Katelyn Carter Dance 366 Emerging Dance Philosophy The history of Modern Dance extends back to the early

1900s with Isadora Duncan and then continues on with Martha Graham and Diane Humphrey. Now in modern times, the fundamentals of modern dance continue on through exceptional dance instruction and philosophical beliefs. Many times modern dance is thought of as just strange unorganized movement that tends to cause people to usually avoid it. In actuality modern dance consists of advanced technique and requires an in depth understanding of how the body works. These fundamentals are the responsibilities of dance educators to pass on from generation to generation so that true modern philosophy can continue to survive. To begin the process of truly understanding the philosophical aspects of modern dance and how it continues to live on over the years, one must start with how this is managed. This is through educational works. Education is the how knowledge is passed on from a person with acknowledgeable experience to one of lesser understanding of a subject. According to Carey E. Andrzejewski who wrote an article in Journal of Dance Education, in order for a person to adequately one must first be properly prepared in the matter. She said in respect to teaching and specifically teaching dance, teachers should be prepared in the collection and intersection of professional orientation, intellectual capacities, and professional knowledge of teachers-the union of teacher effect, evaluation, and knowledge (Carey 17). This shows the extent of how important it is that teachers be properly educated; their responsibilities extend over many different areas of understanding. As a future dance educator it is my responsibility to know how I will first achieve this goal, and then how I will carry it out successfully. There are many varieties of educators and first

I must decide what category it is that I will excel in. My dream has always been to return to the dance studio that I grew up dancing in and continue as an instructor there. My responsibilities there will be to teach the fundamentals of tap, jazz, ballet, and contemporary. In order to carry out these obligations the experiences that have been accrued through my many years of dancing must be put into use. These experiences will shape how I plan to teach my students. Further it is the responsibility of the student to absorb all that is being taught and then also to work through the material until it is well comprehended and makes sense. As a teacher it is my job to make sure that this task is easy for the student. It is the teachers duty to explain concepts in many ways until the student comprehends the meaning. Modern dance is one of the most basic, fundamentally structured genres of dance that exists today. It exemplifies how the miracle of the body works together with itself using intellect, emotion, and physical movement. Movement is an activity of the whole person, and not only is the physical side important but also the intellectually, emotional and intuitive aspects of the personality are brought into play (Russell 17). This statement about movement applies in the same to modern dance. The beauty about this style of dance is that it does take all parts of the human self to portray the ideas behind the movement. The inner experiences gained in the art of movement awaken vitality, creative impulses and sensitive reaction to others and encourage harmonious development (Russell 17). In order to successfully convey the message behind any movement of modern dance, whether it is in technique class, set choreography, or improvisation, emotion and feeling must show through the dancing. Humans are given feelings for a purpose; why not use them in dance. Because modern dance styling extends back to the early 1900s there is basic underlying technique that exists. Technique in every genre of dance is the correct fundamental way that each

genre is danced. Some technique is written out, and some is not. But whether or not it is dance of the same genres all over the world have the same movement styling because of the technique that is involved. One way of setting a specific dance with secure movement is through choreography or composing. Through composition and idea or feeling is portrayed through exact movement that does not change. If the movement is not set then there is improvising incorporated into the composition. This means that the dancers have leniency in how they move. Each time a dance is done the choreography may be different depending on how the dancer interprets the concept at that time. Improvisation leads to many interesting and remarkable dance movements. The choice of using technique, set compositions and improvisation is a decision that most dance teachers use daily. The responsibilities of dance educators is so great because as the years pass and the knowledge that is passed along over the generations is what will make the art of dance live on. It is up to the teachers to make sure that those who come after will know what dance is and is made of.

Works Cited: Carey E. Andrzejewski (2009): Toward a Model of Holistic Dance Teacher Education, Journal of Dance Education, 9:1, 17-2. Print. Russel, Joan. Modern Dance in Education. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, Publishers, 1968. Print.