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
Analytic post-modern dance is a style of dance which arose in the 1960’s to, as all new movements do, revolutionize what was included in the definition of dance. Modern dance has a focus on “freedom of movement and the solo form,” and also usually had a plot or meaning to it. Unlike this, analytic post-modern dance has a focus on the pure movements of the dance itself. It used repetition, improvisation, and chance. As Monica quoted from the Sally Banes reading, it was a style which rejected “musicality, meaning, characterization, mood and atmosphere.” She summarized the main focus of post-modern dance aptly, that is, that it should be minimalistic, functional, and objective. The dance could stand alone without assistance from music or props. All other elements were muted and used for functionality, such as clothing, in order to emphasize movement. In addition, even people who were untrained in dance could become dancers. Pretty much all kinds of movement, even those which seemed mundane, could become parts of dances.
Trisha Brown was one choreographer who captured the essence of analytic post-modern dance. She learned from Robert Dunn and was able to explore ideas which were borderline acceptable. From her early choreography she would play around with improvisation, sometimes adding structure through rules and other times using the audience to direct her movement. In these early works she would also use any available performers in her dances, even if they were untrained. Brown experimented with pure movement and gravity; in some of her works the dancers would move on walls or on the ceiling. She also used mundane movements in these choreographies, for example incorporating normal walking. Her dances were not necessarily always physically appealing or technically advanced. However, there was a focus on the movements which were done as well as an element of self-expression in her choreographies.