Dance in the 1970s ‒ a crucible for de-schooling: releasing into being danced

Abstract

In this article I focus on the immersive experience of being a student in the Theatre Department of Dartington College of Arts during the mid 1970s, majoring in Dance with Creative Writing as a second subject. US dancer, teacher and choreographer Mary Fulkerson’s approach to what is now called somatic dance, which she and colleagues named Release, or Release Work, was at the heart of my studies there. I will give a brief description of some key elements of her approach to teaching and choreographic practice, drawing upon Fulkerson’s own writings in Dartington’s Theatre Papers.