Early Dance Research Articles

Contrapuntal Compositions in the Form of Historical Dances in the Conditions of Ensemble Music-Making

The musical culture of the baroque period in distinguished for its interest in dances and in ensemble performance, which found its reflection in works for clavier in various genres. The dances presumed a manifold repeated expounding of the initial musical idea initially for clavier by various instrumental ensembles corresponding to two “storylines”: the dancing and presenting the scenes of musical performance. The revival of the ensemble forms of vernacular musical performance intrinsic to the baroque period has become topical in the present-day instruction of piano ensemble. This kind of practice adequately reflects the performing tradition of the culture of musical ensembles. The article provides examples of adaptation of the technology of unfolding the musical text written for clavier into a quasi-orchestral score on the basis of the repertoire of beginning pianists from the section of the program titled Contrapuntal Compositions in the Forms of Early Dances. The musical score features are realized in the forms of unfolding for four-, six- and eight-hand piano, or for two pianos, including those in which the keyboard synthesizer is used. During the process of fulfilling the assignments a number of unique skills of mastering the creative forms of work with the initial authorial text useful for beginning musicians.

Common Ground

Common Ground

Sculpting Time: Sara Rudner in Her Studio

Sculpting Time: Sara Rudner in Her Studio

The Language of Dance, the Dancer’s Eye, and Aesthetic Experience in Mary Wigman’s Hexentanz II

Early Ausdruckstanz theory often compared Ausdruckstanz to a language to explain how Ausdruckstanz conveys the deeply personal, self-expressive message to its audience. Using Susanne Langer’s study on expression in art and George Lakoff and Mark Johnson’s work on conceptual metaphors in tandem with early dance theory and Mary Wigman’s Hexentanz II, I argue for a conceptual metaphorical understanding of dance as language. Because dance possesses a physical, indexical connection to its meaning, the language of dance consitututes a series of conceptual, rather than linguistic, metaphors that explain how dance conveys meaning through symbolic form, which for Wigman’s Hexentanz II, I demonstrate, is a radically feminist message. Then, turning from the production of meaning in dance towards the perception of said meaning, using Wigman’s theory of the dancer’s eye, I show how the objective of Ausdruckstanz forms a bond between a dancer and audience, incorporating the audience into the dance and creating a new kinesthetic and aesthetic experience. With this goal in mind, Wigman’s Hexentanz II situates itself in the context of other early avant-garde and modernist movements that sought a complete re-evaluation of perception and aesthetic ideals as a response to modernity.

Az etnokoreológiának áldozott élet

The scholarly discipline of ethnochoreology or, as Hungarians would say, dance folkloristics, has had a profound and developed history in Hungary. From the very beginning of its establishing in early 1950s, various intense research activities have focused on the collection, documentation and systematization of traditional dances throughout the country, but also on developing particular theories about their historical and regional stratification. Along with dance notation (Labanotation), one of the main methods of collecting and documenting traditional dances has been their planned filming during pre-arranged sessions, financially and organizationally supported by the state institutions. Among early dance researchers, Labanotators and ethnochoreologists the most significant figure whose influence will far exceed the historical timing and national boundaries of his scholarly work certainly is György Martin (1932-1983). Thanks to the fertile environment of early traditional dance investigation in Hungary coupled with his academic education in folkloristics and ethnomusicology, but also, on the other hand, his huge passion for field research and cabinetwork equally, Martin has left a monumental academic foundation in all of his numerous writings, among which some were published after his early death. The book Selected papers of György Martin, edited by prominent dance researchers from Hungary (Fügedi, Szőnyi and Varga) and Ireland (Quigley), consists of the most significant Martin’s articles from various periods of his career. Besides Martin’s essays translated or re-edited in English, there are also dozens of papers by dance scholars mostly from Hungary. They critically reinterpret Martin’s achievements and reposition them not only within Hungarian but also within international scopes, pointing to their great importance for developing ethnochoreology as an academic scholarly discipline in general and to the continuation of their actuality in the second and third decades of the 21st century. Thanks to the fact that this capital publication is printed in English, Martin’s most significant papers and their scholarly interpretations will be available to a wider readership around the world, which will enable further theoretical, methodological and intellectual considerations about (traditional/folk) dance.

Az etnokoreológiának áldozott élet : Recenzió a Foundations of the Hungarian Ethnochoreology: Selected Papers of György Martin című kötetről

The scholarly discipline of ethnochoreology or, as Hungarians would say, dance folkloristics, has had a profound and developed history in Hungary. From the very beginning of its establishing in early 1950s, various intense research activities have focused on the collection, documentation and systematization of traditional dances throughout the country, but also on developing particular theories about their historical and regional stratification. Along with dance notation (Labanotation), one of the main methods of collecting and documenting traditional dances has been their planned filming during pre-arranged sessions, financially and organizationally supported by the state institutions. Among early dance researchers, Labanotators and ethnochoreologists the most significant figure whose influence will far exceed the historical timing and national boundaries of his scholarly work certainly is György Martin (1932-1983). Thanks to the fertile environment of early traditional dance investigation in Hungary coupled with his academic education in folkloristics and ethnomusicology, but also, on the other hand, his huge passion for field research and cabinetwork equally, Martin has left a monumental academic foundation in all of his numerous writings, among which some were published after his early death. The book Selected papers of György Martin, edited by prominent dance researchers from Hungary (Fügedi, Szőnyi and Varga) and Ireland (Quigley), consists of the most significant Martin’s articles from various periods of his career. Besides Martin’s essays translated or re-edited in English, there are also dozens of papers by dance scholars mostly from Hungary. They critically reinterpret Martin’s achievements and reposition them not only within Hungarian but also within international scopes, pointing to their great importance for developing ethnochoreology as an academic scholarly discipline in general and to the continuation of their actuality in the second and third decades of the 21st century. Thanks to the fact that this capital publication is printed in English, Martin’s most significant papers and their scholarly interpretations will be available to a wider readership around the world, which will enable further theoretical, methodological and intellectual considerations about (traditional/folk) dance.

Madame Mariquita, Greek Dance, and French Ballet Modernism

AbstractThis article seeks to correct prevailing narratives of French ballet modernism, which exclude one of its earliest and most significant choreographers, Madame Mariquita. Although long overshadowed by the Diaghilev enterprise and by dancers such as Isadora Duncan, Mariquita's experiments with creating dances that drew on ancient Greek imagery while ballet mistress at the Paris Opéra-Comique in the early 1900s were central to ballet culture in France at a pivotal moment in dance history. This article discusses Mariquita's nascent ballet modernism through her choreography of Greek dances as well as her engagement with early twentieth-century French dance and broader cultural trends.

Redefining twentieth century ideals of Irish womanhood: Dorothy Tyrconnell Forrest, Erina Brady, and early Irish modern dance

ABSTRACT This article explores the experiences of two women choreographers working with modernist dance forms in Ireland during the early twentieth century. Through an analysis of reviews, photos, and archival film, I demonstrate how these women navigated the moral panic surrounding modernist dance forms in early-to-mid twentieth century Ireland. I argue that the obstacles these women negotiated were directly related to societal norms and legislation centered on kinesthetic control of women’s bodies and sexuality. These norms resulted in associations of modern styles of dancing with improper sexuality – meaning any sexuality outside the confines of heteronormative married relationships – and suspicion of any dancing that was seen to undermine the ideals of Irish womanhood as a uniquely chaste identity.

Poetic Transformations in Matisse's Earliest Dance Images

Matisse's early dance paintings Joy of Life, Dance (I), and Dance (II) appear in countless art books in which their public receptions are repeatedly treated in a superficial manner. The fame of these works needs to be understood in a fuller context for students of dance and art. Matisse's early dance paintings are carefully examined in terms of their historical influences. His exposure to Isadora Duncan, Loïe Fuller, and the Ballets Russes is considered. The frequent citation of specific folk dances Matisse saw at the time he created these works is challenged. What becomes significant is how poetically Matisse transformed the many sources he absorbed into his own reductive style. Matisse's decades-long interest in dance is demonstrated by select examples from his dance oeuvre. Even as an invalid, Matisse continued to work with dance themes. His joy in watching dance and making dance works, including those for ballet, reflected his passion for colour, motion, and expression of the liveliness he saw in dance. It is hoped that this article can lead to more interdisciplinary scholarship and teaching between dance studies and art history.

Scratches, Holes, and Spots: Decay and Disappearance of Early Dance Photography

The article is dedicated to archival documents of early dance photography that are marked by traces of use, threatened by decay, or deliberately destroyed. Taking the example of the photographic series of Olga Desmond’s Sword Dance (phot. Otto Skowranek 1908), which is riddled with bullet holes, the aesthetic appearance and material conditions of the object will be examined in order to present different approaches to dealing with historical documents of dance photography. Following the idea of ‘potential disturbances’ that the art historian Peter Geimer identifies when he challenges the established history of photographic images in his essay Inadvertent Images: A History of Photographic Apparitions (Hamburg 2010), the injured surface of dance photography will be read as evidence that our view is always informed by that which remains invisible, behind the picture, and outside of its margins: the traces of its own history, found in the disturbances of our gaze.

Scratches, Holes, and Spots: Decay and Disappearance of Early Dance Photography

Scratches, Holes, and Spots: Decay and Disappearance of Early Dance Photography

Forgotten “New” Dancer of New York City's Gilded Age: Genevieve Lee Stebbins and the Dance as Yet Undreamed

In the Gilded Age, Genevieve Lee Stebbins (1857–1934) became a dance soloist admired in New York City's theater world. Stebbins created a foundation from which a new “serious” dance aesthetic emerged and notably inspired the early dance work of Ruth St. Denis and Isadora Duncan; however, she remains an overlooked figure within American dance history. This article chronicles Stebbins's innovations and clarifies misrepresentations of her work in recent scholarship. Unlike other American dance pioneers, there is no public archive dedicated to Stebbins, therefore this article draws upon newly available primary sources to explore Stebbins's foundational work.

W.B. Yeats the Choreographer: Composition in the Manuscripts of At the Hawk's Well and The Only Jealousy of Emer

This article investigates how William Butler Yeats's interest in, and professional engagement with, modern dance affected the dramaturgical composition of his plays. Instead of focusing on individual dancers' contributions to the dance plays' previous performances, the analysis discusses compositional features that have hitherto gained little critical attention: the plays' use of performance space and stage movement. The main argument of the article is that resulting from his practical experimentation with dance and movement in performance, Yeats's dramaturgical technique changed substantially, and acquired a choreographic quality, which made stage movement and corporeality just as important in his plays' composition as verbal expression. To demonstrate how Yeats's compositional technique evolved between the years of 1916 and 1919, the essay discusses the textual development of two of his early dance plays, At the Hawk's Well and The Only Jealousy of Emer, based on the scrutiny of their extant manuscript materials and performance scripts.

MAARAK BUNGO LAMANG

AbstractMaarak Bungo Lamang Dance is a result of the creation of dance creations based on the life phenomenon of the Durian River of the South Solok district in order to celebrate the day of the Prophet Maulid. In this regard, the tradition of society that has a sense of gratitude for the day of the Prophet Maulid in a festive way is not separated from the Islamic faith. The dance work "Maarak Bungo Lamang" is an interpretation of the community tradition of the river Durian in welcoming the Prophet's Maulid by means of a journey around the village along with Shalawat-Shalawat. It is as an expression of gratitude for the Prophet's Maulid day. The dance works were performed by 7 dancers, 3 male dancers and 4 female dancers as well as 13 Pendukkung dancers for the early dances, expected to be a new form of dance creations. Program artwork is aimed at adding a wealth of dance artwork, as well as an educational platform for new artists.Keywords: Maarak Bungo Lamang

Embodying one’s teaching identity – Making the tacit explicit

The author uses her own evolution as a dance teacher in higher education for a steppingstone to explore somatics as a pedagogical framework. She begins with examining the entrée of dance in U.S. higher education and how somatic beliefs are embedded within the goals of these early dance programs. As the author reflects on the parameters of somatics through different theoretical lenses, questions emerge about how a somatics oriented teacher embodies somatic values in her teaching identity. Through a qualitative research design of observation and dialogue, two contemporary technique teachers were observed for their body attitudes, gestures, and language choices to explore two particular instances of a somatics-oriented pedagogy.

Features of the Spanish Choreography of the 15–18th Centuries

Relevance of the study. The Spanish dance tradition is an integral part of the pan-European choreographic culture. Its research expands the comprehension of the theoretical foundations of the dance art, its history and assists in the practical work of studying and reproducing the dances of the past.The aim of the article is to determine what the Spanish choreography of the 15–18th centuries was by nature of.Research Methodology. The research is carried out by studying and analyzing existing books with the descriptions of the early dances and the contemporary analytical articles.Results. The article studies and characterizes all the currently known primary sources of Spanish choreography of the given period, analyzes the dance forms and movements, as well as the main types and styles of Spanish dance. Their social significance is defined. The general rules that characterize the performance of aristocratic dances are described. Common and distinctive features of the Spanish and Italian dance steps are analyzed. The list of the most mentioned dances of the given period and those occurring in one of the original sources is analyzed and presented. The features of movement performance in the Spanish dances are identified. The paper describes the common and distinctive characteristic features of the Spanish choreography with the dance traditions of other countries in Europe of the given period.Novelty. The author attempts to summarize the current information about the Spanish choreography of the 15–18th centuries, which forms the basis for further development of the research and methodological framework in the field of choreography.The practical significance. The research can contribute to provide the theoretical basis for restoring the choreographic heritage of the past.

Frenzied Flappers: The Hysterical Female in Early Twentieth-Century Social Dance

Abstract It is widely acknowledged that the freer, more sexualized movements of social dancing in the early twentieth century (1900–1929) accompanied the beginnings of female emancipation both socially and politically. However, less explored are the similarities between the provocative, inelegant choreography of such social dances and the symptoms of female hysteria, a medical phenomenon that saw the body as a canvas for mental distress as provoked by social tensions. This essay will address the possible alignment of hysteria and popular social dance in relation to the evolving Modern Woman. It will examine the motivations of modern, ‘hysterical’ dances, and discuss their progressive status in terms of gender by considering perceived psychosomatic interactions within the female dancing body.

Footprints of the Dance: An Early Seventeenth-Century Dance Master's Notebook. Jennifer Nevile. Drama and Theatre in Early Modern Europe 8. Leiden: Brill, 2018. xiv + 286 pp. $135.

Footprints of the Dance: An Early Seventeenth-Century Dance Master's Notebook. Jennifer Nevile. Drama and Theatre in Early Modern Europe 8. Leiden: Brill, 2018. xiv + 286 pp. $135.

Early career dance academia: an investigation into the DanceHE Early Career Mentor Scheme

ABSTRACTAs a burgeoning academic field in the UK, dance is seeing an increase of emerging scholars entering the sector from different contexts. This article examines qualitative data from four early career dance academics from different UK institutions, all of whom took part in the DanceHE Early Career Mentor Scheme. DanceHE is the representative body for academics and practitioners in Higher Education departments teaching and researching Dance in the United Kingdom. For 14 months, each participant was matched with an experienced mentor from another institution, who could offer advice about a range of work-related issues. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with the four participants at the beginning and end of the mentorship, questioning them about their career and how the mentor scheme informed it. Taken together, the results provide an insight into the work that early career dance academics undertake, highlighting challenges affecting scholars in different institutions including roles and responsibilities, teaching, research, and time management. Furthermore, the article examines how the DanceHE Early Career Mentor Scheme supported the participants’ work and how cross-institutional mentorship can be developed in the future.

Storytelling through Early Childhood Dance Education Program

Storytelling through Early Childhood Dance Education Program