Danny Grossman was born in San Francisco in 1942. He established the dance company called ‘Danny Grossman Dance Company’ in 1997 in Toronto, Canada. The company has created a repertoire of more than 40 works, which have been toured and performed across Canada and internationally. Although Grossman’s choreography and style was influenced by Paul Taylor, there were features that were uniquely his own. The core of his works is based on a thematic approach in stage productions. For example, in 1975 in one of his productions called ‘Higher’, the thematic approach was the expression of “sexual relationships in relation to the spirit, and the spirituality of sex” . In this piece he explores sexual relationships and in the manner that he has stated that could not be expressed intellectually . He said in an interview that he used the Karma Sutra, a book of sexual positions to help him and it played a big part in helping him with his work. Unlike most of his contemporaries, Grossman’s dance movements vary from one production to another. In the 1975 production ‘Higher’ the dance movements were mainly using the whole body. The piece went for 15 minutes and was explicit in its design so that the audience could clearly see and understand the intended message/s. This piece received many awards and is what got Grossman noticed and brought into the dancing world. Another feature in his works was simplicity. For example, in 1977, in one of his productions called ‘Curious Schools of Theatrical Dancing: Part 1.’ This is reflected in costume, props and choice of music. He did not use any props but the production was effective in the choice of costume being a simple black and white unitard with big stripes going diagonally over his body. In this p... ... middle of paper ... ...’s work. Although dancing Taylor’s choreography, Grossman was allowed the freedom to experiment and this factor allowed him to develop as a performer. Grossman has admitted that he had some fear in dancing in Taylor’s Company; however he has further added that in doing so his fears were gradually diffused and he in fact reached “a sense of peace or calm”. “I did lead an emotional and even a spiritual life and dancing I learned how to rid myself of my demons as a performer and find ecstasy.” (Page, 142, dance masters) Grossman loved Pauls work and he felt as if he was born to do them. Paul and Grossman were very close as Grossman said in an interview that he became family in a sense when he was in the company. The experience of the 10 years with Paul Taylor greatly influenced Grossman’s profession development to the extent that he left it as a seasoned performer.
Mark Morris branched out and established himself as a successful choreographer in 1980 and established the Mark Morris Dance Group. He established this company after moving to New York City, his first major choreographed work, Rattlesnake Song, garnered critical acclaim by r...
Alvin was born during the Great Depression to two working class parents in Rogers, Texas. His father abandoned the family when Alvin was a mere six months old, leaving him and his mother with the struggle of fending for themselves. The inability for Alvin’s mother to find work led to their move to California in 1942, where Alvin was introduced by a classmate to the most influential person that would be the foundation for his future successful career in modern dance, Lester Horton (DeFrantz 1). Alvin was captivated by Lester’s work, which focuses on building a strong body, and made the executive decision to start his dance training in 1949 when he was eighteen years old. Because Lester Horton’s dance company embraced diversity, and accepted dancers of all ethnicities and backgrounds, Alvin was given the opportunity to do something great with his
As the first African-American to create a multicultural, international concert dance company, Alvin Ailey’s dance company has been dubbed the “cultural ambassador of the world” (Gorman 36). Through his Alvin Ailey Dance Company, he addressed the racism and injustice faced by ethnic minorities across the globe. Ailey clearly revolutionized African American participation in 20th century concert dance as well as revived interest in modern dance. As an extremely talented dancer and choreographer, Ailey’s success is attributed to his dedication and passion for expression through dance, but what is often overlooked is his resilience to the hardships he faced, the mentors he had, and the opportunities
Throughout the years, America has pursued the performing arts in a large variety of ways. Theatre plays a dramatic and major role in the arts of our society today, and it takes great effort in all aspects. Musical Theatre, specifically, involves a concentration and strength in dance, acting, and singing. This is the base that Musical Theatre is built upon. For my Senior Project, I helped choreograph multiple scenes in a community musical “Thoroughly Modern Millie”. Choreography is a way of expressing oneself, but it has not always been thought of for that purpose. Agnes de Mille’s expressive talent has drastically affected how people see choreography today. Agnes de Mille’s influence in the world of dance has left a lasting impact in the Performing Arts Department, and her revolutionary works are still known today for their wit, lyricism, emotion, and charm.
Berkeley’s creations were not meant to focus on dance. He envisioned an overall moving pattern, which he created by using moving bodies. He made the art of choreography a technique of design and visual mathematics, and combined this with his knowledge of film to bring his vision to life on the big screen. The skill of this multi-talented man brought Hollywood musicals to their full potential, creating a high demand for dance in films.
He is regarded as a leader and one of the greatest dancers and choreographers of our time. Similar to Cage, his life partner, produced very radical innovations, which included the relationship of dance and music. They both concluded that they both dance and music should be created independently (Merce Cunningham Trust). They both produced works that relied on chance rather than choice. The composition of Cunningham’s dances disregarded the conventional means of their structure, such as a cause and effect type of situation. The subject of his dances seemed to be the dance itself, rather than any subjective storytelling within them. A quote from Cunningham explains his position on freedom vs. control. “...OUR ECSTASY IN DANCE COMES FROM THE POSSIBLE GIFT OF FREEDOM… WHAT IS MEANT IS NOT LICENSE, BUT FREEDOM..."(Merce Cunningham Trust). Having more emphasis on freedom, Cunningham’s dances were free-flowing and expressive. However, he overcame the struggle of maintaining a balance between purposeful actions and meaninglessness. His dances incorporated all body movements as a part of dance, accidental or not. Improvisation was also a technique in which he supported. This allowed himself and his dancers to perform movements with and without
Putman, D. (1990). THE AESTHETIC RELATION OF MUSICAL PERFORMER AND AUDIENCE. British Journal of Aesthetics. 30 (4), 1-2.
The work ‘Ghost Dances’ by Christopher Bruce was viewed on 26th August, 2011 to the Year 12 Dance class. The individual interpretation of the social/political or world issue/ comment the piece is attempting to make. Using direct examples from the performance, the use the choreographer has made of the movement and the non-movement components have been identified. Also the effectiveness of this piece has been evaluated.
Paul Taylor Paul Taylor was born on July 29th, 1930 in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, about a year after the stock market crashed that led to the Great Depression. Paul Taylor had a lonely childhood because he and his parents were often separated. He grew up around Washington D.C, and went to Syracuse University on a swimming scholarship, at the university he discovered dance through the library's books. Dance became his passion and he transferred to The Juilliard School ( a performing arts school). In the 1950’s, Mr. Taylor started bringing modern dance to many American college campuses, small towns, and larger cultural centers.
I had the pleasure of being in Western Kentucky University Dance Department’s concert, An Evening of Dance. The performance took place on April 29th through May 2nd in Russel Miller Theatre. It consisted of many works from faculty and guest artists. I felt like the concert was a success and that the choreography was all unique in its own way. I enjoyed the pieces that I performed, and the ones that my fellow company members were in. Through the analysis of “Petrichor”, I found that each production and chorographic element plays a large part in the successful outcome of a dance and emotional responses can be evoked by the simplest ideas.
Learning about Dance: Dance as an Art Form and Entertainment provides visions into the many features of dance and inspires scholars to keep an open mind and think critically about the stimulating, bold, ever-changing and active world of dance. Learning about Dance is particularly useful for those who do not have a wide and diverse dance contextual, such as students in a preliminary level or survey dance course. This book consists of twelve chapters. Chapter one dance as an art form focuses on the basic structures of dance. Dance is displayed through the human body, it has the control to communicate and induce reactions. Dance can be found in many different places, it enables the participants and seekers to touch and knowledge the joy of movement. Dance is discovered as being one of the oldest art forms worldwide. Dance existed in early cultures was recognized in a sequence of rock paintings portrayed dance. Since this discovery of rock paintings, several other forms of art have been found that depict dance. People used rituals in order to worship the gods and believed that the rituals held magical and spiritual powers. During the ancient period civilizations sentient decisions began to be made with regard to dance. Other periods that had an impact on dance were the medieval period, the renaissance period, and the contemporary period. Chapter two the choreographer, the choreographer is a person who comes up with the movements created into a dance routine. The choreographer expresses themselves through choreography because this is their way of communicating with the audience. In order to be a choreographer you must have a passion for dance. Each choreographer has their own approaches and ways of making up a routine. Choreographers ...
While a student in the dance program at Detroit High School for the Fine and Performing A...
He always had an unusual and imaginative dance routine floating around in his head. “I don’t really know why I clicked, I didn’t want to be a dancer, and I just did it to work my way through college. But I was always an athlete and gymnast, so it came naturally,” stated Kelly. Also stated by Kelly, “In the 1930’s, when I started, Martha Graham was the only dancer doing anything modern but she did it all to classical music. I couldn’t see myself doing Swan Lake every night, and I wanted to develop a truly American Style”
Contemporary 20th century choreographer Paul Taylor used the components of dance -space, time and energy to explore the struggle of an individual versus the conformity of the masses in his dance Esplanade. In addition, Taylor intertwined the principles of contrast, repetition, and resolution throughout Esplanade to portray the emotion, which accompanied this isolation. This esplanade (a long, open, level area usually by the sea) represented the journey of an independent women’s movement against the societal norm of heterosexual couples within the masses.
Jonas, Gerald. Dancing: The Pleasure, Power, and Art of Movement. New York: Abrams, 1992. Print.