Maya Deren and Her Successful Integration of Dance and Film
The topic of dance films could not be discussed without mentioning Maya Deren. A dancer, ethnographer, philosopher, and “visual poet”, Maya Deren is said to have given birth to the American avant-garde film movement.
Born Eleanora Derenkovskaya on April 29, 1917, in Kiev, Ukraine, (the year of the Russian Revolution), she was a revolutionary innovator from the start. She was born to her beloved mother Marie Fiedler and father Solomon Derenskovsky. In 1922 her family left the Soviet Union for America. They settled in Syracuse, New York.
By 1928, her father had shortened their name to Deren. Maya’s childhood name was Elinka. As a young girl, Elinka hated her legs. She had a rather stalky build for American standards, and because of this, she loved to wear boots. At age ten she gave herself the nickname of “Bootsy.” Little did she know where those stalky legs would take her.
Deren attended Syracuse University to study journalism. This is where her interest in film was first sparked. During this period, she began to write poetry, served as the national secretary of the Young Peoples Socialist League, and met her first husband, Gregory Bardacke. Although her marriage did not last long, Gregory helped her to develop a strong interest in politics, an area in which she would continue to participate. Deren completed her B.A. at New York University in 1936. She then went on to earn an M.A. in English literature from Smith College in 1939.
It was her next move that introduced her to the world of dance. She found a secretarial job working for African American dancer and choreographer Katherine Dunham. With Dunham, Deren toured with the road show of Cabin in the Sky.
While on tour, she met her next husband and life long inspiration, Czech filmmaker, Alexander Hackenschmied, later known as Alexander Hammid. It is her union with Hammid that allowed her to combine her interests and begin to create films.
From an inheritance she earned from her father, she bought a second-hand 16mm Bolex camera. With this camera, Deren and her husband created her first and most famous film Meshes of the Afternoon in 1943. By this time, Elenora had shortened her name to Maya, the word for “veil of illusion” in Hindu mythology.
Deren went on to create many more avant-garde films integrating dance, mise-en-scene, and the art of montage.
Katherine Dunham died on May 21, 2006. (Katherine) “As artist, educator, anthropologist, and activist, Katherine Dunham transformed the field of the twentieth-century dance” (Das
In 1970, a child with skinny legs and muddy skin was introduced into African American literature. Born marguerite Johnson she became known as Maya Angelou (Lupton 51). Her critically acclaimed works have changed the way of the African American autobiography is written.
Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 1884 in New York, New York. While her parent were alive she lived in Italy with them. He father was Elliot Roosevelt, he was a junior partner at a real estate firm. He had alcohol and narcotic issues. Her mother was Anna Rebecca Hall, she was a popular debutante and elite figure. She died when Eleanor was almost 10 and Eleanor was an orphan until she was given to her maternal grandmother. Eleanor Roosevelt was the oldest of her siblings, Elliot and Gracie Hall Roosevelt. Growing up she received private tutoring since she was wealthy. She was taught grammar, arithmetic, literature and poetry. Later, she was also taught German, French, Italian, composition, music, drawing, painting and dance. Although she was not taught on subjects like politics and history, geography and philosophy, her instructor informed her a limitedly exposed her to it. She was raised as Episcopalian, and she kept that as her religious affiliation. This religion is a form of Catechism, which is Catholic, which is the religion that most people were during the time she lived. When she was about 20 years old, instead of returning to the United States from England where she received her schooling but she became involved in the social reform movement during the Progressive Era. After a while, she moved to New York and became a teacher. She was 20 when she married Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was 22. They got married on March 17, 1905. They had one daughter and five sons. They were fifth cousins once removed. After she got married, she fulfilled her duties as a wife and a mother...
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.
The ethics behind genetic engineering have been discussed and argued for years now. Some arguing points often include competitive advantages, playing God, and the polarization of society, but Sandel takes a different approach in explaining society’s “unease” with the morality of genetic engineering. Broadcasted through several examples throughout the book, Sandel explains that genetic engineering is immoral because it takes away what makes us human and makes us something else. He states that by taking control of our genetic makeup, or the makeup of our progeny, we lose our human dignity and humility. Our hunger for control will lead to the loss of appreciation for natural gifts, whether they are certain talents, inherited from the genetic lottery, or the gift of life itself.
Bordwell David and Thompson, Kristen. Film Art: An Introduction. 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008.
Marguerite Ann Johnson, commonly known as Maya Angelou, was born on April 4th, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri during the midst of the depression developing in the United States. She was the daughter of Bailey Johnson and Vivian Baxter, and she had an older brother named Bailey Johnson Jr. Maya Angelou's nickname came from her older brother who called her Maya, shortened for, “my sister.” For a young, insecure African-American child like Maya, it was surpassingly difficult to gro...
It is apparent that living an unhealthy lifestyle, as well as eating poorly, negatively affects one’s health. From a young age it is quickly learned which foods are considered healthful as opposed to junk food. It is a parents responsibility to supervise the intake of their child's food, however there is a higher risk than ever before of childhood obesity.
The novel’s young protagonist first loses her sense of self during early childhood as a result of her constant self-comparison to White people. In this autobiography, Angelou refers to herself by her full name, Marguerite Ann Johnson. Maya (in the novel Marguerite Johnson) first shows her discontent of her skin when she puts on her silk Easter dress hoping to resemble a movie star and “look like one of the sweet little white girls who were everybody’s dream of what was right in the world” (Angelou 2). To her, the vision of this magnificent movie star would only
Marcus, Lauren, Ph. D., and Amanda Baron, M.S.W. "Childhood Obesity: A Growing Problem." Www.aboutourkids.org. NYU Child Study Center, May 2004. Web. 27 Oct. 2013.
The book Emma Goldman: American Individualist tells the true story of an anarchist’s struggles through, life, love, and standing up for what you believe in. Emma Goldman was born on June 27, 1869 in the city of Kovno located within the Russian Empire (currently known as Kaunas in Lithuania) into a Jewish family. Most men during this time wanted their wives to bear sons; Goldman’s father, Abraham Goldman, was no different. Goldman’s mother was very content with Goldman’s sisters, Helena and Lena, and didn’t want to have any more children. When Goldman was born she was rejected by her father. This rejection affected Goldman throughout her life.
Throughout the 1930s, Germany went under the control of the anti-Semitic Nazi Party and its leader, Adolf Hitler. “I could see the danger, being so close to Hitler and the Nazi's in Munich. Many of my school friends, former school friends, were becoming big Nazi's.” (Lowen) Most Germans did not agree with this form of ideology and could see the danger that would come of it so, in strong opposition to the system, they left the country. The Germans who opposed to the changes or the country but didn’t leave were either, forced to leave, held in concentration camps, or put to death. The transition for Germans from Nazi Germany to America--in obligation to the fact that they were German-- was fairly easy, even with the lowering exception of immigrants. In America, Germans, particularly scientists, musicians, and novelists were offered good jobs which allowed them and their families to blend in communities and strive. The immigration of Germans during this period was believed to be a benefit to the American culture which, at the time, was going through a Great Depression.
Williams, Bruce. "The Reflection of a Blind Gaze: Maria Luisa Bemberg, Filmmaker." A Woman's Gaze: Latin American Women Artists. Ed. Marjorie Agosin. New York; White Pine Press, 1998. 171-90.
Marguerite Anne Johnson, better known as Maya Angelou, was born on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri. She was born and raised in an era that involved the Great Depression and World War I. When her parents divorced at a young age, she and her brother were sent to live with her grandmother in a heavily racially segregated Stamps , Arkansas. She found solace in her brother, Bailey, in the hard times produced by the South. This segregation was severe in this era, especially for shy young Marguerite. Throughout her childhood, she was sent from her grandmother to her father and mother. All these different environments exposed Angelou to a series of experiences including: racism, segregation, music, and politics. These experiences were most likely what prompted her to chronicle her life through autobiographical works as well as poems. In these works, Angelou utilizes elements such as literary devices, poetic devices, allusions, recurring themes and symbols to portray
In recent years, childhood obesity has become a public health concern, both in the U.S. and worldwide. According to Hopkins, DeCristofaro, and Elliott (2011),