Name: Class Name: Date: Shapers of Modern Dance: Alwin Nikolais Alwin Nikolais (1910-1993) was an American choreographer, designer, and electronic music composer who redefined modern dance. Today he serves as one of the pioneers of multi-media dance.
Via Encyclopedia Brittanica
Let’s Take it From the Top Alwin Nikolais was born in Southington, Connecticut in 1910. As a young boy he studied the piano and grew to become a professional organist for silent films. He also studied scene design, theatre, puppetry, and music composition.
1 After seeing a performance by Mary Wigman, he was inspired to study dance. His first teacher, Truda Kaschman encouraged Nikolais to study over the summer at Bennington College. There he trained with major modern dance figures like Martha Graham, Hanya Holm, Charles Weidman, Doris Humphrey, and Louis Horst. In 1940, Nikolais collaborated with his teacher, Kaschman to create his first ballet entitled, 8 Column Line. The piece was an instant success and had notable patrons like Leonide Massine and Salvadore Dali in attendance. Nikolais taught at a small studio he established and directed the Hartt School of Music (now part of the University of Hartford) before touring with Hanya Holm’s dance company. Via Dance Heritage Coalition Taking a brief hiatus from Holm’s company, he served in active duty for the army. Upon returning, he rejoined Holm and became her assistant; teaching at her New York Studio and Colorado College’s summer program. At Colorado College, he met dancer, Murray Louis. They formed a friendship that would lead to a lifelong collaboration together. Beginnings of a Company
2 Stepping away from Holm, he was appointed to be the new director of the Henry Street Playhouse. The once thriving school was in chaos upon Nikolais’s arrival so he rebuilt the program and formed the Playhouse Company, later renamed the Nikolais Dance Via NY Times Theatre. With this company, he began developing his style of abstract dance theatre. He was joined by Murray Louis and together their company performed regularly at American Dance Festival and appeared on television. After performing a season at the Theatre de Champs-Elysées, Nikolais became an international phenomenon. He was asked to choreograph for the Paris Opera. Shortly after, he was being sought over for commissions all over Europe. Some of his best- known works include Totem and Count Down.
Via All About Alwin
3 Style Nikolais’ dancers performed in bare feet. He incorporated lights, slides, electronic music, and stage props regularly. He also avoided overused themes and rejected all codified movement from the past. Critics often claimed his work was “dehumanizing” as the dancers often appeared in a way contrary to the human form. Nikolais argued it was “liberating” as he wanted to eliminate the modern dancer’s “self-obsession.”
“Basic dance--and I should qualify the word basic--is primarily concerned with motion. So immediately you will say but the basketball player is concerned with motion. That is so--but he is not concerned with it primarily. His action is a means towards an end beyond motion. In basic dance the motion is its own end-- that is, it is concerned with nothing beyond itself.” -Alwin Nikolais
His choreographic theory was based on “decentralization,” meaning that by depersonalizing dancers with costumes and lighting, dancers could be liberated from their own forms. Personal Life Nikolais was introverted and withdrew from the publicity that came from his work. He let his partner, Louis deal with those affairs. Even when Louis formed a company of his own, the two partners continued to be in dialogue with one another to further shape their visions. Legacy Nikolais’s contributions to the dance world are numerous and his pedagogy is taught all over the world. He inspired a great deal of
4 work that followed him and revolutionized the way people view dance. Among Nikolais’s awards is the National Medal of Arts awarded by President Ronald
Reagan and the French Via Youtube Ministry of Culture’s subsidizing of a school dedicated to his teachings. His work is still performed through the Nikolais/Louis Foundation for Dance.
Sources: • https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alwin-Nikolais • http://www.danceheritage.org/nikolais.html • http://www.kennedy-center.org/Artist/A3780 • http://www.nikolaislouis.org/NikolaisLouis/Nikolais.html • http://bearnstowjournal.org/theaterAN.htm
5 Name: Dance Standard: Understand historical contributions and culture context of dance from various periods and cultures. Common Core: Cite textual evidence Please use a separate sheet of paper to answer the following questions: 1. Where was Nikolais born? 2. What was his profession before pursuing dance? 3. What prompted him to study dance? 4. What was his first work called? Who did he collaborate with to create it? 5. Where did Nikolais teach in Connecticut? 6. Which German dancer did he train with and later serve as an assistant to? 7. Why did he take a hiatus from dance? 8. Where did he meet Murray Louis? 9. What New York program was he appointed to direct/rebuild? 10. How was his work criticized? 11. Name one of his works. 12. What was his style like? 13. Name an award Nikolais received? 14. How is his legacy continued today?
6 15. What was his theory on “decentralization” all about? 16. Can you name any dances that might have been influenced by Nikolais? Have you ever seen multimedia in dance? Does it enhance it? Detract from it? Explain. 17. Do you think dance can ever be abstract? Why or why not? 18. Consider the underlined words. Look them up and explain how they fit into the historical and cultural narrative as it pertains to Nikolais.
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