Analytical Post-Modern Dance in Response to Glenn

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