Brief notes on Dance postmodernism

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Post modernism

War in Vietnam

Time of women's liberation

Old dance forms were not up to date with cultures

Judson church movement

Sharon Davis

1960's

Freedom to dance without censorship

Baptism memorial church originally lead by Robert Dunn

First performance - 'Free' and lasted 3 hours

Proposes a dancer can be better through technique

1970's

Trisha Brown (Started her own company)

Robert Dunn - transformed music into 'Chance' choreography

Made hard movements, so people could not copy them easily.

The dance company started as a drop in centre later became an avant-garde for experimental dance.

Created new movements, pushing the boundaries more than Cunningham.

Cut away from the codified dance conventions

1st time, group decisions were made and loose collaborations were made between audience, dancers and music.

Sally Banes, Terpsichore in Sneakers (Book) meaning steps and trainers

Birth of modernism

Rejection of men hierarchy and women were early only the dancers.

Men - choreographers and Women- Dancers, this had now changed and they mixed together.

Dance should not have rules e.g. you can dance outside, ask questions or dance in a random place.

Rebellion - New dancers got rid of the glamour.

Liberated a new dance form, and saw walking, running and skipping movements as a basis of choreography.

Steve Paxton - Father of contact improvisation and physical movements, physical lifts etc.

What is art?

Marshall Revant- (1940s) He was a New York artist that asked to put a piece of his controversial work into an exhibition.

He used an upside down urinal and signed it R.Mutt, it is a good object, but we associate as a disgusting object.

He was challenging art, people were ignoring these ideas.

Modern works seem to show how to communicate something & Post modern seemed to be questioning the textures and complexities of...