Category: Blog A|Blog B (Page 2 of 10)

Upon entering The Kitchen where we would be watching Ralph Lemon’s Scaffold my mind was running with the possibilities as to what we were about to see. As soon as the performance began I had a feeling it wasn’t going to be anything like I’ve ever seen before. The first woman to come out first began jumping on what appeared to be a mattress on top of a two-story set and remained doing so at different speeds and paces for a while. She then came down and from what I remember began rambling about people like Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, and their fans. She went on to permeate the room with an uncomfortable and awkward atmosphere as she read aloud from sexually explicit novels. She finally exited the room in slow and quiet manner. The second woman who came out began by singing a song in a bad and almost very childish tune. Her part of the performance also included a lot of dialogue, some of it explicit too. But one part of her performance that I vividly remember is when she laid down on the floor in the back of the room while a horrid screaming device went on for what felt like 10 minutes. I could feel my ears ringing as the frequencies of the screams changed. I tried to piece together what exactly the movements and dialogue of both women meant but I couldn’t really make sense of them.

Though I do admit that I found my self laughing at some of the humorous parts, by the end of the performance I was just disappointed. The only part of the performance that I truly enjoyed was the final performance piece where three men danced nonstop to infectious musical beats. The main issue I had with Ralph Lemon’s Scaffold was that with it’s two-story set and ongoing dialogue it felt more like one big abstract and confusing theatrical performance. When I chose to take this seminar I hoped to be immersed into the many different cultures of dance and be able to watch a variety of dance performances but so far I feel as if I have really only seen one or two dance pieces with the rest being some kind of movement based art. Overall I feel as though I was disappointed in this performance because it is just another abstract movement based art that left me very confused by the end of it.

-Ariella Caminero

According to Sally Banes, Post-Modern dance refers to a group of choreographers in the 60s and 70s who sought to upend traditional dance forms like ballet and ask questions about the nature of dance as an artform. Some questioned whether dance required musical accompaniment : others questioned whether dance had to convey meaning and narrative: and still others questioned what was and was not dance, breaking down the barriers between choreographed movement on a stage and pedestrian movement on a street. Coming out of this strain of thought was the Analytic Post-Modern Dance movement of the 70s, which stripped elaborate costumes for everyday attire. The plain aesthetics of analytic post-modern dance marked a focus on pure movement as opposed to using dance to convey thoughts or stories about something else, an emphasis that requires the viewer to focus on the minute details of the dancers’ movements.

Ariella mentioned the political/social connotations of Steve Paxton and how dancers in Contact Improvisation had to trust and support each other, but I think it would be better to focus on how Contact Improvisation forces each dancer to be intimately aware of the other dancers’ bodies and their movements, since this connects Contact Improvisation with Analytic Post-Modern Dance in general. Obviously all dance requires its participants to know their performance well, but improvisation prevents performers from “autopiloting” movements they’ve rehearsed, forcing them to pay close attention to the performance as they perform it. By requiring its performers to be intimate with their movements, Contact Improvisation joins the tradition of analytic post modern dance in making us look deeply at every motion of a dancer.

Trisha Brown’s work also deals with the concept of forcing oneself to look deeply at each and every motion in a dance. In “Accumulation”, this is accomplished through the use of repetition and iteration. By structuring the dance so that simple motions are repeated and then added upon, Brown gives the audience a lot of time to think about each little movement before she adds the next one. Each new iteration makes the audience think about how all the little motions in that iteration fit together before they can look at the next motion and how it fits with all the previous ones. Basically, the viewer is forced to look at each motion individually and look at all the motions holistically, giving them deep understanding of the dance on multiple levels once everything is said and done.

So I’m actually blog A but I got confused because of the syllabus so.

I feel like that in post-modern dance, dance is being established as an art form independent of other art forms like music or literary ideas. Dance does not need to have a story or be accompanied by music to be dance, but rather it is simply movement for the sake of movement. The post modern dance aesthetic explores and goes beyond past boundaries, and encourages experimentation in vastly different direction. Some make dance question its own purpose and meaning, some incorporate political themes, etc. One of the ideas in post modern dance is repetition and time. Repetition emphasizes the passing of time. The usage of time in dance can also be a physical passage of time, not an artificial meter. Movement and time can both be more relaxed. Other directions include the idea of dance for the performer, not the viewer, and dance being imperfect and transient, that a performance can be a performance if improvised and with mistakes.

Trisha Brown is a famed choreographer associated closely with post modern dance and contributed greatly to its ideas and development, such as thought about movement. Some of her early works provoked thought on the different perception of perspective, space, time and orientation to gravity. One of her works Walking on the Wall, revisits the most basic of movements, walking, but (as the name implies) on a wall, opposing gravity. Another idea that she developed is accumulation and repetition. She uses accumulation in her dance style by increasing one element at a time, as one becomes two and two becomes three and so on. Her style draws heavily from the everyday movement and repetition.

-Jessica Ng

Analytical Post-Modern Dance arose in the 1970’s and centered around the structure of movement in performance. This phase of Post-Modern Dance continued to build upon the experimentation works of the 1960’s. Many of the terms used to describe this phase of Post-Modern Dance seem out-of-place in the realm of dance. Sally Banes uses “impersonal”, “goal-oriented”, and “objective” to describe the choreographic works (Banes XXI). As Glenn mentioned, movements were isolated in a somewhat scientific light in order to highlight the thought of movement itself. The Analytical works stripped performances of their “expressive elements such as music, special lighting, costumes, props…” (XX). Focusing on repetition and patterning of simple movements, choreographers created pieces using performers that were not trained in dance. This differed from past dance genres in which a technical vocabulary and movement set was required and performers were trained in specific techniques.

One of the other important choreographers in the Analytical phase of Post Modern Dance was Trisha Brown. Her piece Accumulation (1971) she focused on simplistic movements that were repeated and then altered in specific patterns. As the performance continues, it becomes more complex; the lengthening of repeating chains of movements creates an intricate choreography that increases in difficulty as it progresses. Trisha Brown also worked with a variety of performance spaces including using the walls of rooms and the sides of buildings. In these pieces she worked with the idea of gravity and the apparent balance between flying and falling as her dancers repelled on the walls. Much of Trisha’s work was done in silence, with selected pieces having spoken words aspects to them and very few incorporating music. Both Brown and Steve Paxton joined the improvisation group names Grand Union in early 1970 and continued to do group work as well as their individual choreography. The group helped choreographers share their ideas as well as test out new and experimental choreography while working together to create new improvisational pieces. Trisha Brown, Steve Paxton and the Grand Union all played an important role in the expansion of Post-Modern Dance analytical phase.

Eli McClain

Sally Banes, in her reading, sets the stage for analytic post-modern dance to be the natural progression in the evolution of dance, following post-modern dance that is. The post-modern dance was a hostile rejection of the definitions and limitation of dance; the next step would be to redefine dance after having expressed their distaste for the old constraints in dance. In analytic post-modern dance, the focus on dance moved away from expressing personal meaning. Rather than putting a personal meaning into the dance, it instead became focused on the movements of a dance- Banes described the focus on body movements as akin to being “goal-oriented”. The dances of this were not very high energy, but displayed a good sense of control over the body as well a more fluid movement (as opposed to the tense movements of other dance styles).

Steve Paxton was the father to the Contact Improvisation dance style, which emerged from the analytic post-modern dance era in 1973. Contact improvisation incorporates many aspects of the analytic post-modern dance, as the style did not have a personal meaning for every single dance. Contact improvisation was and continues to be about a dancer and their body interacting with another dancers as well as with gravity; it is about a focus on the way two partners spontaneously move together while keeping contact. The movements themselves were very fluid and not very energetic- from my time in the contact improvisation class, I was able to see first hand that the dance was like watching two people sliding over and against each other, rolling with the movements of the other. Just as the dance style encourages a more relaxed and free-flowing movement, it also requires one to be able to think kinetically; the entire dance is improvised on the spot, as the name would suggest, so the dancers must be able to take whatever movements their partner is providing and then react accordingly. All in all, Paxton innovated a dance style which fit perfectly into the era which spawned it.

-Mary Yanez

From what we have read, watched, and discussed I think post modern dance was a movement that provided a radical and unique new outlook onto what dance was. Modern dance had already shattered the glass ceiling of classical dance as it strayed from ballet into hundreds of new varieties with their own style, technique and cultural influence. Post modern dance varied again from modern dance by challenging common assumptions or requirements even of the new modern dance style. It introduced complex questions to be answered through physical expression. This physical expression varied greatly. Post modernism challenged the necessity for dances to be choreographed to music, or any noise at all. Why do we need music as a background for dance? And if we include music why does it have to be written prior to the choreographing as an inspiration for the dance? Why can’t dances be the inspiration for music, or for them to be created independently and combined without prior rehearsal? These are the types of questions that brought about the post modern dance movement. Dancers used strange props, danced in silence or vocalized while dancing, some even incorporated motions that were questioned to even be considered dance.

One artist who was a strong proponent in the development of this movement was Steve Paxton. Paxton got involved in the movement after studying with Bob Dunn in Merce Cunningham’s studio. Performances under Dunn took place in Judson Church, a venue that proved itself to be a place to foster the new work of post modern choreographers like himself. When Paxton was looking for a place to show his own work, he also turned to Judson Church. Paxton was the founder of a dance style called contact improvisation. Contact improvisation is a type of unchoreographed dance that involved some multiple of people greater than one. Dancers knew a series of techniques and motions but had to focus on working and moving with their partner(s) as the paramount theme of the dance style. Partner(s) characteristically have to remain in contact with one another as they move freely around, over, and under one another. They have to do as much “listening” with their bodies as they do “speaking” so that both partners knew where each other wants to go and are therefore able to remain in meaningful contact. Paxton’s introduction of contact improvisation into the post modern dance movement remains a substantial contribution as it is still avidly taught and studied today. Many dancers, even if not primarily trained in this style, study Paxton’s influences as a way to heighten their sensitivity to the way they shift weight between themselves and the earth, as well as how they move and flow with partners they work with in other styles. Because of this, Paxton has not only pioneered a new dance style, but also improved the technique of dancer performing other dance styles.

Analytic Post-Modern Dance is a movement that wanted to revolutionize the meaning of what dance truly is. This is similar to the purpose of just about any movement in art forms. The movement wanted to take away the belief that the beauty in dance is in the meaning. Merce was an artist that began to challenge this belief, and he believed that the choreography itself is a story as opposed to a story having to be told through the dance. A part of Analytic Post-Modernism that was promoted by Rainer in Trio A is the insertion of dance moves that are part of the casual and amateur moves into this new ideal (Banes XXI). The movement wanted to isolate dance motions in an almost scientific way, a way that intellectualized the movements of the body. Analytic Post-Modern Dance focused on the movements of the artists as the dance and minimized the importance of finding a meaning or story in the pieces.The movement originally was not too intermeshed, but became more combined through the work of the Grand Union with one another.

Steve Paxton was the artist who came up with Contact Improvisation in 1973, and this form of dance was the embodiment of the choreography being the story. The movements of the dancers in Contact Improvisation are largely based on the reactions of one dancer with another. Paxton’s dance form consisted of fluid and nearly random movements. As I saw in the Contact Improvisation class as well as the video, the dance form allowed for an expression of the individual artist and for expression for the group dynamic. Paxton incorporated the ideas of Analytic Post-Modern Dance that someone who is not a dance enthusiast can get involved with his dance from. I found this out for myself, even though I was only observing the class I can see how anyone willing to get involved could have, and is a testament to why the Contact Improvisation has stuck around.

Glenn Collaku

Sally Banes defines analytic post modern dance as rejecting “musicality, meaning, characterization, mood and atmosphere; it uses costume, lighting, and objects in purely functional ways. In the 1970’s, the objective of dance was to be minimalistic, functional, and objective. With no influence from western philosophies, unlike previous dance forms, there was an emphasis on spontaneity and the process of the dance rather than the finished product. Dancers began to use every day clothes and sweats as costumes, very little to no music at all, and special lighting effects in ordinary, well lit rooms. The art form centers the dance on the individual. The individual becomes an expression of dance, rather than the dance performed by the individual to represent some idea. The human body is glorified through the use of contractions, repetition, and gravity as it exposes the raw aspects of dance. For example, the concept of “actual time” is used. Through this, movements are timed to the amount needed to physically carry out the activity as opposed to the standardized timing that dictated earlier forms of dance. Banes describes this new style of choreography to be demonstrating “a theory of dance”. By the 1970s, Analytic Post-Modern dance had established a more concrete style.

Steve Paxton was an essential part in the growth and formation of post modern dance. Trained by Robert Dunn in Merce Cunningham’s studio, he developed techniques that are still used today. He was a founding member of the Judson Dance Theater located in New York City which was a major platform for post modern dancers to showcase their work at the time. What Paxton is most known for however, is his development of the dance form known as Contact Improvisation in 1972. This form of dance uses analytic post modern techniques as it utilizes the physical scientific laws of friction, momentum, gravity, and inertia to explore the relationship between dancers. Paxton believed that even a non-professional dancer was able to contribute to this dance form. The improvised dance form is based on the communication between two moving bodies that are in complete physical contact with each other for an undesignated amount of time. Contact improvisation is related to analytic post modern dance in that it uses the techniques of the style as well as introduces a new idea of dance to the world as well.

-Monica Huzinec

In the 1960s there was a break away from Post-Modern dance to a style that used the body itself as the subject of the dance rather than having the body serve as instrument for expressing the deeper meaning of the dance. Thus this dance style focused on the way in which dance was expressed rather than the meaning behind the dance. In order to showcase this new style choreographers and dancers experimented with different and new uses of time, space, and the body. One specific choreographer, Merce Cunningham, decided to disengage the relationship between music and dance and had his dancers learn movement with no music until the day they had to perform the dance.

Moreover, in the 1970s an even greater deviation from post-modern dance emerged to form a style called analytic post-modern dance. This dance form stripped dance of all expressive elements such as music, lighting, costumes, and props. The dances were often performed in silence, and well-lit rooms, and the dancers dressed in ordinary clothes like sweatpants and t-shirts. The goal of analytic post-modern choreographers was to redefine dance in the wake of the controversy of the 60s. Thus movements weren’t overtly expressive and gave no illusionistic references. Rather the moves were simple and usually involved, repetition, reversal, geometric forms, and comparison and contrast. As Banes describes, the dance’s energy was “literally reduced”. With the elimination of musicality and rhythmic organization it is obvious that analytic post-modern dance was a very divergent dance style in comparison to ballet and modern dance.

In 1972 Steve Paxton created Contact Improvisation.  This form of dance involves “physical techniques of falling, duet situations, and physical improvisation, but its forms have social and political connotations” (Banes XX). Meaning that a dancer and their partner(s) must work together to continue the flow of the dance while maintaining physical contact the entire time. The elements of the performance were also symbolic of a world that could be better. For example the improvisation stands for freedom and adaptation, and the support stands for trust and cooperation. Thus Paxton is related to analytic post-modern dance in that he used the ideas of analytic post-modern dance in his contact improvisation style. Not only did Paxton incorporate the social and political issues of the time like other analytic post-modern choreographers but Paxton presented audiences with a new and different idea of dance as well.

Ariella Caminero

I chose the photo, “The White Horse” by André Kertész. The photo caught my eye due to the aesthetically pleasing nature of the image. In the lower left hand corner, the titular white horse is positioned behind a solid wall. In the remaining space of the photo is a tree which heavilty obscures a woman walking her pet. However, the pet and the woman have their shadows stretching far out from beneath the tree’s foliage. It is a fairly pedestrian image if you were to look at them all as separate elements; to put these all into the same image, however, just seems very striking to me.
With regards to the composition of the photo, I believe that it is very structurally strong. It follows the rule of thirds, as the horse, the woman with her animal, and their shadows are all well placed off center. The white horse is in the lower left thrid of the photo and, as the photo was framed, the eye is drawn diagonally up and to the right. There is adequate space left for the woman and her pet walking on a path through the picture, and there is even more space available for the eye catching shadows they cast to stretch out as well.
I plan on taking my photo with a solid understanding of the rule of thirds. To simply center the subject of a photo is dull and not particularly the most aesthetically pleasing way to take a photo. If the subject of my photo is in motion, I would make sure to position it in either the upper or lower thirds of the frame. There would be enough negative space ahead of them for there to be a visual path for them to follow. If the subject is not in motion, I would ensure that it would be positioned nicely off-center and in a more diagonal manner if possible, rather than dead center and perfectly horizontal or vertical.

Mary Yanez