Rudolf Laban Theory

always been known for the risky and powerful movements which are often why dancers retire from the company. The dancer’s movements were often very intense and emotive, such as the “throws” across the stage in which the dancers would, almost violently, launch themselves across the stage in different forms (leaps, falls and flips to name a few). Another section where the movements were emotive is where the dancers were thrusting their hips in different positions to perhaps show sexuality in “self”.

Moving History/Dancing Cultures is a collection of dance related essays and articles by various authors. The book was published in 2001. The article “Searching for Nijinsky’s Sacre” was written by Millicent Hodson. Hodson is a well-known choreographer and lecturer. She has also reconstructed multiple ballets; her most famous being Le Sacre du Printemps, originally choreographed by Nijinsky. As the title suggests, Hodson’s article is about her extensive research of Nijinsky’s Sacre, and the importance of remembering, preserving, and recreating such revolutionary ballets.

Mime should be used only when the ballet’s style dictates it, in other cases the dancer’s whole body, not only the hands, should be used to communicate.

Mats Ek’s family would play no small part in the development of his influential style of dance. His father Ander Ek was an acclaimed Swedish actor and this had a strong impact on his work in the theatre, Ander ek gave Mats Ek a chance to do drama classes and this is shown through his use of emotion, drama and abstract expressions in his choreography. His mother Brigit Cullberg, choreographer and dancer of the Cullberg ballet who funded the Cullberg ballet in the 1960’s. The artistic background that Mats Ek was brought up in has profoundly influenced his work and it is obvious that both acting and dancing complement the other in his choreography. Without his strong artistic family Mats Ek would not bee the renowned choreographer he is today.

The main topic of my research paper is comparing and contrasting the difference between Chinese Classical dance and European Classical ballet. The questions I will develop in the paper included as follows.

Although Bausch’s dances show influences of both the German expressionist tradition and and the formalism of American dance of the sixties, she effectively disempowered both systems. In Bausch’s work, formal gestures become subjective as they accumulate the performers’ personal interpretations and new meanings with each

As world has changed over the last century or so, the ballet world has been changing with it. There are many people who have helped shape that change. The changes in style were mainly influenced by George Balanchine. George Balanchine, a Russian choreographer and ballet dancer, also known as the father of American ballet, was the man who was said to have changed the style of ballet forever. Along with these changes in style came changes in visual design elements, inspirational figures, and changes in what the ballets themselves tend to rely on. Many of the features given to ballet in Russia in the 15th and 16th century still remain to this day, but many features have been altered to fit . Let’s take a closer look at what features truly

Whether we look at a romantic ballet like La Sylphide or a classical ballet such as Sleeping Beauty, audiences are constantly mesmerized by the gracefulness and weightlessness of the ballet dancers. They seem to defy the laws of physics, which is greatly possible due to the use of the pointe shoe. However, many masterworks that were created in the Romantic era did not solely rely on the pointe shoe to help convey messages. Instead, the choreography, dancers, scenic elements, subject matter, and music all helped shaped masterworks such as La Sylphide, Napoli, and Giselle. Similarly, in the Classical era, these elements all played a role in shaping famous ballets like La Bayadere, Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake. But once we take a closer look at these ballets from the Classical era, we can see how much ballet evolved. Nevertheless, it is important to note that the Romantic era was the stepping stone for this pure art form that we have been able to preserve for more than 160 years.

The 20th century saw a shift in dance as new forms were created and artists began entertaining audiences in new ways. The rise of Jazz music and the swing era allowed a couple of tap dancers, commonly known as the Nicholas Brothers, to gain fame. The Nicholas Brothers questioned what dance could be by pushing the human body to the limits the likes of which had not been seen before. Other innovations in their dance such as their vernacular style, informal training, and unique musicality directly opposed many of the virtues of classical ballet. Through my own interpretations of their work as well as through the use of primary and secondary sources it is clear to see that the Nicholas Brothers opposed classical ballet through their style, musicality,

The result of his commission was the first real modern ballet. It set the example of the composer consulting both with the choreographer and the stage/costuming artist during the composition.

Mrs. Farrell’s book is quite technical when it comes to the lengthy descriptions of the dances she rehearses and performs; from a dancer’s view these varied conclusions of the types of movements she was dancing is quite astonishing. In fact, it adds a whole new level to the imagination that can come alive in a person’s thoughts when they read an expressive book. Although the technical explanations will excited, astound, and reveal how much passion and deep meaning ballet had in Suzanne Farrell’s life, but a reader, who may not be involved in the arts will be unfamiliar with the ballet and musical terms in

According to the website Biography, “Mexican-born dancer and choreographer José Limón is recognized as an important figure in the American modern dance movement of the 1930s-1960s” (Biography). Jose Limon is one of the Ballet dancer sand choreographers in the 1930s. Even though he is considered to be a Ballet dancer, Limon is well-known for performing and choreographing a great amount of Modern Dance piece. Jose Limon is significant to me because he is the first Modern Dance choreographer I know, and his representative work “the Moor’s Pavane” impressed me the most due to the plots and the expressive movements in this piece. After watching the video “the Moor’s Pavane,” it raised my interest on Jose Limon; it also motivated me to do a deeper research on the information about Modern Dance. Jose Limon, one of the pioneers of Modern Dance, his Limon Technique has brought a significant contribution to the field of Modern Dance in the 20th century.

The history of ballet is rich, complex and full of powerful meanings depending on the time period. Ballet in the 15th century was seen as something that only select individuals could do, whereas, the 20th century ballet can be preformed by anyone. By thinking about how ballet performers have changed, a question may be thought is, have the people attending these ballet performances changed as well as the performers themselves? Today, children from ages two and up start taking ballet and family members come and watch their final recitals. National ballet companies are also an event and often draw attention to the higher-class individuals who have a taste for ballet. The ballet world could be seen as to having a quite array of attendees, events and functions, but that might not have always been the

The American dancer and choreographer Doris Humphrey played one of the pivotal roles in the development of the modern dancing. Humphrey with her deep contemplation of the possibilities of human body movement and its unique expression invented the new vocabulary of dance movement, built on the principles of the equilibrium and graceful gravity fall and recovery technique. The legendary dancer based her choreography on the constant search of the body equilibrium nuances and its principles. Using these features were created extraordinary performances, which not only showed the choreographic novelty and creative potential, but also embraced the philosophy of the contemporary dance, exploring the themes of the relations between individual and collective in the contemporary society. The legacy of Doris Humphrey lies in the introduction of the new choreographic principles, extension of the modern dance as the important part of this art, and aesthetic implementation of philosophy of modernism in the imperishable performances.

Born and raised in Germany, Pina Bausch joined the Folkwang Academy at age fifteen, and started dancing in the style of Tanztheater, a combination of theater and dance. When she was nineteen, Bausch move to New York, where she studied under some very prominent choreographers, including José Limón, Paul Taylor, and Alfredo Corvino. Although she worked with such noteworthy choreographers so young, this was just the start of her professional career. Later, Bausch became the artistic director of Wuppertal Opera Ballet, that of which was renamed Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch. Here, Pina created pieces that inspired, connected, and challenged the ideas of the modern world and its supporters. Pina dug directly into the emotions of the dancers, and focused more closely on the realness of the portrayed emotions than the physical image of the movement. She created a style of dance that pulled at the audience’s heartstrings because of its realness and ease to connect to.