendary choreographer, dancer, and innovator for more than 50 years. he was famous for his work with chance, but his career was coincidentally started by chance.
- Explains how merce and cage created a program that consisted of 6 solos choreographed by him and the unclassifiable music composed by his. the cunningham company struggled financially until the 1960s.
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In this essay, the author
- Explains that russell freedman, an american biographer and author, was born in san francisco in 1929 and graduated from the university of california, berkeley.
- Analyzes how russell freedman introduces martha graham's desperate effort, true friendship, revolutionary choreographing skills, and her desperate attempts to secure her fame.
- Explains that martha's desperate effort was one of her strengths. she astonished her dance teachers and others with her determination to learn and her quick mastery of difficult exercises, gestures, and steps.
- Analyzes how martha graham's revolutionary choreographing skills created a revolution in the 1930s.
- Analyzes how martha's true friendship shows her personalities and how she overcame her worries, anxiety, and tiredness. martha and louis horst were best friends in spite of their age gap and attentions.
- Explains that louis horst, martha's friend, was the most loyal supporter and toughest critic, bluntly honest in his comments. since they were usually together, many people misunderstood their relationship.
- Explains that martha visited and took care of louis during martha's crisis. after louis horst passed away in 1964, martha announced, "his sympathy and understanding, but primarily his faith, gave [her] a landscape to move in."
- Analyzes how martha graham, a dancer's life, shows her desperate attempts to secure her fame.
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In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how trisha brown's artistic practices and methodologies facilitated new ways of appreciating and developing movement.
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- Analyzes how the choreographers of judson dance theatre worked without consideration for wrong or right and were prepared to go into non-dance.
- Compares the artistic practices and methodologies of trisha brown and steve paxton. the foremost and primary mutual focus of exploration focuses on the moving, dancing body in response to gravity and experimenting with using weight to direct the movement.
- Explains that brown and paxton's experimentation with weight and falling challenged the modern aesthetics of verticality, instead using natural forces of gravity to move.
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- Describes steve paxton's "magnesium" as a seminal work in the beginnings of contact improvisation, first performed in 1972 in an oberlin gymnasium college.
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- Analyzes the relationship in the methodologies and work of trisha brown and steve paxton, who were integral and founding members of judson dance theatre.
- Cites bates, sally, and berger, m., eds. trisha brown: dance and art in dialogue, 1961-2001.
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- Analyzes mackrell's review of the trisha brown dance company.
- Cites novack, cynthia jean, and sears, sandra. "trisha brown at the venice biennale."
- Explains that parker, sandra, and rosenberg's "the performance of disappearance" and "judson dance theatre: performative traces."
2275 wordsRead More