1. MODERN DANCE POWERPOINT

2. During the early 1900’s, ballet was still strong in it’s Classical form and with a new modern day form due to choreographers and dancers such as Diaghilev, Nijinsky, Balanchine, Tudor, Joffery and Robbins. These dancers saw what was being created through modern dance and portrayed these new views through their choreography – some of which were even ballet.

3. Balanchine’s Apollo that was created in 1928…

4. Meanwhile modern dance was exploding; some were loving it while others still found it very odd and even inappropriate.

5. Modern Dance does not have a set definition due to it being born out of a revolt against any one codified style. Instead it is about the underlying philosophy of movement as individual expression.

6. Breaking new artistic ground initially meant discarding the entire classical ballet vocabulary
Such willingness to break the rules required strong-minded women and men
These women and men tended to have their own approach and their own beliefs about the nature of movement and expression.

7. Individual expression Revolt against the establishment
The “Roots” of modern dance lie in two directions…
Individual expression
Revolt against the establishment

8. Modern Dance “Trailblazers”
(A few amazing women (and ever fewer men) dared to blaze their own trail in developing a new way of dancing… a way that was respectful and artistic)
Isadora Duncan
Ruth St. Denis
Ted Shawn

9. Isadora Duncan
Isadora Duncan’s desire was to create movements that were natural and congruent for her body… and movements that were inherently expressive.

10. It was Isadora’s ideas rather than her actual dancing that contributed so much to the development of modern dance. She wanted to create expression through movement, she began taking ballet lessons, but eventually discarded what she saw as a conforming and unnatural movement form to create her own.

11. Isadora LOVED children, she even adopted several of her own students.
She had a great desire to create a school in which her students could find their own way of expressing themselves through movement; unfortunately none of her attempts were successful.

12. Ruth St. Denis
Ruth St. Denis was transformed by pictures in books of other lands and people. She became interested in Indo-Asian thought, art, and her interest was more theatrical than scholarly.

13. Ruth St. Denis met and later married Ted Shawn in 1914.

14. Denishawn Denishawn was filled with classes teaching…
Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn created a school in Los Angeles called Denishawn. Unfortunately this school no longer exists.
Denishawn was filled with classes teaching…
Ethnic, Barefoot, Ballet, Folk, Ballroom, And more

15. Modern Dance “Pioneers”
These dancers were called Pioneers because they learned from the Trailblazers, took their ideas, and “ran with them”.
Martha Graham
Doris Humphrey
Lester Horton

16. A major contribution to modern dance during the Pioneer timeframe was the development of a summer dance festival at Bennington College in This would later become known as the American Dance Festival.

17. Martha Graham

18. From Denishawn came… Martha Graham Martha Graham is easily the most famous modern dancer of the time. She broke through many barriers and pushed the envelope where it had never been done before. She created nearly 200 works – many of which were considered masterpieces

19. Lamentation (1930)
Lamentation is a piece that Martha Graham is highly known for. This piece is about one struggling with inner emotions and the need to express them knowing it is borderline inappropriate.

20. contraction and release.
Martha Graham’s technique…
“The Graham Technique” was based on
contraction and release.
This video shows a piece that reiterates the use of contraction and release.

21. Lester Horton

22. Doris Humphrey

23. Characteristics of Modern Dance…
The torso was fully used
“new” movement vocabulary was explored
all levels of space were used (high/middle/low)
Costumes and stage designs were simple and stark
Limbs were angled as well as curved
Music was often written for the dance, or simple percussion was used or silence was used
Dancers performed wherever they could, ie. Lofts, studios, small NYC theatres, college gyms, church basements (this was not an opera house art form!)

24. Modern Videos To Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uL1rB0GPIhI
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