dance history final yayyy

“New Dance” or “Classical dance” 2 common ideas:

1. ballet was restrictive and not relevant

2. Attitudes changing regarding the body, world, and role of women.

The costuming of modern is

a reflection of what they are giving up with ballet

“New dance” or “classical dance” 1st theory

1. Depict real people

“new dance” or “classical dance” 2nd theory

2. Give in to gravity

“new dance” or “classical dance” 3rd theory

3. Express feelings and ideas

Who is Francois Delsarte (1811-1871)

19th century influential French opera singer, actor, acting teacher, and taps into inner feelings.

Francois Delsarte acting method

• connection between one’s mental state and emotions, and one’s physical postures and gestures

• emotional state communicated through one’s physical appearance and performance

• dancing from the inside out → modern dance

• movement choices based on inner motivations and emotions

Who was Steele MacKaye

A 19th century American actor, playwriter, producer, inventor, acting teacher known for his innovative contributions to theater and as an early proponent of stage design.

What did Steele mackaye bring to the U.S

He took Francois’s acting method to the US and adapted it to American theater, emphasizing physicality and emotional expression in performance.

what were Mackayes innovations

• 1st patent for fold up chairs

• first modern stage lighting system

• Backstage theatre elevator

• Made fire curtain for theatre

Who is Loie fuller

A pioneering American dancer and choreographer known for her innovative use of fabric and light in performance, influencing modern dance and theatrical productions.

Loie fuller innovations

1. Inventor, stagecraft/lighting innovator (many patents)

2. 1908 school/company

3. 1st expatriate American show dancer

4. Elevated vaudeville dance to an art form

Loie fuller style

Natural movement, art nouveau aesthetic, Dances with long silk skirts, which create flowing shapes and effects with light, dream like settings

Who was Isadora duncan

• American dancer, “enemy of ballet”, known for her free-spirited style

• Spends time in Russia and influences Pavlova and Fokine

• one of the first to give up corset

Isadora duncan's inspirations

Drew from ancient Greek ideals, music from the masters, nature, and the ideals of freedom. She aimed to express emotional experiences through movement.

Isadora Duncan philosophy

• movement from breath rhythms

• Dance as a personal expression

• The human body is to be celebrated and valued for its natural beauty.

• She believed in breaking away from traditional ballet constraints to embrace a more liberated form of dance.

Isadora Duncan principle

Dance stripped of ornamentation and artifice to reveal the essence of movement.

Isadora Duncan style

Characterized by free-flowing basic movements, naturalism, and expressive gestures that evoke emotions.

Isadora innovations

• discarded ballet shoes and stiff costumes

• Constructed the first modern dances

• Contribution= expanded movement vocabulary1st person to bring modern or classical dance to concert

who is Ruth st Dennis

A pioneer of modern dance known for incorporating diverse cultural influences and spiritual themes into her performances.

Ruth dennis “translations”

Southeast Asian inspired costumes that she calls translations but they're actually cultural appropriation

Ruth Dennis influences

Other ethnic groups, ritualistic dances of Asian religions, Middle Eastern and Native American cultures

Ruth Dennis innovation

• expanded concert vocabulary

• Built foundation of modern American dance on the appropriation and exoticizing of the people around the world she deemed primitive

• Formed Denishawn company school wifh her husband in 1915

• 1st modern dance school

• Trained new generation of modern dance pioneers

Ruth Dennis Radha

a dance performance inspired by Hindu and Eastern themes, showcasing spiritual and theatrical elements.

Dramatic, theatrical, exotic, mystical, religious, and mythological