Modern Dance #1

Isodora Duncan, 20th Century

• early modern dance choreographer

• reject ballet’s verticality and grace

• made dances based on wavelike movements of nature

Martha Grahm

develop technique, angularity, and sharp impulses expressed by psychological landscape

Doris Humphrey

fall and recovery technique

• emphasized drama of body off center

wrote “The Art of Making Dances”

• taught choreographic craft by mapping strong and weak parts of stage

• show how to manipulate elements of gesture, design, dynamic, and rhythm

John Cage

intrested in sounds, silence, duration

Who said “there are no fixed points in space”?

Einstein

Cunningham

• saw that more than one event could be in space at a time

• made dances with several modules of actions occur simultaneously on stage

  • each have their own center

How did Anna Halprin use improv?

elict individual movement from her dancers and gave tasks to accomplish on stage

What did Ana Halprin combine in performances?

non-dancers and trained dancers

What/where did Ana Halprin invade?

parts of theater previously unused/considered off limits

• above stage, in crowd, etc.

non-theater enviroments

• mountains, streets, beaches, etc.

Robert Dunn Class’s Performance

1962, to show work done in classes, students perform at Judson Memorial Church

Cervical Spine

vertebrae of the neck, 7 cervical vertebrae

Thoracic Spine

chest area of the spine, 12 thoracic vertebrae

Lumbar Spine

lower back area of spine, 5 lumbar vertebrae

Coccyx

tailbone, 3-4 fused vertebrae

Acetabulum

hip/thigh socket where femur articulates with the pelvis

Greater Trochanter

bone location laterally at junction of shaft and neck of femur, felt on outside of hips

Head of Femur

ball-shaped top of femur that fits into acetabulum, forms the hip joint

Pelvis

bony structure comprising this sacrum and left and right hip bones

Sacrum

wedge-shaped posterior part of pelvis, located between pelvic bones

Hip Joint

ball and socket joint formed by head of femur and acetabulum

Heel-Sitz Bones

energetic connection between heel and ischial tuberosity

Sitz Bones

ischial tuberosity, contact point with ground when sitting

Femur

thigh bone, longest and strongest muscles

Quadriceps

for muscles on front of thigh responsible for extending knee

Hamstrings

ischial tuberosity, contact points with ground when sitting

Thoracic Curve

natural round or extension of upper back

Lumbar Curve

natural round or extension of lower back

Upper Back Arch

lift and extended upper back and head upward and backward

Upper Back Curve

round upper back, focus on thoracic mobility

Neutral Stand Point

stand tall with feet parallel and hip-width apart, spine in natural alignment

First Position (Rotated)

heels together, toes turned out creating a "V" shape

Second Position (Rotated)

feet wide apart and turned out

Narrow Parallel Position

feet hip-width apart, parallel to each other

Wide Parallel Position

feet wider than hip-width apart, parallel to each other

Inversion

move the body upside down in space while weight bearing arms, hands, shoulders, or head

What are the 5 elements if dance?

body, action, space, time, energy (BASTE)

Energy Element of Dance

strong/light, sharp/smooth, free/bound, expansive/contraction

Action Element of Dance

locomotor (walk, run, leap, gallop, etc.), non-locomotor (bend, twist, stretch, swing), leading/following

Space Element of Dance

levels: low, medium, high

direction: forward, turning, etc

pathway: curved, indirection, etc

spatial places: vertical, horizontal, etc

range of action: small, medium, large

focus: straight, curved, open, closed

Time Element of Dance

tempo: slow, medium, accelerate, etc

with music, without music

rhythm: pulse, accent, meter, etc

Body Element of Dance

shape: can contort into diff shapes

parts: arms, legs, head, toes, fingers

adaptive tools can take on different focuses

Choreography

describes dance sequence where movements in sequence

Levels

height of dancer in relation to floor

Basic Non-Locomotor Movement

bend, twist, stretch, swing, etc

Locomotor Movement

travels from place to place, usually by transfer of weight from foot to foot

Basic Locomotor Movement

walk, run, leap, hop, jump, etc

Non-Locomotor Movement

anchored to one spot only, using available space around a person doing movements without losing initial body contact

Locomotor Movement Irregular Rhythmic Combinations

skip, slide, gallop, etc

Personal Space

"space bubble"/kinesis sphere one occupies

What does personal space include

levels, planes, and directions both near and far from the body's center

Phrase

brief sequence of relation movements that has sense of rhythmic completion

Warm-Up

movements and/or movement phrases designed to raise core body temperature and bring mind into focus for dance actions to follow

Weight/Grounded Pelvis

stability and connection to floor through the pelvis

Intentional Focus

direction attention to specific part of body or movement

Traveling

movement through space

What does traveling emphasize?

weight shifts and movement

Body Part Initiation and Awareness

lead movement with specific body parts

Range of Motion

extention of movement possible at the joint

Movement Intention

purposeful and expressive execution of movement