There are few things in the world as confusing as contemporary dance. All right! There are lots of things in the world that are a lot more confusing than contemporary dance, the popularity of celebrity chefs for one, but there is certainly a great deal in this haggard, creaky profession that confuses the brightest of minds and stumps the greatest of thinkers! So here we present for you the ultimate pocket guide to contemporary dance to impress your friends with and dazzle your nearest and dearest at those horrendous dinner parties. Isadora who?
Most folks think it was all started by Martha Graham back in the day but this is not so. The earliest proponent of dance in the contemporary style was that oldest of sticks, Isadora Duncan back in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Back in those, almost biblical, times it was called ‘free movement’ and some have likened her particular style to what is currently known as ‘wafting about’.
Things to note: Ms Duncan died in suitably theatrical way when her scarf became entangled in the wheel of her moving car and she choked to death.
Martha Graham
Often credited as being the mother of contemporary dance. She encouraged dramatic expression through movement and created the now infamous ‘Graham Technique” endured by dance students throughout the world on a daily basis. In today’s light her works, some of which exist on film, look a little stunted and dry but back in the early part of the 20th century they were little short of revolutionary.
Ms Graham kept on working into very old age. Upon her death the company that she founded which also bears her name went through years of turmoil after some bloke called Ron Protas claimed complete ownership over anything and everything to do with the company. A judge threw out his claims a few years ago and now all is well.
Merce Cunningham
The oldest living choreographer, probably. Has created several dozens works all based around his signature themes of chance, abstract theory, bizarre music and, some would say, irritating the hell out of his audience. Loved and hated by dancers and dance makers in almost equal measure mostly disliked by dance students because they are forced to sit through badly made BBC programmes about him from the seventies during their training.
Things to Note: One of his works was famously performed on BBC radio back in the day. The BBC thought they were being very clever, nobody else agreed!
For more on Contemporary dancing;
martha graham was the mother of modern dance, not contemporary.
ReplyDelete