New Dance: Evolution and Influence in the 20th Century

New Dance is described as a developing art form; this dance was articulated in the early 20th century. According to Chapter 8 in History of Dance book, “the new dance emerged as a response to the ballet that populated the variety shows and music halls, which had a rigid formula of steps and poses” (Kassing). The New Dance was a product of several strands that interlaced together dancers’ studies and backgrounds; these strands and others were woven together in a historical, political, and societal framework. For instance, one strand of New Dance consisted of the concepts, techniques, costumes, and stage settings from around the world. These strands influenced major dancers and choreographers, such as, Isadora Duncan, Loie Fuller, Ruth St. Denis, and Ted Shawn. The new dancers wanted their movements to be authentic and to tell a story. An example of this is Isadora Duncan, a dancer and choreographer of the 20th century, when “in 1904 [she] established a school in Grunewald, Germany (and others in France and Russia), in which pupils were trained through gymnastic exercises and encouraged to express themselves through movement” (Kassing). Duncan inspired dancers to unravel themselves in their own movements, and to use the music and nature as a muse: “My art is an effort to

The troupe toured the United States, performing Shawn’s works. After the company disbanded in 1940, Shawn established Jacob’s Pillow on his property in Lee, which became a summer destination for students of modern dance, where they learned from the artists and teachers who were developing the direction of 20th-century dance. Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival quickly became an internationally known, prestigious dance center. Shawn encouraged the filming of dance works, a visionary idea that captured many of the American modern dancers that appeared at Jacob’s Pillow