The Origins of Modernism in Dance
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THE ORIGINS Of RODERWISB IN DANCE 3, Lee Eisler B.Ed,, University of British Colunbia, 1374 A THESIS SUBWITTED IN PABSIAL POLFILLHENT OP TEiE EEQUIRE6EWT.5 PO2 THE CEGREE OF PIASTERS OF SCIENCE (KINESIOLOGY) in the Department of Kinesioloq y @ B. tee Eislsr 1980 SIWCN FWASER UNIVERSITY April. 1981) Rfl sights raserved, This work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by phctocopy or othsr means, without permission of the author. Naxte: B. Lee ~isler Deqree: Masters of Science (Kinesiolcqy) Title of thesis: The Origins of Ho3ernisa In Dance ~uamininqcommittee: Chairperson: Eric Banister Iris Garland senior Supervisor Evan Alderson r Margaret Savage Santa Aloi External Examiner Assistant Professor Simon Fraser University Date Approved: April 16, 1980 PARTIAL COPYRIGHT LICENSE I hereby grant to Simon Fraser University the right to lend my thesis, project or extended essay (the title of which is shown below) to users of the Simon Fraser University L ibrary, and to make part ial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. I further agree that permission for multiple copying of this work for scholarly purposes may be granted by me or the Dean of Graduate Studies. It is understood that copying or publication of this work for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Title of Thesis/Project/Extended Essay ------ABSTRACT Zoie Fuller, Isadora Duncan and Ruth St, Danis are well-known among dance historians as the *pioneers* of modern dance. With their novel dancs styles they offerad the first alternatives to both the classical ballet and the entertaining variety dance of the day. Bhat has not been clearly understood, however, is the unique social, cultural and artistic back- ground in sarfy twentieth century America which stimulated the concurrent 3evelopment of three inncvative dancer- choreographars, In this thesis I have examined the early stage careers of Fullex, Duncan and St, Denis to illustrate the connection between tha devalop~entof early mcdern dancs and the rise of populas culture in America, In an era that witnessed increassd industri3lizatim, urbanization and the possibilities of mass advertising, it was the new popular trends in literature, fashions, paintings, posters, social dance and staqe entertainment which influenced the osiqins of both image and atovement expressed in the early chcreoyraphic works of these dancers, The study involved an historical exami~ationof the immediate cultural and social environment of these chcreoqraphers, A wide variety of books and magazines, early program notes and reviews were used to give an accurate picture ' cf their historical contsxt and to show thsir invcfvemsnt with the popular forms of entertainment at this time, iii ,, In order to relate this historicdl material to ths choreoqrapky of these dancers it was necessary to focus on three of their early korks, fuflerss Ser~entine, Duncacls I~hiuonia12 ---Aulis, and St. Denis* Badha. Throuqh an analysis of the movement and imaqery in each of thsse dances it was possible to show the ways in which popular influencas had begun to lay the qrcundwork for an emerqing tradition of Hodernism in dancs, Characteristics such as the freeing of the torso, tha reduction of storyline and decor, and a new attention to aaovement itsslf as the primary focus of dance were elements that were lattr developed nore fully by chorsographers such as Hartha Graham, Doris Bvinphr sy, and Herce Cunningham, ..LIST ....PLATES Plate Page 1 . mie Fulisr............................................ 62 2 . J.C. Leyendecker. The Century. 3836 ....................62 3 . ~ouisahead. The Century. 18 96 .........................63 4 J.C. Layendecker. The fntssior. 1838. .................. 63 5 . ~oieFuller. Serpentin2..............................e. 63 0 6 . The Cigarette Poster Which Inspfrad Ruth St . Denis) Career as a Dancer.... .............................64 7 . Ruth St. Densis . A Costume Inspired By The Chgaretta 8 . Ruth St. eni is. Radha. 1306. .........................$.65. 9 . Unknown. 1899....................................... *..65 10 . J.C. Leyendscker. The Inland Printfr. 1837 ............65 11 . Euth St. eni is. Radha. 1906. ..........................65 32. Hill Low. Scsibnerv sf 18 95.. ..........................56 13 . Isadora Duncan. New York city. 1898 .........*.*.......66 14 . Theatre Advertisement. Sari FranciscoJ 9882 ............ 67 15 . Isadora Duncan ........................................67 16 . Unknown. 187? .........................................67 97. United States Lottery Advertisement. 1820 .............67 ACKNOWLEDGEBENTS --U__I__----- special thanks to Evan Alderson, Iris ~aflandand Nelson Gray for their continued help in focusing and editinq my research on modern dance and popular culture, CHAPTER THC popular Culture in ~~srica............................ 11 CHAPTEB THREE The Vaudeville Influence .......... e~De~~s~~Dt~~#~DD~e~~~ CHAPTER FOUR The Physical Culture Hovement and Applied aesthetics ~f Delsarte in Amarica.. ..............................38 CRhPTER FIVE Popular and Com~9rcialImagery.. ......................53 CHAPTER SIX Epi~og~~...............~....~.~............,.....~....68 Appendix I:.,.,.... .....b..~~m~aee~~~~~~DDD~~mi.~e~~~e~a~~~~~~D78 ....usr LP PLBTES Plate Page LQ~@PU~~@~***S*.~CI***SJ~~~*~~*~*~*~*~D~~~~S~*~~*~*S**~~ 3.C. Leyendecker. The Century. 1896.. ..................62 Louis Rhead. The Century. 1896 ......................... 63 J.C. Le yendecker. The Interior. 1898. .................. 63 Loie Puller. serpentine ...............................*63 The Cigarette Postzr Which Inspired Ruth St. Denis' Career as a Dancer ........................as...... *64 Buth St. Denis . A Costwe Inspired By The Cigarette Post~r...~.....................S................... 64 Ruth St . Penis. Radha. 1306 ............................65 Unknown. 1839.. ................................a.S.....65 J.C. Lsysnde,c&ar. The Inland Printsr. 3897 ............ 55 Ruth St. Denis. Radha. 1306.. ........................ *65 gill Lou. Scribaer's. 1895.......* ....................66 Isadora Duncan. New York City. 1898................... 66 Theatre Advertiseaent. San Francisco. 1882 ............ 67 Psadara Duncaa ....................................*..*67 Unknown. 3R7?.. .................................... *..57 United States Lottery Wdvertisemmt. 1820.. ........... 67 vii CHRPTER ONE Introduction At the turn of the twentieth century, American painters and wrft~rsopposed to the prevalent sentimentality and idealization in art were aovinq towards fiealism and Naturalism. Durinq this same ti~nte three young women, Loie fuller, Isadora Duncan and Ruth St, Dsnis, began to attract public attention with theif nzo- romantic aesthetic and interprativ~dance. Performing barefoot U-' and Hn loosely draped often revealinq costumes, they qathered audiences as varied as vaudeville regulars, elite artists, society ladies intrigued by novelty and voyeurs in search of a i*nl;l-2-tusnad~t lag, aith a return to the spirit of nature as a basis for movement, these dancers, unlike artists such as Stephen Crane, Edith Uharton, Oilliam Doan Howells and The Eight Group, $ igccred the grcwing industriali n of socisty and exalted a .I // :( 1'" -, romantic spirit. Uacorseted, st que and vibrant, Loie Fuller, Isadora Duncan and Ruth St, Denis reflected ths imaqe of the new Aaerican woman in pursuit of fresh air, exercisa and the arts. The influence of these three noa+n on the development of modernism in dance was revolutionary and far-rsaching, aith their novel dance styles they offered the first alternatives to both the classical ballet and the antertainiaq variety dance of ' the day, ghat has not bee& clearly understood, however, is the 1 unique social, cultural and artistic background in early twentieth century America which stimulated the concurrent develcpment of three innovativt dancer-choreographers, Any dance historian who attempts to trace the influences which fashioned the dance styles of Fuller, Duncaln and St. Dsnis will find that it is a difficult task to fallow their progression from dancers 6, - i )/I 9) ,+ nc in a corps, to vaudeville soloists, to artists acclaimed across Europe. until recently dance history has tended towards bioqraphical tfsatmonts of these modern dance pioneers and N , larqefy iqnored the artistic and cultural context of their work, 5 " (' n,' ,, This method of historical. repostinq has often led to fragmented P,,) : I I,, acceunts which tend to 3uloqize the dancers rather than document y<\a c' i' th6 devalopment of the naw danca form. Stataaents such as ths I cF folfowinq, while full of anthusiasm for Duncan's i tY9 c ciasm do I\ ulO"littleto provide a context for her artistic innovations: What Beethoven is to raodern music, what Walt Whitaan is to poetry, Lsadora Duncan is to modern dance--the first great rosanticist, the first apostle of freedom and de~ocracyin her aft, the liberator conventions. f fn addition, the early modern dancers, in their autobiograghiss, y4 often present even ~0r3outrageous accounts than their historians. Isadora Duncan, for example, proclaimed that she first beqan to dance in her mother's womb **a result of the < t': oysfers and chamgiagae, .. the food of ~phmdite, /i 4 Few historians havf; thoroughly inveszlgated the intricate network of social, cultural and artistic patterns that influenced these dancers, An exception, Olga Haynard,