In the late 1970s, when the postmodern dance revolution was coming to an end, Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane arrived in New York with the intention of finding an opportunity as dancers-choreographers. Already experienced in the cultivation of dance, this pair of intrepid dumps all their knowledge (sports, gymnastics, social dances, Afro-Caribbean dance, art history, photography, contact improvisation and a recent training in modern dance) discovering, at every step, how to do choreography or the meaning of dance. The duo they both form is complementary, despite their contrasting morphological and cultural differences. The way they approach creation seeks answers to the questions the world asks them. Since their official release as Bill T. Jones
His originality here is one of scale and energy; several invented families find themselves entwined with (among others) Henry Ford, Emma Goldman, Harry Houdini.,” and “.J. P. Morgan, and Emiliano Zapata. Take this part out. ).” (Byrd, Max).
One of the hardest things to do in life, is letting go of what you thought was real. “Farenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury and “By the Waters of Babylon” by Stephen Benet are both about the journey of two men, Montag and John. In their journey they go against the society and give up everything to find the truth. Despite having some minor differences, the similarities between Montag and John are remarkable. They both are in search of knowledge, run away from society, however Montag receives help throughout his journey and John is completely alone.
As the first African-American to create a multicultural, international concert dance company, Alvin Ailey’s dance company has been dubbed the “cultural ambassador of the world” (Gorman 36). Through his Alvin Ailey Dance Company, he addressed the racism and injustice faced by ethnic minorities across the globe. Ailey clearly revolutionized African American participation in 20th century concert dance as well as revived interest in modern dance. As an extremely talented dancer and choreographer, Ailey’s success is attributed to his dedication and passion for expression through dance, but what is often overlooked is his resilience to the hardships he faced, the mentors he had, and the opportunities
Their work together not only made sense, but they were able to build and add more into the Tree of Life among primates
Berkeley, unhappy with the restrictions of his job, raised the bar for film choreographers by taking on decisions about camera angles and editing. Before Berkeley, these decisions had all been made by the director or the producer. One of Berkeley’s signature choices was to use only one camera. He also chose to use close-ups of the dancers in the chorus. He would say: “Well, we’ve got all these beautiful girls in the picture, why not let the public see them?” This approach showed that Berkeley understood that innovative filmmakers possess the ability to use the camera to show audiences what their normal sight does ...
Dance has evolved greatly throughout the centuries. It began with ballet and has led up to contact improvisation. This form of dance begun in the early 1970's and was started by a man named Steve Paxton and a group of postmodern dancers from New York City. Contact improvisation is a partnering form of dance and known as the art of moving spontaneously with a group or another person. This form of dance does not require the exact set of traditional skills of other dance form, it doesn’t have a technique that could be studied, and it is practiced in order to accomplish the highest potential. Contact improvisation came at a great time period, which of course was the 70's. The main historical events that were taking place then were the Watergate Scandal, the end of the Cold War, and the Vietnam War.
Gyrating hips, fast feet, high stepping, and magnificent moves, are characteristics that belong to the great African-American dancers of history’s past. Famu’s Black Archives Museum has a vast collection of African-American artifacts including a variety of pictures of dazzling African-American dancers. These dancers Katherine Dunham, Martha Graham, and Bill “Bo jangles” Robinson exemplify black beauty, style, and grace.
The 1960’s was a time of change, questioning, and experimentation. It was a time where anything was possible, with significant events throughout the span of the decade impacting artists and creators immensely. Choreographers such as Twyla Tharp, Merce Cunningham and Alvin Ailey, along with performance groups such as Judson Dance Theatre, challenged audiences and made them aware of unrest and struggles within a modern society. ‘The arts both reflected and participated in pushing the envelope beyond recognition’ (S.Baynes, 2003), with this experimental culture also inspiring avant-garde choreographers of the decade. Dance was used to rebel not only against society, but rebel against established modern dance constructs, being influenced by the
In the fictitious yet relatable stories of the characters of Tom Bigsby and Jennifer Wilks, two very different self-leadership approaches are given. Tom and Jennifer are found described with the same job, same work related duties and problems and even weather conditions. But, even though they have all these similarities their attitude, organization and simply attitude towards life a very different.
... always think about how their dances would look from all angles rather than just from head on; creating a challenge and learning experience for those choreographers. As Wade Robson, who headed up one of the first dance competition shows, “The Wade Robson Project,” states, “ What comes along with good opportunities for choreographers in big prime-time situations is a responsibility to fight to keep the integrity in the work,” (The Real Deal N.P).
The topic of dance films could not be discussed without mentioning Maya Deren. A dancer, ethnographer, philosopher, and “visual poet”, Maya Deren is said to have given birth to the American avant-garde film movement.
In 1938, she choreographed and produced “L’Ag’Ya” in the federal theater in Chicago. In 1939, the Katherine Dunham dance company performed for the Quadres Society. In 1941, her first film was released, “Carnival of Rhythm”. In 1942, she was a featured dancer in the patriotic film Star Spangled Rhythm and staged dances for the film, “Pardon My Sarong”. In 1947, One of Katherine Dunham Groups were able to present her choreography of “The Caribbean Backgrounds” at Howard University in Washington D.C. Something that Dunham can be remembered by is the title of an advisor, in 1966 Dunham was appointed by the president to be an adviser for the World Festival of Negro Arts held in Dakar. (Katherine Dunham Centers, pg. 1). In conclusion, the amazing life of Katherine Dunham and career can be seen as a miraculous one, and although she was not alone Dunham is perhaps one of the best and most influential pioneer of black dance in the world. To this day and age one can say that Katherine Dunham has done her job correctly, because all she wanted was to she wanted to do was make a statement that African-American and African-Caribbean dance styles are related and can be put together to form powerful choreography which she taught here in
Isadora’s career in dance began since she was a child. She auditioned to many dance companies, until she was finally accepted into Augustin’s Daly’s company. She became disappointed with the form of ballet being thought because it was not like her approach
German born, Hanya Holm, is categorized as one of the pioneers of modern dance. From a young age, she took a special interest in modern dance and very soon joined Mary Wigman’s school in Dresden, Germany. There, Holm became a principal instructor of dance and soon became a master of Wigman’s ideology of modern dance. This ideology was highly focused on the emotional aspect so wildly acclaimed in modern dance (Ambrosio 94; Encyclopædia Britannica).
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.