The Influence of Francis W. Parker on Doris Humphrey's Teaching Methodology

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Modern dance pioneer Doris Humphrey (1895–1958) is remembered today primarily for her dances and her theory of choreography, but her contributions to the dance extend far beyond the development of repertory and composition. She was a beautiful and accomplished performer, velvety and strong. She was a gifted educator, who influenced recreational students as well as professional dancers and teachers. She was also a brilliant technical innovator who, using the natural movements of the human body as the basis of her technique, developed a unique language of movement with which to communicate her experiences as an artist living in twentieth-century America.Based on principles of movement, Humphrey's technique is less idiosyncratic than the technique of other modern dancers. Systematic in its practice, if not in its curriculum, the technique was never codified into a syllabus of repeatable exercises. The way in which it was taught by Humphrey and others is distinctive, and is as important an aspect of the technique as the movement principles upon which it was founded. Humphrey's teaching methodology grew from a progressive philosophical perspective towards education to which she had been exposed during her years as a student at the Francis W. Parker School. This paper will examine the Parker approach and trace its influence on Humphrey's emerging technique and teaching methodology.