Experiential Work
APPROXIMATE CLASS TIME - 75 min)
I - Warm Up
Let us do our isolation warm-up routine as we have done in class:
neck
shoulders
arms
torso
hips
legs
ankles
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II - Alignment (2:00 min)
Close your eyes
Imagine a string pulling you from the top of your head up towards infinite
Elongate of your neck
relax your shoulders
Imagine gravity is pulling you towards the ground, from the bottom of your feet downward
Inhale and on the exhale press your abdomen against your spine
Flatten your back
Tuck in your rib cage
Rotate your shoulder so that the align with your hips
Bring your tailbone slightly forward
Soften your knees
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III - Breathing and Stretching
Basic Modern Dance Routine to let Your Body (11:30 min)
Research Work
IV - BIO
KATHERINE DUNHAM
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V - Anthropological Research
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VI - Dunham Technique
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Katherine Dunham - Matriarch Of Modern Dance
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Choreographic Work (10 min) [4 pts]
Explore the main movements observed in the video (Dunham Technique) above, and also listed in the link above, and include them in your phrase for today (3/24) and next class (3/26).
THE MOVEMENTS ARE:
THE MOVEMENTS ARE:
- Walks (walks and prances are grounded and into the earth)
- Prances (move with high springy steps)
- Second position jumps
- Turns
- Elevations (jumps)
- Strong percussive movements
- Undulating movements
- One body part in a counter rhythm to another body part simultaneously.
You do not have to copy the mechanics of the technique, but the essence of it. So, whichever way your body interprets the technique is OK.
Be creative; be free; be yourselves!
SO FAR YOU SHOULD HAVE 4 SOLO PHRASES:
BOX, FLOOR, DUNCAN (the video you watched), SHAPES
+ Dunham's new 4 moves
SO FAR YOU SHOULD HAVE 4 SOLO PHRASES:
BOX, FLOOR, DUNCAN (the video you watched), SHAPES
+ Dunham's new 4 moves
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Writing Component (5 min) [4 pt each]
1) Who was Katherine Dunham?
2) Describe the main purpose of Dunham's anthropological research.
3) How would you describe her technique?
4) Write a brief reflection about your creative process.
Post your writing on our Blackboard's Discussion Board.
1) Who was Katherine Dunham?
2) Describe the main purpose of Dunham's anthropological research.
3) How would you describe her technique?
4) Write a brief reflection about your creative process.
Post your writing on our Blackboard's Discussion Board.
STUDENTS' WORK
1) African american choreographer,dancer, and anthropologist. She was the pioneer of the combination of folk and ethnic choreography.
ReplyDelete2) Main purpose of her research was to rediscover African american dances and traditions from the past and incorporate that into the present by transforming it into artsy choreographed dances.
3) I would describe her technique is mostly surrounding ballet as the base of the technique followed by afro beats rhythm allowing some body parts to react right away and others as a contrast to counter the rhythm.
1. Katherine Dunham was born in 1909 and passed away in 2006. She is considered one the most important African American dancers, choreographers, and anthropologists of the 20th century. She developed the Katherine Dunham technique, a style of dance characterized by innovative interpretations of ritualistic and ethnic moves.
ReplyDelete2. Dunham travelled across the globe, learning characteristics from different cultures and studying their forms of dance. Throughout the years, she gradually integrated these disparate traditions into her own dance technique. The main matter that guided her special career and dance technique was if African traditions in the New World were even better preserved in the dances of Afro-Caribbeans. Besides following a traditional academic career, she wanted to go further to understand her field of knowledge. For Dunham, anthropology and dance went hand in hand and helped her developed her own style of dancing. This explains why her contributions have been unacknowledged for many years.
3. Her technique includes a mix of traditional African-Caribbean dances and styles. It is an original technique influenced by the classical dance style and based on the utilization of a wide range of tempos.
4. It was definitely challenging because I am not use this style. It feels very foreign to me. However, by embracing the rhythm and letting my body flow, It became easier as I was dancing. The noticeable and marked beats of the music helped me to create my phrase.
1. Katherine Dunham was a professional dancer, choreographer, and anthropologist born in 1909. She first studied ballet in 1928 with Ludmilla Speranzeva and Ruth Page. By 1933 she opened her first dance school, The Negro Dance Group which was based in Chicago Illinois.
ReplyDelete2. Her anthropological research focused on creating art and black culture. Specifically she created a key pedagogue called "Matriarch of Black Dance" which offered modern interpretations of African rituals and rythms.
3. Her technique can be considered "smooth" and "fluent" and many experts suggests that she was able to master body movement. She tended to use many isolation movements and certain nuances which created fluidity and also a feminine touch to her dances.
-Seisimo Olali
DeleteSeis that's brilliant!
Delete1) Who was Katherine Dunham?
ReplyDeleteShe was a legendary dancer, choreographer and anthropologist. She was born on June 22nd, 1990. Katherine Dunham revolutionized American dance by transforming the roots of black dance and rituals into artistic choreography. Katherine Dunham showed the world that African American heritage is beautiful.
2) Describe the main purpose of Dunham's anthropological research.
Katherine Dunham have seen dance as a means of communicating, as a mean of expressing life, and living itself. She wants to dignify the material she had seen. And that material was an integral part of the culture that it came out of. She wants to discover that and put it on stage.
3) How would you describe her technique?
Katherine Dunham successfully absorbed t5he spirit and traits of African culture and she put that into the stage. We see a totally a new format of dancing. We can hear the drum throughout dancing. Drum is a common musical instrument in African rituals and dance. With the drum, its easier to inspire and communicate what is encoded in the dance. By observing the video, we can see dancers’ body and their mind are opened. With that means, an open mind and spirit is invulnerable in Dunham’s technique. Dunham’s dance starts with stretching and breathing, which helps to build stamina and strength. Then is the percussive movements and on undulating movements, which are quite similar with Jazz. Next is the progressions of specific movements.
Shanglin Li
1) Who was Katherine Dunham?
ReplyDeleteShe was a dancer, choreographer and anthropologist, Katherine Dunham was born on June 22, 1909. She took a deeper meaning in theater. Also very expressive in her movements.
2) Describe the main purpose of Dunham's anthropological research.
She described it as a world means to communicate of expressing everyday life. She implemented a sense of self culture within.
3) How would you describe her technique?
The technique she used was considered very fluid and free flow. It was African style and Caribbean as well. She used rhythm and ballet to implement her movements.
James Coben
4) Write a brief reflection about your creative process.
Post your writing on our Blackboard's Discussion Board.
1) Who was Katherine Dunham?
ReplyDeleteKatherine Dunham was a dancer, choreographer and anthropologist. Born to a French-Canadian mother and an African American father. She was one of the first African American women to attend the University of Chicago, where she earned a bachelors, masters, and doctorial degree in anthropology. In the 1930s she revolutionized dance by transforming black dance and rituals into artistic choreography. She was the pioneer in the use of folk and ethnic choreography. Dunham completed groundbreaking work in Brazilian and Caribbean dance anthropology as a new academic discipline. She is known for bringing these Caribbean influences into a European dominated dance world. Created the Dunham technique, which transformed the world of dance. Her technique was a way of life. She appeared in many films, and even in Broadway, and was the winner of many awards.
2) Describe the main purpose of Dunham's anthropological research.
The main purpose of her research was to study why black people dance the way they do. She did a year long study in the Caribbean. She wanted to dignify black dance, cultures, and traditions. She wanted the culture to be displayed and respected in an artistic way. She immersed into their everyday lives and observed their culture in action, where she learned about their dances, their spiritual ceremonies, the isolation of their bodies when dancing, etc. She then used this knowledge of their culture to bring to life in her own performances, where she spread awareness of the black culture, and brought light to the many inequalities her people faced.
3) How would you describe her technique?
I would describe her technique as being very wholesome in that it includes the whole body. You move everything from the souls of your feet to the tip of your head. It is very focused on having control over your body when going up and down, and holding that position. A very strong center or axis is involved, as well as a lot of isolation. You learn how to move your head apart from your shoulders, your upper body from lower body, your pelvis from your chest and legs. It is very precise in that your head might involve a spinning motion, or going side to side. I can see a hint of ballet involved. She has a lot of movements that are up and high, with a very rigid upper body, or very straight legs. There are also a lot more earthy movements, with knees bent, and upper body bent, focusing on the movement of the lower body. A lot of balance is involved as well. It is very rhythmic in nature and involves a lot of circular movements. It is very in tune with African dance, you can see there are a lot of jumps, hip, head, and shoulder movements.
4) Write a brief reflection about your creative process.
I feel like this type of movement comes a little more natural to my body than other more rigid and precise ones like ballet. With belly dance I have done a lot of work with regards to learning how to control my body and how to compartmentalize it. Due to that reason, isolations come more naturally to me. I also love drums and the rhythm of African-American dances. I feel like it gives you a lot of creative freedom to move your whole body, and I really enjoy that. I have also done a little bit of training in African dance before, which has a lot of similarities to Dunham´s technique. What was a little harder for me was to connect these movements to the ones I had before which where very different. I am finding it hard to connect all of these movements together that are so distinct in nature, and without any music.