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Ml 48106 18 BEDFORD ROW. LONDON WC1R 4EJ. ENGLAND 1315395 'i BLUE. NOftà C E L U CHANGING THE DANCER'S INAGES RAINER» BROWN. AND PAXTON. 1 THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY. N.A.. I9B0 COPR. 1980 BLUE. NORA CELIA nematiOrVll 300 m z e e b r o a d , a n n a r b o r , m i a b io b © 1980 NORA CELIA BLUE All Rights Reserved CHANGING THE DANCER'S IMAGE: RAINER, BROWN, AND PAXTON by Nora Blue submitted to the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of The American University in Partial Fulfillment of The Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Performing Arts Signatures of Committee: Chairman: Dean of th e C ollege Dat 1980 The American University Washington, D.C. 20016 THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 5 7 ‘î f CHANGING THE DANCER'S IMAGE: RAINER, BROWN, AND PAXTON BY Nora Blue ABSTRACT This thesis examines the changes in the dancer's image that occurred during a six year period, 1960-1966, as a result of new dance forms and methods introduced at the Judson Dance Theatre. The discussion centers on the work of Yvonne Rainer, Trisha Brown, and Steve Paxton as exemplars of these changes. A work by each choreo­ grapher is analyzed, respectively, they are: "Parts of Some Sextets" (1965), "Rulegame 5" (1964), and "Satisfyin' Lover" (1967). Research was based on the collection and analysis of critical reviews and commentaries, written during the period and retrospectively. The choreographers’ own accounts of their works and goals, both current and retrospective were analyzed. Lastly, photographs of the dancer's image pre-Judson era and of the Judson era were compared and analyzed as evidence for these changes. For a working hypothesis, the author posits that the Judson choreographers changed the dancer's image from an Idealized image of the human form to an individualized image. The results of the study are that this hypothesis is correct. In the final analysis the author concludes the changes were a consequence of the choreographers' desire to Increase their creative options by extending the possible uses of the dancer's image as an aesthetic tool. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I . INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 1 The Dancer's Image Defined ........................................................... 2 The Dancer's Specialized Body .................................................. 3 Conditions for the Specialized B ody ..................................... 3 The Emergence of Modern Dance .................................................. 7 Merce Cunningham .................................................................................. 9 Anna H alprin ........................................................................................... 10 Judson Dance Theatre ......................................................................... 11 The Purpose of the T h e sis........................................................... 12 The Choreographers Chosen ........................................................... 14 Yvonne Rainer ....................................................................................... 15 T rish a Brown ........................................................................................... 16 Steve Paxton........................................................................................... 17 The Working Hypothesis .................................................................... 18 Definition of Term s......................................................................... 19 I I . HALPRIN AND CUNNINGHAM.......................................................................... 20 I I I . YVONNE R A IN E R ............................................................................................ 28 IV. TRISHA BROWN................................................................................................. 41 V. STEVE PAXTON................................................................................................. 51 V I. CONCLUSIONS OF THE STUDY...................................................................... 63 The Conventional Dancer's Image ................................................. 64 "P.O.S.S." ................................................................................................ 67 "Rulegame 5 " ........................................................................................... 70 " P r o x y " .................................................................................................... 72 Conclusions........................................................................................... 73 Implications of the S tu d y ........................................................... 76 SOURCES CONSULTED ........................................................................................................... 77 i i I . INTRODUCTION The Judson Dance Theatre opened Its doors to the public, July 6, 1962. Thereafter, it became a center for wide open and far-reaching explorations for new definitions of dance as a performing art form. Most of the commonly accepted theatrical dance conventions were rejected or transformed by choreographers of the Judson group; sometimes in a spirit of rebellion (as critics with conventional views never tired of pointing out). Often, however, the choreographers and dancers involved simply lacked interest in the artistic problems posed by working in a conventional frame of reference. Much excitement and interest was generated by the new forms and materials being presented. Jill Johnston, dance critic for The Village Voice, simply crowed: "... this was an important program in bringing together a number of young talents who stand apart from the past and who could make the present of modern dance more exciting than it's been for twenty years . A1 Carmines, Associate M inister of Judson Memorial Church (where the Dance Theatre was located) and sponsor of the program, was more am bivalent : The first concerts, more than anything else, created in me an immense anxiety. I did not understand what these dancers were doing. I had no way of relating it to Modern Dance history— ^Jill Johnston, "Democracy," The Village Voice, 23 August 1962, p. 9. because I knew none. My sensation from the first concerts was one of awe at the stinging vitality of the work, and fear and anxiety that the traditional ground rules of all art seemed to be obliterated by the work.l The Dancer's Image Defined Among those theatrical conventions being "obliterated" by the choreographers of the Judson Dance Theatre was the dancer’s image. Generally speaking, the dancer's image is the appearnce of the dancer's body while performing. Many factors influence the appearance of the dancer's body in motion, including some arising from social and cultural conditions. In this paper, however, the focus w ill be on the use of the dancer's image by the choreographer and dancer as a tool to establish artistic intent. Specifically, then, the dancer's image is the manner of presenting the movement in a dance. Traditionally, the artistic intention of the choreographer and dancer was to present an idealized view of the human form. The idealized dancer's body was then used to: (1) further the content of the ballet by delineating character in a narrative plot; (2) display technical virtuosity; and, (3) distribute the energy appropriately in the standard phrasing of movement sequences: preparation, climax, re c o v e ry . The artistic intention is historically rooted in the origins of Western concert dance in the courts of Europe. As the entertainment of royalty, the dance