Sluding Walev Slud

AulIov|s) SIeiIa Mavion

Bevieved vovI|s)
Souvce Bance BeseavcI JouvnaI, VoI. 24, No. 1 |Spving, 1992), pp. 1-11
FuIIisIed I Congress on Research in Dance
SlaIIe UBL http://www.jstor.org/stable/1477869 .
Accessed 22/06/2012 0722
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Studying
Water
Study
Sheila Marion
Studying
Water
Study
Sheila Marion
Studying
Water
Study
Sheila Marion
Studying
Water
Study
Sheila Marion
Studying
Water
Study
Sheila Marion
Studying
Water
Study
Sheila Marion
Studying
Water
Study
Sheila Marion
Studying
Water
Study
Sheila Marion
Studying
Water
Study
Sheila Marion
Studying
Water
Study
Sheila Marion
Studying
Water
Study
Sheila Marion
Water
Study, choreographed by
Doris
Humphrey
in 1928
,
is
described
by
dance writer Marcia B.
Siegel
as "still one of the
most
extraordinary
works in American dance." One of
Humphrey's
earliest
works,
it was created
during
the
period
in which American modern dancers
Humphrey,
Charles Weid-
man,
and Martha Graham broke
away
from the ersatz ethnic-
ity
of Denishawn to
begin choreographing
their own works.
"As small and
strange
as it
is,"
Siegel continues,
"Water
Study
is a
masterpiece
of the
choreographic
art"
(1).
The
piece begins
with ten to twelve dancers crouched low
on the
floor,
scattered
throughout
the
stage area,
and all
facing
stage right. They slowly
rise and sink in
canon,
as
though
a
wave
passed
over them and back
again.
The movement
grows
until it
brings
them onto their feet:
they separate
and rush
toward one
another,
leaping
and
falling
like waves
splashing
together
and
subsiding. Then, grouped together, they surge
back and forth from one side of the
stage
to the other like
shifting
tides. One cluster of dancers breaks
away
while
another
leaps, turns, and falls,
forming
a
progressive,
whirl-
pool-like spiral
to the floor. A side-to-side
rocking
motion
gradually brings
the dancers into unison as
they spread throughout
the
stage
area
again. They
return to the
crouching position
and
ripple upward again
in one last
splash
before
finishing
with a
slow
crawling
action that leaves them
prone
like the last
remnant of a wave
creeping up
the shore.
Water
Study
focuses attention on movement
by minimizing
other theatrical elements. The dance does not tell a
story;
it
is
performed
in silence with no
scenery; lighting changes
are
minimal; and dancers are costumed in
plain,
flesh-colored
leotards
(2). Although
these kinds of choices tell their own
story,
as will be examined
later,
they
serve to "turn the volume
up"
on the movement "channel" of communication.
"Water
Study
is an
impersonal dance,"
Siegel notes,
"the
most abstract of all
Humphrey's surviving
works"
(3).
The
dance's basic movement
metaphor-the
ebb and flow of
water as reflected in the dancers'
bodies,
steps,
and
group-
ings-"beautifully expresses
the
analogy
between the human
being
and universal
processes," according
to dance critic
Deborah Jowitt
(4).
Perhaps
because of its
importance
to dance
history
as well
as its
brevity
and
"purity,"
Water
Study
has been the
subject
of both critical and
analytical writing.
Jowitt and
Siegel
contextualize the
work, offering
historical
explanations
for its
Water
Study, choreographed by
Doris
Humphrey
in 1928
,
is
described
by
dance writer Marcia B.
Siegel
as "still one of the
most
extraordinary
works in American dance." One of
Humphrey's
earliest
works,
it was created
during
the
period
in which American modern dancers
Humphrey,
Charles Weid-
man,
and Martha Graham broke
away
from the ersatz ethnic-
ity
of Denishawn to
begin choreographing
their own works.
"As small and
strange
as it
is,"
Siegel continues,
"Water
Study
is a
masterpiece
of the
choreographic
art"
(1).
The
piece begins
with ten to twelve dancers crouched low
on the
floor,
scattered
throughout
the
stage area,
and all
facing
stage right. They slowly
rise and sink in
canon,
as
though
a
wave
passed
over them and back
again.
The movement
grows
until it
brings
them onto their feet:
they separate
and rush
toward one
another,
leaping
and
falling
like waves
splashing
together
and
subsiding. Then, grouped together, they surge
back and forth from one side of the
stage
to the other like
shifting
tides. One cluster of dancers breaks
away
while
another
leaps, turns, and falls,
forming
a
progressive,
whirl-
pool-like spiral
to the floor. A side-to-side
rocking
motion
gradually brings
the dancers into unison as
they spread throughout
the
stage
area
again. They
return to the
crouching position
and
ripple upward again
in one last
splash
before
finishing
with a
slow
crawling
action that leaves them
prone
like the last
remnant of a wave
creeping up
the shore.
Water
Study
focuses attention on movement
by minimizing
other theatrical elements. The dance does not tell a
story;
it
is
performed
in silence with no
scenery; lighting changes
are
minimal; and dancers are costumed in
plain,
flesh-colored
leotards
(2). Although
these kinds of choices tell their own
story,
as will be examined
later,
they
serve to "turn the volume
up"
on the movement "channel" of communication.
"Water
Study
is an
impersonal dance,"
Siegel notes,
"the
most abstract of all
Humphrey's surviving
works"
(3).
The
dance's basic movement
metaphor-the
ebb and flow of
water as reflected in the dancers'
bodies,
steps,
and
group-
ings-"beautifully expresses
the
analogy
between the human
being
and universal
processes," according
to dance critic
Deborah Jowitt
(4).
Perhaps
because of its
importance
to dance
history
as well
as its
brevity
and
"purity,"
Water
Study
has been the
subject
of both critical and
analytical writing.
Jowitt and
Siegel
contextualize the
work, offering
historical
explanations
for its
Water
Study, choreographed by
Doris
Humphrey
in 1928
,
is
described
by
dance writer Marcia B.
Siegel
as "still one of the
most
extraordinary
works in American dance." One of
Humphrey's
earliest
works,
it was created
during
the
period
in which American modern dancers
Humphrey,
Charles Weid-
man,
and Martha Graham broke
away
from the ersatz ethnic-
ity
of Denishawn to
begin choreographing
their own works.
"As small and
strange
as it
is,"
Siegel continues,
"Water
Study
is a
masterpiece
of the
choreographic
art"
(1).
The
piece begins
with ten to twelve dancers crouched low
on the
floor,
scattered
throughout
the
stage area,
and all
facing
stage right. They slowly
rise and sink in
canon,
as
though
a
wave
passed
over them and back
again.
The movement
grows
until it
brings
them onto their feet:
they separate
and rush
toward one
another,
leaping
and
falling
like waves
splashing
together
and
subsiding. Then, grouped together, they surge
back and forth from one side of the
stage
to the other like
shifting
tides. One cluster of dancers breaks
away
while
another
leaps, turns, and falls,
forming
a
progressive,
whirl-
pool-like spiral
to the floor. A side-to-side
rocking
motion
gradually brings
the dancers into unison as
they spread throughout
the
stage
area
again. They
return to the
crouching position
and
ripple upward again
in one last
splash
before
finishing
with a
slow
crawling
action that leaves them
prone
like the last
remnant of a wave
creeping up
the shore.
Water
Study
focuses attention on movement
by minimizing
other theatrical elements. The dance does not tell a
story;
it
is
performed
in silence with no
scenery; lighting changes
are
minimal; and dancers are costumed in
plain,
flesh-colored
leotards
(2). Although
these kinds of choices tell their own
story,
as will be examined
later,
they
serve to "turn the volume
up"
on the movement "channel" of communication.
"Water
Study
is an
impersonal dance,"
Siegel notes,
"the
most abstract of all
Humphrey's surviving
works"
(3).
The
dance's basic movement
metaphor-the
ebb and flow of
water as reflected in the dancers'
bodies,
steps,
and
group-
ings-"beautifully expresses
the
analogy
between the human
being
and universal
processes," according
to dance critic
Deborah Jowitt
(4).
Perhaps
because of its
importance
to dance
history
as well
as its
brevity
and
"purity,"
Water
Study
has been the
subject
of both critical and
analytical writing.
Jowitt and
Siegel
contextualize the
work, offering
historical
explanations
for its
Water
Study, choreographed by
Doris
Humphrey
in 1928
,
is
described
by
dance writer Marcia B.
Siegel
as "still one of the
most
extraordinary
works in American dance." One of
Humphrey's
earliest
works,
it was created
during
the
period
in which American modern dancers
Humphrey,
Charles Weid-
man,
and Martha Graham broke
away
from the ersatz ethnic-
ity
of Denishawn to
begin choreographing
their own works.
"As small and
strange
as it
is,"
Siegel continues,
"Water
Study
is a
masterpiece
of the
choreographic
art"
(1).
The
piece begins
with ten to twelve dancers crouched low
on the
floor,
scattered
throughout
the
stage area,
and all
facing
stage right. They slowly
rise and sink in
canon,
as
though
a
wave
passed
over them and back
again.
The movement
grows
until it
brings
them onto their feet:
they separate
and rush
toward one
another,
leaping
and
falling
like waves
splashing
together
and
subsiding. Then, grouped together, they surge
back and forth from one side of the
stage
to the other like
shifting
tides. One cluster of dancers breaks
away
while
another
leaps, turns, and falls,
forming
a
progressive,
whirl-
pool-like spiral
to the floor. A side-to-side
rocking
motion
gradually brings
the dancers into unison as
they spread throughout
the
stage
area
again. They
return to the
crouching position
and
ripple upward again
in one last
splash
before
finishing
with a
slow
crawling
action that leaves them
prone
like the last
remnant of a wave
creeping up
the shore.
Water
Study
focuses attention on movement
by minimizing
other theatrical elements. The dance does not tell a
story;
it
is
performed
in silence with no
scenery; lighting changes
are
minimal; and dancers are costumed in
plain,
flesh-colored
leotards
(2). Although
these kinds of choices tell their own
story,
as will be examined
later,
they
serve to "turn the volume
up"
on the movement "channel" of communication.
"Water
Study
is an
impersonal dance,"
Siegel notes,
"the
most abstract of all
Humphrey's surviving
works"
(3).
The
dance's basic movement
metaphor-the
ebb and flow of
water as reflected in the dancers'
bodies,
steps,
and
group-
ings-"beautifully expresses
the
analogy
between the human
being
and universal
processes," according
to dance critic
Deborah Jowitt
(4).
Perhaps
because of its
importance
to dance
history
as well
as its
brevity
and
"purity,"
Water
Study
has been the
subject
of both critical and
analytical writing.
Jowitt and
Siegel
contextualize the
work, offering
historical
explanations
for its
Water
Study, choreographed by
Doris
Humphrey
in 1928
,
is
described
by
dance writer Marcia B.
Siegel
as "still one of the
most
extraordinary
works in American dance." One of
Humphrey's
earliest
works,
it was created
during
the
period
in which American modern dancers
Humphrey,
Charles Weid-
man,
and Martha Graham broke
away
from the ersatz ethnic-
ity
of Denishawn to
begin choreographing
their own works.
"As small and
strange
as it
is,"
Siegel continues,
"Water
Study
is a
masterpiece
of the
choreographic
art"
(1).
The
piece begins
with ten to twelve dancers crouched low
on the
floor,
scattered
throughout
the
stage area,
and all
facing
stage right. They slowly
rise and sink in
canon,
as
though
a
wave
passed
over them and back
again.
The movement
grows
until it
brings
them onto their feet:
they separate
and rush
toward one
another,
leaping
and
falling
like waves
splashing
together
and
subsiding. Then, grouped together, they surge
back and forth from one side of the
stage
to the other like
shifting
tides. One cluster of dancers breaks
away
while
another
leaps, turns, and falls,
forming
a
progressive,
whirl-
pool-like spiral
to the floor. A side-to-side
rocking
motion
gradually brings
the dancers into unison as
they spread throughout
the
stage
area
again. They
return to the
crouching position
and
ripple upward again
in one last
splash
before
finishing
with a
slow
crawling
action that leaves them
prone
like the last
remnant of a wave
creeping up
the shore.
Water
Study
focuses attention on movement
by minimizing
other theatrical elements. The dance does not tell a
story;
it
is
performed
in silence with no
scenery; lighting changes
are
minimal; and dancers are costumed in
plain,
flesh-colored
leotards
(2). Although
these kinds of choices tell their own
story,
as will be examined
later,
they
serve to "turn the volume
up"
on the movement "channel" of communication.
"Water
Study
is an
impersonal dance,"
Siegel notes,
"the
most abstract of all
Humphrey's surviving
works"
(3).
The
dance's basic movement
metaphor-the
ebb and flow of
water as reflected in the dancers'
bodies,
steps,
and
group-
ings-"beautifully expresses
the
analogy
between the human
being
and universal
processes," according
to dance critic
Deborah Jowitt
(4).
Perhaps
because of its
importance
to dance
history
as well
as its
brevity
and
"purity,"
Water
Study
has been the
subject
of both critical and
analytical writing.
Jowitt and
Siegel
contextualize the
work, offering
historical
explanations
for its
Water
Study, choreographed by
Doris
Humphrey
in 1928
,
is
described
by
dance writer Marcia B.
Siegel
as "still one of the
most
extraordinary
works in American dance." One of
Humphrey's
earliest
works,
it was created
during
the
period
in which American modern dancers
Humphrey,
Charles Weid-
man,
and Martha Graham broke
away
from the ersatz ethnic-
ity
of Denishawn to
begin choreographing
their own works.
"As small and
strange
as it
is,"
Siegel continues,
"Water
Study
is a
masterpiece
of the
choreographic
art"
(1).
The
piece begins
with ten to twelve dancers crouched low
on the
floor,
scattered
throughout
the
stage area,
and all
facing
stage right. They slowly
rise and sink in
canon,
as
though
a
wave
passed
over them and back
again.
The movement
grows
until it
brings
them onto their feet:
they separate
and rush
toward one
another,
leaping
and
falling
like waves
splashing
together
and
subsiding. Then, grouped together, they surge
back and forth from one side of the
stage
to the other like
shifting
tides. One cluster of dancers breaks
away
while
another
leaps, turns, and falls,
forming
a
progressive,
whirl-
pool-like spiral
to the floor. A side-to-side
rocking
motion
gradually brings
the dancers into unison as
they spread throughout
the
stage
area
again. They
return to the
crouching position
and
ripple upward again
in one last
splash
before
finishing
with a
slow
crawling
action that leaves them
prone
like the last
remnant of a wave
creeping up
the shore.
Water
Study
focuses attention on movement
by minimizing
other theatrical elements. The dance does not tell a
story;
it
is
performed
in silence with no
scenery; lighting changes
are
minimal; and dancers are costumed in
plain,
flesh-colored
leotards
(2). Although
these kinds of choices tell their own
story,
as will be examined
later,
they
serve to "turn the volume
up"
on the movement "channel" of communication.
"Water
Study
is an
impersonal dance,"
Siegel notes,
"the
most abstract of all
Humphrey's surviving
works"
(3).
The
dance's basic movement
metaphor-the
ebb and flow of
water as reflected in the dancers'
bodies,
steps,
and
group-
ings-"beautifully expresses
the
analogy
between the human
being
and universal
processes," according
to dance critic
Deborah Jowitt
(4).
Perhaps
because of its
importance
to dance
history
as well
as its
brevity
and
"purity,"
Water
Study
has been the
subject
of both critical and
analytical writing.
Jowitt and
Siegel
contextualize the
work, offering
historical
explanations
for its
Water
Study, choreographed by
Doris
Humphrey
in 1928
,
is
described
by
dance writer Marcia B.
Siegel
as "still one of the
most
extraordinary
works in American dance." One of
Humphrey's
earliest
works,
it was created
during
the
period
in which American modern dancers
Humphrey,
Charles Weid-
man,
and Martha Graham broke
away
from the ersatz ethnic-
ity
of Denishawn to
begin choreographing
their own works.
"As small and
strange
as it
is,"
Siegel continues,
"Water
Study
is a
masterpiece
of the
choreographic
art"
(1).
The
piece begins
with ten to twelve dancers crouched low
on the
floor,
scattered
throughout
the
stage area,
and all
facing
stage right. They slowly
rise and sink in
canon,
as
though
a
wave
passed
over them and back
again.
The movement
grows
until it
brings
them onto their feet:
they separate
and rush
toward one
another,
leaping
and
falling
like waves
splashing
together
and
subsiding. Then, grouped together, they surge
back and forth from one side of the
stage
to the other like
shifting
tides. One cluster of dancers breaks
away
while
another
leaps, turns, and falls,
forming
a
progressive,
whirl-
pool-like spiral
to the floor. A side-to-side
rocking
motion
gradually brings
the dancers into unison as
they spread throughout
the
stage
area
again. They
return to the
crouching position
and
ripple upward again
in one last
splash
before
finishing
with a
slow
crawling
action that leaves them
prone
like the last
remnant of a wave
creeping up
the shore.
Water
Study
focuses attention on movement
by minimizing
other theatrical elements. The dance does not tell a
story;
it
is
performed
in silence with no
scenery; lighting changes
are
minimal; and dancers are costumed in
plain,
flesh-colored
leotards
(2). Although
these kinds of choices tell their own
story,
as will be examined
later,
they
serve to "turn the volume
up"
on the movement "channel" of communication.
"Water
Study
is an
impersonal dance,"
Siegel notes,
"the
most abstract of all
Humphrey's surviving
works"
(3).
The
dance's basic movement
metaphor-the
ebb and flow of
water as reflected in the dancers'
bodies,
steps,
and
group-
ings-"beautifully expresses
the
analogy
between the human
being
and universal
processes," according
to dance critic
Deborah Jowitt
(4).
Perhaps
because of its
importance
to dance
history
as well
as its
brevity
and
"purity,"
Water
Study
has been the
subject
of both critical and
analytical writing.
Jowitt and
Siegel
contextualize the
work, offering
historical
explanations
for its
Water
Study, choreographed by
Doris
Humphrey
in 1928
,
is
described
by
dance writer Marcia B.
Siegel
as "still one of the
most
extraordinary
works in American dance." One of
Humphrey's
earliest
works,
it was created
during
the
period
in which American modern dancers
Humphrey,
Charles Weid-
man,
and Martha Graham broke
away
from the ersatz ethnic-
ity
of Denishawn to
begin choreographing
their own works.
"As small and
strange
as it
is,"
Siegel continues,
"Water
Study
is a
masterpiece
of the
choreographic
art"
(1).
The
piece begins
with ten to twelve dancers crouched low
on the
floor,
scattered
throughout
the
stage area,
and all
facing
stage right. They slowly
rise and sink in
canon,
as
though
a
wave
passed
over them and back
again.
The movement
grows
until it
brings
them onto their feet:
they separate
and rush
toward one
another,
leaping
and
falling
like waves
splashing
together
and
subsiding. Then, grouped together, they surge
back and forth from one side of the
stage
to the other like
shifting
tides. One cluster of dancers breaks
away
while
another
leaps, turns, and falls,
forming
a
progressive,
whirl-
pool-like spiral
to the floor. A side-to-side
rocking
motion
gradually brings
the dancers into unison as
they spread throughout
the
stage
area
again. They
return to the
crouching position
and
ripple upward again
in one last
splash
before
finishing
with a
slow
crawling
action that leaves them
prone
like the last
remnant of a wave
creeping up
the shore.
Water
Study
focuses attention on movement
by minimizing
other theatrical elements. The dance does not tell a
story;
it
is
performed
in silence with no
scenery; lighting changes
are
minimal; and dancers are costumed in
plain,
flesh-colored
leotards
(2). Although
these kinds of choices tell their own
story,
as will be examined
later,
they
serve to "turn the volume
up"
on the movement "channel" of communication.
"Water
Study
is an
impersonal dance,"
Siegel notes,
"the
most abstract of all
Humphrey's surviving
works"
(3).
The
dance's basic movement
metaphor-the
ebb and flow of
water as reflected in the dancers'
bodies,
steps,
and
group-
ings-"beautifully expresses
the
analogy
between the human
being
and universal
processes," according
to dance critic
Deborah Jowitt
(4).
Perhaps
because of its
importance
to dance
history
as well
as its
brevity
and
"purity,"
Water
Study
has been the
subject
of both critical and
analytical writing.
Jowitt and
Siegel
contextualize the
work, offering
historical
explanations
for its
Water
Study, choreographed by
Doris
Humphrey
in 1928
,
is
described
by
dance writer Marcia B.
Siegel
as "still one of the
most
extraordinary
works in American dance." One of
Humphrey's
earliest
works,
it was created
during
the
period
in which American modern dancers
Humphrey,
Charles Weid-
man,
and Martha Graham broke
away
from the ersatz ethnic-
ity
of Denishawn to
begin choreographing
their own works.
"As small and
strange
as it
is,"
Siegel continues,
"Water
Study
is a
masterpiece
of the
choreographic
art"
(1).
The
piece begins
with ten to twelve dancers crouched low
on the
floor,
scattered
throughout
the
stage area,
and all
facing
stage right. They slowly
rise and sink in
canon,
as
though
a
wave
passed
over them and back
again.
The movement
grows
until it
brings
them onto their feet:
they separate
and rush
toward one
another,
leaping
and
falling
like waves
splashing
together
and
subsiding. Then, grouped together, they surge
back and forth from one side of the
stage
to the other like
shifting
tides. One cluster of dancers breaks
away
while
another
leaps, turns, and falls,
forming
a
progressive,
whirl-
pool-like spiral
to the floor. A side-to-side
rocking
motion
gradually brings
the dancers into unison as
they spread throughout
the
stage
area
again. They
return to the
crouching position
and
ripple upward again
in one last
splash
before
finishing
with a
slow
crawling
action that leaves them
prone
like the last
remnant of a wave
creeping up
the shore.
Water
Study
focuses attention on movement
by minimizing
other theatrical elements. The dance does not tell a
story;
it
is
performed
in silence with no
scenery; lighting changes
are
minimal; and dancers are costumed in
plain,
flesh-colored
leotards
(2). Although
these kinds of choices tell their own
story,
as will be examined
later,
they
serve to "turn the volume
up"
on the movement "channel" of communication.
"Water
Study
is an
impersonal dance,"
Siegel notes,
"the
most abstract of all
Humphrey's surviving
works"
(3).
The
dance's basic movement
metaphor-the
ebb and flow of
water as reflected in the dancers'
bodies,
steps,
and
group-
ings-"beautifully expresses
the
analogy
between the human
being
and universal
processes," according
to dance critic
Deborah Jowitt
(4).
Perhaps
because of its
importance
to dance
history
as well
as its
brevity
and
"purity,"
Water
Study
has been the
subject
of both critical and
analytical writing.
Jowitt and
Siegel
contextualize the
work, offering
historical
explanations
for its
Water
Study, choreographed by
Doris
Humphrey
in 1928
,
is
described
by
dance writer Marcia B.
Siegel
as "still one of the
most
extraordinary
works in American dance." One of
Humphrey's
earliest
works,
it was created
during
the
period
in which American modern dancers
Humphrey,
Charles Weid-
man,
and Martha Graham broke
away
from the ersatz ethnic-
ity
of Denishawn to
begin choreographing
their own works.
"As small and
strange
as it
is,"
Siegel continues,
"Water
Study
is a
masterpiece
of the
choreographic
art"
(1).
The
piece begins
with ten to twelve dancers crouched low
on the
floor,
scattered
throughout
the
stage area,
and all
facing
stage right. They slowly
rise and sink in
canon,
as
though
a
wave
passed
over them and back
again.
The movement
grows
until it
brings
them onto their feet:
they separate
and rush
toward one
another,
leaping
and
falling
like waves
splashing
together
and
subsiding. Then, grouped together, they surge
back and forth from one side of the
stage
to the other like
shifting
tides. One cluster of dancers breaks
away
while
another
leaps, turns, and falls,
forming
a
progressive,
whirl-
pool-like spiral
to the floor. A side-to-side
rocking
motion
gradually brings
the dancers into unison as
they spread throughout
the
stage
area
again. They
return to the
crouching position
and
ripple upward again
in one last
splash
before
finishing
with a
slow
crawling
action that leaves them
prone
like the last
remnant of a wave
creeping up
the shore.
Water
Study
focuses attention on movement
by minimizing
other theatrical elements. The dance does not tell a
story;
it
is
performed
in silence with no
scenery; lighting changes
are
minimal; and dancers are costumed in
plain,
flesh-colored
leotards
(2). Although
these kinds of choices tell their own
story,
as will be examined
later,
they
serve to "turn the volume
up"
on the movement "channel" of communication.
"Water
Study
is an
impersonal dance,"
Siegel notes,
"the
most abstract of all
Humphrey's surviving
works"
(3).
The
dance's basic movement
metaphor-the
ebb and flow of
water as reflected in the dancers'
bodies,
steps,
and
group-
ings-"beautifully expresses
the
analogy
between the human
being
and universal
processes," according
to dance critic
Deborah Jowitt
(4).
Perhaps
because of its
importance
to dance
history
as well
as its
brevity
and
"purity,"
Water
Study
has been the
subject
of both critical and
analytical writing.
Jowitt and
Siegel
contextualize the
work, offering
historical
explanations
for its
Water
Study, choreographed by
Doris
Humphrey
in 1928
,
is
described
by
dance writer Marcia B.
Siegel
as "still one of the
most
extraordinary
works in American dance." One of
Humphrey's
earliest
works,
it was created
during
the
period
in which American modern dancers
Humphrey,
Charles Weid-
man,
and Martha Graham broke
away
from the ersatz ethnic-
ity
of Denishawn to
begin choreographing
their own works.
"As small and
strange
as it
is,"
Siegel continues,
"Water
Study
is a
masterpiece
of the
choreographic
art"
(1).
The
piece begins
with ten to twelve dancers crouched low
on the
floor,
scattered
throughout
the
stage area,
and all
facing
stage right. They slowly
rise and sink in
canon,
as
though
a
wave
passed
over them and back
again.
The movement
grows
until it
brings
them onto their feet:
they separate
and rush
toward one
another,
leaping
and
falling
like waves
splashing
together
and
subsiding. Then, grouped together, they surge
back and forth from one side of the
stage
to the other like
shifting
tides. One cluster of dancers breaks
away
while
another
leaps, turns, and falls,
forming
a
progressive,
whirl-
pool-like spiral
to the floor. A side-to-side
rocking
motion
gradually brings
the dancers into unison as
they spread throughout
the
stage
area
again. They
return to the
crouching position
and
ripple upward again
in one last
splash
before
finishing
with a
slow
crawling
action that leaves them
prone
like the last
remnant of a wave
creeping up
the shore.
Water
Study
focuses attention on movement
by minimizing
other theatrical elements. The dance does not tell a
story;
it
is
performed
in silence with no
scenery; lighting changes
are
minimal; and dancers are costumed in
plain,
flesh-colored
leotards
(2). Although
these kinds of choices tell their own
story,
as will be examined
later,
they
serve to "turn the volume
up"
on the movement "channel" of communication.
"Water
Study
is an
impersonal dance,"
Siegel notes,
"the
most abstract of all
Humphrey's surviving
works"
(3).
The
dance's basic movement
metaphor-the
ebb and flow of
water as reflected in the dancers'
bodies,
steps,
and
group-
ings-"beautifully expresses
the
analogy
between the human
being
and universal
processes," according
to dance critic
Deborah Jowitt
(4).
Perhaps
because of its
importance
to dance
history
as well
as its
brevity
and
"purity,"
Water
Study
has been the
subject
of both critical and
analytical writing.
Jowitt and
Siegel
contextualize the
work, offering
historical
explanations
for its
form as well as its
significance.
In
addition,
Siegel
describes
the dance in
detail, dissecting
in the
process
its
components,
structure,
and
impact. Analyses by
Ann
Rodiger
and
by
Martha Davis and Claire Schmais demonstrate the internal
makeup
and
patterning
of its movement variables.
This
essay
constitutes a
study
of the various
analyses
that
have been done of Water
Study. My hope
is to demonstrate the
paradigms
that underlie some of the different
approaches
to
understanding
dance,
how
they
are similar as well as how
they
differ,
and how each functions for
interpreting meaning.
There have been
many attempts
to elucidate
meaning
in
dance;
the
analyses
described here have been chosen because
they
all deal with the same work.
Martha Davis and Claire
Schmais,
in "An
Analysis
of the
Style
and
Composition
of 'Water
Study,"'
trace
"phrases
and
progressions
of the
composition"
in relation to "the most
salient movement variables in the dance"
(5).
In "Dance
Graph Analysis,"
Ann
Rodiger
uses Water
Study
as an exam-
ple
to show how a "visual
representation
of the overall
dynamic shape
of a dance" can lead to "greater
compositional
awareness"
through "cultivating
observational skills and
learning
how to
organize
the observed information"
(6).
Marcia B.
Siegel
values
"immediacy
and
accuracy
of
observation";
in
her
description
of Water
Study
in The
Shapes of Change,
she
tries to
"capture
some essence" of the dance in a
documentary
way:
"None of the
documentary
devices
presently
in use is as
accessible,
as
highly developed,
or as reliable as
good
on-the-
spot
dance criticism"
(7).
These three studies owe a debt to Laban Movement
Analy-
sis
(LMA).
Davis and Schmais cite the choreometrics
coding
project
of Alan
Lomax, Irmgard Bartenieff, and Forrestine
Paulay,
which uses LMA
concepts
of
effort,
shaping,
and
body
units to characterize dance
styles
from different coun-
tries
(8). Rodiger
mentions "consideration of Laban's theo-
ries,
the
coding
sheet
developed
at the Ohio State
University
1976
Labananalysis
Research
Workshop,
and Doris
Humphrey's
The Art
of Making
Dances" as her sources
(9). Siegel, though
less
explicit
about this
aspect
of her
analysis (10),
is a Certi-
fied
(Laban)
Movement
Analyst (CMA)
and uses terms and
concepts
consonant with that
system.
My
own interest in these studies comes from a
background
which is
primarily
in Labanotation-a dance notation
system
originated by
Rudolf Laban to describe movement in three-
form as well as its
significance.
In
addition,
Siegel
describes
the dance in
detail, dissecting
in the
process
its
components,
structure,
and
impact. Analyses by
Ann
Rodiger
and
by
Martha Davis and Claire Schmais demonstrate the internal
makeup
and
patterning
of its movement variables.
This
essay
constitutes a
study
of the various
analyses
that
have been done of Water
Study. My hope
is to demonstrate the
paradigms
that underlie some of the different
approaches
to
understanding
dance,
how
they
are similar as well as how
they
differ,
and how each functions for
interpreting meaning.
There have been
many attempts
to elucidate
meaning
in
dance;
the
analyses
described here have been chosen because
they
all deal with the same work.
Martha Davis and Claire
Schmais,
in "An
Analysis
of the
Style
and
Composition
of 'Water
Study,"'
trace
"phrases
and
progressions
of the
composition"
in relation to "the most
salient movement variables in the dance"
(5).
In "Dance
Graph Analysis,"
Ann
Rodiger
uses Water
Study
as an exam-
ple
to show how a "visual
representation
of the overall
dynamic shape
of a dance" can lead to "greater
compositional
awareness"
through "cultivating
observational skills and
learning
how to
organize
the observed information"
(6).
Marcia B.
Siegel
values
"immediacy
and
accuracy
of
observation";
in
her
description
of Water
Study
in The
Shapes of Change,
she
tries to
"capture
some essence" of the dance in a
documentary
way:
"None of the
documentary
devices
presently
in use is as
accessible,
as
highly developed,
or as reliable as
good
on-the-
spot
dance criticism"
(7).
These three studies owe a debt to Laban Movement
Analy-
sis
(LMA).
Davis and Schmais cite the choreometrics
coding
project
of Alan
Lomax, Irmgard Bartenieff, and Forrestine
Paulay,
which uses LMA
concepts
of
effort,
shaping,
and
body
units to characterize dance
styles
from different coun-
tries
(8). Rodiger
mentions "consideration of Laban's theo-
ries,
the
coding
sheet
developed
at the Ohio State
University
1976
Labananalysis
Research
Workshop,
and Doris
Humphrey's
The Art
of Making
Dances" as her sources
(9). Siegel, though
less
explicit
about this
aspect
of her
analysis (10),
is a Certi-
fied
(Laban)
Movement
Analyst (CMA)
and uses terms and
concepts
consonant with that
system.
My
own interest in these studies comes from a
background
which is
primarily
in Labanotation-a dance notation
system
originated by
Rudolf Laban to describe movement in three-
form as well as its
significance.
In
addition,
Siegel
describes
the dance in
detail, dissecting
in the
process
its
components,
structure,
and
impact. Analyses by
Ann
Rodiger
and
by
Martha Davis and Claire Schmais demonstrate the internal
makeup
and
patterning
of its movement variables.
This
essay
constitutes a
study
of the various
analyses
that
have been done of Water
Study. My hope
is to demonstrate the
paradigms
that underlie some of the different
approaches
to
understanding
dance,
how
they
are similar as well as how
they
differ,
and how each functions for
interpreting meaning.
There have been
many attempts
to elucidate
meaning
in
dance;
the
analyses
described here have been chosen because
they
all deal with the same work.
Martha Davis and Claire
Schmais,
in "An
Analysis
of the
Style
and
Composition
of 'Water
Study,"'
trace
"phrases
and
progressions
of the
composition"
in relation to "the most
salient movement variables in the dance"
(5).
In "Dance
Graph Analysis,"
Ann
Rodiger
uses Water
Study
as an exam-
ple
to show how a "visual
representation
of the overall
dynamic shape
of a dance" can lead to "greater
compositional
awareness"
through "cultivating
observational skills and
learning
how to
organize
the observed information"
(6).
Marcia B.
Siegel
values
"immediacy
and
accuracy
of
observation";
in
her
description
of Water
Study
in The
Shapes of Change,
she
tries to
"capture
some essence" of the dance in a
documentary
way:
"None of the
documentary
devices
presently
in use is as
accessible,
as
highly developed,
or as reliable as
good
on-the-
spot
dance criticism"
(7).
These three studies owe a debt to Laban Movement
Analy-
sis
(LMA).
Davis and Schmais cite the choreometrics
coding
project
of Alan
Lomax, Irmgard Bartenieff, and Forrestine
Paulay,
which uses LMA
concepts
of
effort,
shaping,
and
body
units to characterize dance
styles
from different coun-
tries
(8). Rodiger
mentions "consideration of Laban's theo-
ries,
the
coding
sheet
developed
at the Ohio State
University
1976
Labananalysis
Research
Workshop,
and Doris
Humphrey's
The Art
of Making
Dances" as her sources
(9). Siegel, though
less
explicit
about this
aspect
of her
analysis (10),
is a Certi-
fied
(Laban)
Movement
Analyst (CMA)
and uses terms and
concepts
consonant with that
system.
My
own interest in these studies comes from a
background
which is
primarily
in Labanotation-a dance notation
system
originated by
Rudolf Laban to describe movement in three-
form as well as its
significance.
In
addition,
Siegel
describes
the dance in
detail, dissecting
in the
process
its
components,
structure,
and
impact. Analyses by
Ann
Rodiger
and
by
Martha Davis and Claire Schmais demonstrate the internal
makeup
and
patterning
of its movement variables.
This
essay
constitutes a
study
of the various
analyses
that
have been done of Water
Study. My hope
is to demonstrate the
paradigms
that underlie some of the different
approaches
to
understanding
dance,
how
they
are similar as well as how
they
differ,
and how each functions for
interpreting meaning.
There have been
many attempts
to elucidate
meaning
in
dance;
the
analyses
described here have been chosen because
they
all deal with the same work.
Martha Davis and Claire
Schmais,
in "An
Analysis
of the
Style
and
Composition
of 'Water
Study,"'
trace
"phrases
and
progressions
of the
composition"
in relation to "the most
salient movement variables in the dance"
(5).
In "Dance
Graph Analysis,"
Ann
Rodiger
uses Water
Study
as an exam-
ple
to show how a "visual
representation
of the overall
dynamic shape
of a dance" can lead to "greater
compositional
awareness"
through "cultivating
observational skills and
learning
how to
organize
the observed information"
(6).
Marcia B.
Siegel
values
"immediacy
and
accuracy
of
observation";
in
her
description
of Water
Study
in The
Shapes of Change,
she
tries to
"capture
some essence" of the dance in a
documentary
way:
"None of the
documentary
devices
presently
in use is as
accessible,
as
highly developed,
or as reliable as
good
on-the-
spot
dance criticism"
(7).
These three studies owe a debt to Laban Movement
Analy-
sis
(LMA).
Davis and Schmais cite the choreometrics
coding
project
of Alan
Lomax, Irmgard Bartenieff, and Forrestine
Paulay,
which uses LMA
concepts
of
effort,
shaping,
and
body
units to characterize dance
styles
from different coun-
tries
(8). Rodiger
mentions "consideration of Laban's theo-
ries,
the
coding
sheet
developed
at the Ohio State
University
1976
Labananalysis
Research
Workshop,
and Doris
Humphrey's
The Art
of Making
Dances" as her sources
(9). Siegel, though
less
explicit
about this
aspect
of her
analysis (10),
is a Certi-
fied
(Laban)
Movement
Analyst (CMA)
and uses terms and
concepts
consonant with that
system.
My
own interest in these studies comes from a
background
which is
primarily
in Labanotation-a dance notation
system
originated by
Rudolf Laban to describe movement in three-
form as well as its
significance.
In
addition,
Siegel
describes
the dance in
detail, dissecting
in the
process
its
components,
structure,
and
impact. Analyses by
Ann
Rodiger
and
by
Martha Davis and Claire Schmais demonstrate the internal
makeup
and
patterning
of its movement variables.
This
essay
constitutes a
study
of the various
analyses
that
have been done of Water
Study. My hope
is to demonstrate the
paradigms
that underlie some of the different
approaches
to
understanding
dance,
how
they
are similar as well as how
they
differ,
and how each functions for
interpreting meaning.
There have been
many attempts
to elucidate
meaning
in
dance;
the
analyses
described here have been chosen because
they
all deal with the same work.
Martha Davis and Claire
Schmais,
in "An
Analysis
of the
Style
and
Composition
of 'Water
Study,"'
trace
"phrases
and
progressions
of the
composition"
in relation to "the most
salient movement variables in the dance"
(5).
In "Dance
Graph Analysis,"
Ann
Rodiger
uses Water
Study
as an exam-
ple
to show how a "visual
representation
of the overall
dynamic shape
of a dance" can lead to "greater
compositional
awareness"
through "cultivating
observational skills and
learning
how to
organize
the observed information"
(6).
Marcia B.
Siegel
values
"immediacy
and
accuracy
of
observation";
in
her
description
of Water
Study
in The
Shapes of Change,
she
tries to
"capture
some essence" of the dance in a
documentary
way:
"None of the
documentary
devices
presently
in use is as
accessible,
as
highly developed,
or as reliable as
good
on-the-
spot
dance criticism"
(7).
These three studies owe a debt to Laban Movement
Analy-
sis
(LMA).
Davis and Schmais cite the choreometrics
coding
project
of Alan
Lomax, Irmgard Bartenieff, and Forrestine
Paulay,
which uses LMA
concepts
of
effort,
shaping,
and
body
units to characterize dance
styles
from different coun-
tries
(8). Rodiger
mentions "consideration of Laban's theo-
ries,
the
coding
sheet
developed
at the Ohio State
University
1976
Labananalysis
Research
Workshop,
and Doris
Humphrey's
The Art
of Making
Dances" as her sources
(9). Siegel, though
less
explicit
about this
aspect
of her
analysis (10),
is a Certi-
fied
(Laban)
Movement
Analyst (CMA)
and uses terms and
concepts
consonant with that
system.
My
own interest in these studies comes from a
background
which is
primarily
in Labanotation-a dance notation
system
originated by
Rudolf Laban to describe movement in three-
form as well as its
significance.
In
addition,
Siegel
describes
the dance in
detail, dissecting
in the
process
its
components,
structure,
and
impact. Analyses by
Ann
Rodiger
and
by
Martha Davis and Claire Schmais demonstrate the internal
makeup
and
patterning
of its movement variables.
This
essay
constitutes a
study
of the various
analyses
that
have been done of Water
Study. My hope
is to demonstrate the
paradigms
that underlie some of the different
approaches
to
understanding
dance,
how
they
are similar as well as how
they
differ,
and how each functions for
interpreting meaning.
There have been
many attempts
to elucidate
meaning
in
dance;
the
analyses
described here have been chosen because
they
all deal with the same work.
Martha Davis and Claire
Schmais,
in "An
Analysis
of the
Style
and
Composition
of 'Water
Study,"'
trace
"phrases
and
progressions
of the
composition"
in relation to "the most
salient movement variables in the dance"
(5).
In "Dance
Graph Analysis,"
Ann
Rodiger
uses Water
Study
as an exam-
ple
to show how a "visual
representation
of the overall
dynamic shape
of a dance" can lead to "greater
compositional
awareness"
through "cultivating
observational skills and
learning
how to
organize
the observed information"
(6).
Marcia B.
Siegel
values
"immediacy
and
accuracy
of
observation";
in
her
description
of Water
Study
in The
Shapes of Change,
she
tries to
"capture
some essence" of the dance in a
documentary
way:
"None of the
documentary
devices
presently
in use is as
accessible,
as
highly developed,
or as reliable as
good
on-the-
spot
dance criticism"
(7).
These three studies owe a debt to Laban Movement
Analy-
sis
(LMA).
Davis and Schmais cite the choreometrics
coding
project
of Alan
Lomax, Irmgard Bartenieff, and Forrestine
Paulay,
which uses LMA
concepts
of
effort,
shaping,
and
body
units to characterize dance
styles
from different coun-
tries
(8). Rodiger
mentions "consideration of Laban's theo-
ries,
the
coding
sheet
developed
at the Ohio State
University
1976
Labananalysis
Research
Workshop,
and Doris
Humphrey's
The Art
of Making
Dances" as her sources
(9). Siegel, though
less
explicit
about this
aspect
of her
analysis (10),
is a Certi-
fied
(Laban)
Movement
Analyst (CMA)
and uses terms and
concepts
consonant with that
system.
My
own interest in these studies comes from a
background
which is
primarily
in Labanotation-a dance notation
system
originated by
Rudolf Laban to describe movement in three-
form as well as its
significance.
In
addition,
Siegel
describes
the dance in
detail, dissecting
in the
process
its
components,
structure,
and
impact. Analyses by
Ann
Rodiger
and
by
Martha Davis and Claire Schmais demonstrate the internal
makeup
and
patterning
of its movement variables.
This
essay
constitutes a
study
of the various
analyses
that
have been done of Water
Study. My hope
is to demonstrate the
paradigms
that underlie some of the different
approaches
to
understanding
dance,
how
they
are similar as well as how
they
differ,
and how each functions for
interpreting meaning.
There have been
many attempts
to elucidate
meaning
in
dance;
the
analyses
described here have been chosen because
they
all deal with the same work.
Martha Davis and Claire
Schmais,
in "An
Analysis
of the
Style
and
Composition
of 'Water
Study,"'
trace
"phrases
and
progressions
of the
composition"
in relation to "the most
salient movement variables in the dance"
(5).
In "Dance
Graph Analysis,"
Ann
Rodiger
uses Water
Study
as an exam-
ple
to show how a "visual
representation
of the overall
dynamic shape
of a dance" can lead to "greater
compositional
awareness"
through "cultivating
observational skills and
learning
how to
organize
the observed information"
(6).
Marcia B.
Siegel
values
"immediacy
and
accuracy
of
observation";
in
her
description
of Water
Study
in The
Shapes of Change,
she
tries to
"capture
some essence" of the dance in a
documentary
way:
"None of the
documentary
devices
presently
in use is as
accessible,
as
highly developed,
or as reliable as
good
on-the-
spot
dance criticism"
(7).
These three studies owe a debt to Laban Movement
Analy-
sis
(LMA).
Davis and Schmais cite the choreometrics
coding
project
of Alan
Lomax, Irmgard Bartenieff, and Forrestine
Paulay,
which uses LMA
concepts
of
effort,
shaping,
and
body
units to characterize dance
styles
from different coun-
tries
(8). Rodiger
mentions "consideration of Laban's theo-
ries,
the
coding
sheet
developed
at the Ohio State
University
1976
Labananalysis
Research
Workshop,
and Doris
Humphrey's
The Art
of Making
Dances" as her sources
(9). Siegel, though
less
explicit
about this
aspect
of her
analysis (10),
is a Certi-
fied
(Laban)
Movement
Analyst (CMA)
and uses terms and
concepts
consonant with that
system.
My
own interest in these studies comes from a
background
which is
primarily
in Labanotation-a dance notation
system
originated by
Rudolf Laban to describe movement in three-
form as well as its
significance.
In
addition,
Siegel
describes
the dance in
detail, dissecting
in the
process
its
components,
structure,
and
impact. Analyses by
Ann
Rodiger
and
by
Martha Davis and Claire Schmais demonstrate the internal
makeup
and
patterning
of its movement variables.
This
essay
constitutes a
study
of the various
analyses
that
have been done of Water
Study. My hope
is to demonstrate the
paradigms
that underlie some of the different
approaches
to
understanding
dance,
how
they
are similar as well as how
they
differ,
and how each functions for
interpreting meaning.
There have been
many attempts
to elucidate
meaning
in
dance;
the
analyses
described here have been chosen because
they
all deal with the same work.
Martha Davis and Claire
Schmais,
in "An
Analysis
of the
Style
and
Composition
of 'Water
Study,"'
trace
"phrases
and
progressions
of the
composition"
in relation to "the most
salient movement variables in the dance"
(5).
In "Dance
Graph Analysis,"
Ann
Rodiger
uses Water
Study
as an exam-
ple
to show how a "visual
representation
of the overall
dynamic shape
of a dance" can lead to "greater
compositional
awareness"
through "cultivating
observational skills and
learning
how to
organize
the observed information"
(6).
Marcia B.
Siegel
values
"immediacy
and
accuracy
of
observation";
in
her
description
of Water
Study
in The
Shapes of Change,
she
tries to
"capture
some essence" of the dance in a
documentary
way:
"None of the
documentary
devices
presently
in use is as
accessible,
as
highly developed,
or as reliable as
good
on-the-
spot
dance criticism"
(7).
These three studies owe a debt to Laban Movement
Analy-
sis
(LMA).
Davis and Schmais cite the choreometrics
coding
project
of Alan
Lomax, Irmgard Bartenieff, and Forrestine
Paulay,
which uses LMA
concepts
of
effort,
shaping,
and
body
units to characterize dance
styles
from different coun-
tries
(8). Rodiger
mentions "consideration of Laban's theo-
ries,
the
coding
sheet
developed
at the Ohio State
University
1976
Labananalysis
Research
Workshop,
and Doris
Humphrey's
The Art
of Making
Dances" as her sources
(9). Siegel, though
less
explicit
about this
aspect
of her
analysis (10),
is a Certi-
fied
(Laban)
Movement
Analyst (CMA)
and uses terms and
concepts
consonant with that
system.
My
own interest in these studies comes from a
background
which is
primarily
in Labanotation-a dance notation
system
originated by
Rudolf Laban to describe movement in three-
form as well as its
significance.
In
addition,
Siegel
describes
the dance in
detail, dissecting
in the
process
its
components,
structure,
and
impact. Analyses by
Ann
Rodiger
and
by
Martha Davis and Claire Schmais demonstrate the internal
makeup
and
patterning
of its movement variables.
This
essay
constitutes a
study
of the various
analyses
that
have been done of Water
Study. My hope
is to demonstrate the
paradigms
that underlie some of the different
approaches
to
understanding
dance,
how
they
are similar as well as how
they
differ,
and how each functions for
interpreting meaning.
There have been
many attempts
to elucidate
meaning
in
dance;
the
analyses
described here have been chosen because
they
all deal with the same work.
Martha Davis and Claire
Schmais,
in "An
Analysis
of the
Style
and
Composition
of 'Water
Study,"'
trace
"phrases
and
progressions
of the
composition"
in relation to "the most
salient movement variables in the dance"
(5).
In "Dance
Graph Analysis,"
Ann
Rodiger
uses Water
Study
as an exam-
ple
to show how a "visual
representation
of the overall
dynamic shape
of a dance" can lead to "greater
compositional
awareness"
through "cultivating
observational skills and
learning
how to
organize
the observed information"
(6).
Marcia B.
Siegel
values
"immediacy
and
accuracy
of
observation";
in
her
description
of Water
Study
in The
Shapes of Change,
she
tries to
"capture
some essence" of the dance in a
documentary
way:
"None of the
documentary
devices
presently
in use is as
accessible,
as
highly developed,
or as reliable as
good
on-the-
spot
dance criticism"
(7).
These three studies owe a debt to Laban Movement
Analy-
sis
(LMA).
Davis and Schmais cite the choreometrics
coding
project
of Alan
Lomax, Irmgard Bartenieff, and Forrestine
Paulay,
which uses LMA
concepts
of
effort,
shaping,
and
body
units to characterize dance
styles
from different coun-
tries
(8). Rodiger
mentions "consideration of Laban's theo-
ries,
the
coding
sheet
developed
at the Ohio State
University
1976
Labananalysis
Research
Workshop,
and Doris
Humphrey's
The Art
of Making
Dances" as her sources
(9). Siegel, though
less
explicit
about this
aspect
of her
analysis (10),
is a Certi-
fied
(Laban)
Movement
Analyst (CMA)
and uses terms and
concepts
consonant with that
system.
My
own interest in these studies comes from a
background
which is
primarily
in Labanotation-a dance notation
system
originated by
Rudolf Laban to describe movement in three-
form as well as its
significance.
In
addition,
Siegel
describes
the dance in
detail, dissecting
in the
process
its
components,
structure,
and
impact. Analyses by
Ann
Rodiger
and
by
Martha Davis and Claire Schmais demonstrate the internal
makeup
and
patterning
of its movement variables.
This
essay
constitutes a
study
of the various
analyses
that
have been done of Water
Study. My hope
is to demonstrate the
paradigms
that underlie some of the different
approaches
to
understanding
dance,
how
they
are similar as well as how
they
differ,
and how each functions for
interpreting meaning.
There have been
many attempts
to elucidate
meaning
in
dance;
the
analyses
described here have been chosen because
they
all deal with the same work.
Martha Davis and Claire
Schmais,
in "An
Analysis
of the
Style
and
Composition
of 'Water
Study,"'
trace
"phrases
and
progressions
of the
composition"
in relation to "the most
salient movement variables in the dance"
(5).
In "Dance
Graph Analysis,"
Ann
Rodiger
uses Water
Study
as an exam-
ple
to show how a "visual
representation
of the overall
dynamic shape
of a dance" can lead to "greater
compositional
awareness"
through "cultivating
observational skills and
learning
how to
organize
the observed information"
(6).
Marcia B.
Siegel
values
"immediacy
and
accuracy
of
observation";
in
her
description
of Water
Study
in The
Shapes of Change,
she
tries to
"capture
some essence" of the dance in a
documentary
way:
"None of the
documentary
devices
presently
in use is as
accessible,
as
highly developed,
or as reliable as
good
on-the-
spot
dance criticism"
(7).
These three studies owe a debt to Laban Movement
Analy-
sis
(LMA).
Davis and Schmais cite the choreometrics
coding
project
of Alan
Lomax, Irmgard Bartenieff, and Forrestine
Paulay,
which uses LMA
concepts
of
effort,
shaping,
and
body
units to characterize dance
styles
from different coun-
tries
(8). Rodiger
mentions "consideration of Laban's theo-
ries,
the
coding
sheet
developed
at the Ohio State
University
1976
Labananalysis
Research
Workshop,
and Doris
Humphrey's
The Art
of Making
Dances" as her sources
(9). Siegel, though
less
explicit
about this
aspect
of her
analysis (10),
is a Certi-
fied
(Laban)
Movement
Analyst (CMA)
and uses terms and
concepts
consonant with that
system.
My
own interest in these studies comes from a
background
which is
primarily
in Labanotation-a dance notation
system
originated by
Rudolf Laban to describe movement in three-
form as well as its
significance.
In
addition,
Siegel
describes
the dance in
detail, dissecting
in the
process
its
components,
structure,
and
impact. Analyses by
Ann
Rodiger
and
by
Martha Davis and Claire Schmais demonstrate the internal
makeup
and
patterning
of its movement variables.
This
essay
constitutes a
study
of the various
analyses
that
have been done of Water
Study. My hope
is to demonstrate the
paradigms
that underlie some of the different
approaches
to
understanding
dance,
how
they
are similar as well as how
they
differ,
and how each functions for
interpreting meaning.
There have been
many attempts
to elucidate
meaning
in
dance;
the
analyses
described here have been chosen because
they
all deal with the same work.
Martha Davis and Claire
Schmais,
in "An
Analysis
of the
Style
and
Composition
of 'Water
Study,"'
trace
"phrases
and
progressions
of the
composition"
in relation to "the most
salient movement variables in the dance"
(5).
In "Dance
Graph Analysis,"
Ann
Rodiger
uses Water
Study
as an exam-
ple
to show how a "visual
representation
of the overall
dynamic shape
of a dance" can lead to "greater
compositional
awareness"
through "cultivating
observational skills and
learning
how to
organize
the observed information"
(6).
Marcia B.
Siegel
values
"immediacy
and
accuracy
of
observation";
in
her
description
of Water
Study
in The
Shapes of Change,
she
tries to
"capture
some essence" of the dance in a
documentary
way:
"None of the
documentary
devices
presently
in use is as
accessible,
as
highly developed,
or as reliable as
good
on-the-
spot
dance criticism"
(7).
These three studies owe a debt to Laban Movement
Analy-
sis
(LMA).
Davis and Schmais cite the choreometrics
coding
project
of Alan
Lomax, Irmgard Bartenieff, and Forrestine
Paulay,
which uses LMA
concepts
of
effort,
shaping,
and
body
units to characterize dance
styles
from different coun-
tries
(8). Rodiger
mentions "consideration of Laban's theo-
ries,
the
coding
sheet
developed
at the Ohio State
University
1976
Labananalysis
Research
Workshop,
and Doris
Humphrey's
The Art
of Making
Dances" as her sources
(9). Siegel, though
less
explicit
about this
aspect
of her
analysis (10),
is a Certi-
fied
(Laban)
Movement
Analyst (CMA)
and uses terms and
concepts
consonant with that
system.
My
own interest in these studies comes from a
background
which is
primarily
in Labanotation-a dance notation
system
originated by
Rudolf Laban to describe movement in three-
Sheila
Marion, currently
at Arizona State
University,
will be an Associate
Professor, Department
of
Dance,
at The Ohio State
University starting Fall,
1992. Her
primary
interests are in movement
analysis
and Labanotation. Recent works include
"Authorship
and Intention in Re-created or Notated
Dances," presented
at the Second International
Congress
on Movement
Notation, and
"Beyond Accuracy: Authenticity
and
Interpretation
in Dance
Notation," published
in Dance Notation Journal.
Sheila
Marion, currently
at Arizona State
University,
will be an Associate
Professor, Department
of
Dance,
at The Ohio State
University starting Fall,
1992. Her
primary
interests are in movement
analysis
and Labanotation. Recent works include
"Authorship
and Intention in Re-created or Notated
Dances," presented
at the Second International
Congress
on Movement
Notation, and
"Beyond Accuracy: Authenticity
and
Interpretation
in Dance
Notation," published
in Dance Notation Journal.
Sheila
Marion, currently
at Arizona State
University,
will be an Associate
Professor, Department
of
Dance,
at The Ohio State
University starting Fall,
1992. Her
primary
interests are in movement
analysis
and Labanotation. Recent works include
"Authorship
and Intention in Re-created or Notated
Dances," presented
at the Second International
Congress
on Movement
Notation, and
"Beyond Accuracy: Authenticity
and
Interpretation
in Dance
Notation," published
in Dance Notation Journal.
Sheila
Marion, currently
at Arizona State
University,
will be an Associate
Professor, Department
of
Dance,
at The Ohio State
University starting Fall,
1992. Her
primary
interests are in movement
analysis
and Labanotation. Recent works include
"Authorship
and Intention in Re-created or Notated
Dances," presented
at the Second International
Congress
on Movement
Notation, and
"Beyond Accuracy: Authenticity
and
Interpretation
in Dance
Notation," published
in Dance Notation Journal.
Sheila
Marion, currently
at Arizona State
University,
will be an Associate
Professor, Department
of
Dance,
at The Ohio State
University starting Fall,
1992. Her
primary
interests are in movement
analysis
and Labanotation. Recent works include
"Authorship
and Intention in Re-created or Notated
Dances," presented
at the Second International
Congress
on Movement
Notation, and
"Beyond Accuracy: Authenticity
and
Interpretation
in Dance
Notation," published
in Dance Notation Journal.
Sheila
Marion, currently
at Arizona State
University,
will be an Associate
Professor, Department
of
Dance,
at The Ohio State
University starting Fall,
1992. Her
primary
interests are in movement
analysis
and Labanotation. Recent works include
"Authorship
and Intention in Re-created or Notated
Dances," presented
at the Second International
Congress
on Movement
Notation, and
"Beyond Accuracy: Authenticity
and
Interpretation
in Dance
Notation," published
in Dance Notation Journal.
Sheila
Marion, currently
at Arizona State
University,
will be an Associate
Professor, Department
of
Dance,
at The Ohio State
University starting Fall,
1992. Her
primary
interests are in movement
analysis
and Labanotation. Recent works include
"Authorship
and Intention in Re-created or Notated
Dances," presented
at the Second International
Congress
on Movement
Notation, and
"Beyond Accuracy: Authenticity
and
Interpretation
in Dance
Notation," published
in Dance Notation Journal.
Sheila
Marion, currently
at Arizona State
University,
will be an Associate
Professor, Department
of
Dance,
at The Ohio State
University starting Fall,
1992. Her
primary
interests are in movement
analysis
and Labanotation. Recent works include
"Authorship
and Intention in Re-created or Notated
Dances," presented
at the Second International
Congress
on Movement
Notation, and
"Beyond Accuracy: Authenticity
and
Interpretation
in Dance
Notation," published
in Dance Notation Journal.
Sheila
Marion, currently
at Arizona State
University,
will be an Associate
Professor, Department
of
Dance,
at The Ohio State
University starting Fall,
1992. Her
primary
interests are in movement
analysis
and Labanotation. Recent works include
"Authorship
and Intention in Re-created or Notated
Dances," presented
at the Second International
Congress
on Movement
Notation, and
"Beyond Accuracy: Authenticity
and
Interpretation
in Dance
Notation," published
in Dance Notation Journal.
Sheila
Marion, currently
at Arizona State
University,
will be an Associate
Professor, Department
of
Dance,
at The Ohio State
University starting Fall,
1992. Her
primary
interests are in movement
analysis
and Labanotation. Recent works include
"Authorship
and Intention in Re-created or Notated
Dances," presented
at the Second International
Congress
on Movement
Notation, and
"Beyond Accuracy: Authenticity
and
Interpretation
in Dance
Notation," published
in Dance Notation Journal.
Sheila
Marion, currently
at Arizona State
University,
will be an Associate
Professor, Department
of
Dance,
at The Ohio State
University starting Fall,
1992. Her
primary
interests are in movement
analysis
and Labanotation. Recent works include
"Authorship
and Intention in Re-created or Notated
Dances," presented
at the Second International
Congress
on Movement
Notation, and
"Beyond Accuracy: Authenticity
and
Interpretation
in Dance
Notation," published
in Dance Notation Journal.
Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
1 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
1 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
1 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
1 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
1 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
1 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
1 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
1 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
1 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
1 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
1
MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company
in Doris
Humphrey's
1928 Water
Study (courtesy of photographer,
Ann
Bradley,
and MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company)
MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company
in Doris
Humphrey's
1928 Water
Study (courtesy of photographer,
Ann
Bradley,
and MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company)
MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company
in Doris
Humphrey's
1928 Water
Study (courtesy of photographer,
Ann
Bradley,
and MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company)
MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company
in Doris
Humphrey's
1928 Water
Study (courtesy of photographer,
Ann
Bradley,
and MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company)
MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company
in Doris
Humphrey's
1928 Water
Study (courtesy of photographer,
Ann
Bradley,
and MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company)
MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company
in Doris
Humphrey's
1928 Water
Study (courtesy of photographer,
Ann
Bradley,
and MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company)
MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company
in Doris
Humphrey's
1928 Water
Study (courtesy of photographer,
Ann
Bradley,
and MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company)
MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company
in Doris
Humphrey's
1928 Water
Study (courtesy of photographer,
Ann
Bradley,
and MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company)
MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company
in Doris
Humphrey's
1928 Water
Study (courtesy of photographer,
Ann
Bradley,
and MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company)
MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company
in Doris
Humphrey's
1928 Water
Study (courtesy of photographer,
Ann
Bradley,
and MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company)
MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company
in Doris
Humphrey's
1928 Water
Study (courtesy of photographer,
Ann
Bradley,
and MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company)
dimensional
space
and time-but also includes some course-
work and a
long-standing
interest in Laban's
description
of
qualitative
use of effort and
shaping. Irmgard
Bartenieff
describes the differences between Laban's
way
of
looking
at
movement and that which
preceded
it:
When Laban describes
changes
in the
space-force-time
qualities
of movement,
he describes
changes,
constella-
tions,
and order of
sequence
that add
up
to characteris-
tic
qualitative
modes of
behaving.
This is a
sharp
departure
from the
aesthetically
oriented dancer/cho-
reographer
still
looking
at characteristic
poses (Noverre
and most of the
nineteenth-century ballet),
or from the
kinesiologist looking
at fixed constellations of limbs
and trunk as
postures.
Laban,
for the first
time,
studied
the
process
of
moving,
with its fluctuations and modu-
lations that make it
"behaving." (11)
One of the chief considerations in
LMA,
reflected in the
Davis-Schmais and
Rodiger studies,
is the fluctuation in
movement variables or the amount of
change
that occurs in
each of the different elements.
Rodiger
states that "movement
parameters
which are in the most flux have the most effect on
the
shape
of the
piece
and are thus most
significant
....
[T]he
amount of
change
within a
parameter
is
significant" (12).
Davis and Schmais determined five
parameters
in Water
Study
which "accounted for most of the variation"
(13).
Rodiger
and Davis-Schmais define units for
study
on the basis
of when a
change occurs,
as well as on the movement variables
(derived
from
LMA)
in which there is the
greatest
amount of
fluctuation. The Laban
teaching
tradition
places importance
on the notion that the areas of
greatest change
are those that
have the
greatest import.
For
example,
the
tendency
is not to
look at a
particular quality,
such as
strength,
but at
changes
in
a
continuum,
such as from
strength
to
delicacy.
Variation can occur in either movement
qualities (Laban's
"efforts")
or in use of
space.
"In Water
Study," Rodiger
explains,
"the levels used
by
the dancers are
constantly
and
dimensional
space
and time-but also includes some course-
work and a
long-standing
interest in Laban's
description
of
qualitative
use of effort and
shaping. Irmgard
Bartenieff
describes the differences between Laban's
way
of
looking
at
movement and that which
preceded
it:
When Laban describes
changes
in the
space-force-time
qualities
of movement,
he describes
changes,
constella-
tions,
and order of
sequence
that add
up
to characteris-
tic
qualitative
modes of
behaving.
This is a
sharp
departure
from the
aesthetically
oriented dancer/cho-
reographer
still
looking
at characteristic
poses (Noverre
and most of the
nineteenth-century ballet),
or from the
kinesiologist looking
at fixed constellations of limbs
and trunk as
postures.
Laban,
for the first
time,
studied
the
process
of
moving,
with its fluctuations and modu-
lations that make it
"behaving." (11)
One of the chief considerations in
LMA,
reflected in the
Davis-Schmais and
Rodiger studies,
is the fluctuation in
movement variables or the amount of
change
that occurs in
each of the different elements.
Rodiger
states that "movement
parameters
which are in the most flux have the most effect on
the
shape
of the
piece
and are thus most
significant
....
[T]he
amount of
change
within a
parameter
is
significant" (12).
Davis and Schmais determined five
parameters
in Water
Study
which "accounted for most of the variation"
(13).
Rodiger
and Davis-Schmais define units for
study
on the basis
of when a
change occurs,
as well as on the movement variables
(derived
from
LMA)
in which there is the
greatest
amount of
fluctuation. The Laban
teaching
tradition
places importance
on the notion that the areas of
greatest change
are those that
have the
greatest import.
For
example,
the
tendency
is not to
look at a
particular quality,
such as
strength,
but at
changes
in
a
continuum,
such as from
strength
to
delicacy.
Variation can occur in either movement
qualities (Laban's
"efforts")
or in use of
space.
"In Water
Study," Rodiger
explains,
"the levels used
by
the dancers are
constantly
and
dimensional
space
and time-but also includes some course-
work and a
long-standing
interest in Laban's
description
of
qualitative
use of effort and
shaping. Irmgard
Bartenieff
describes the differences between Laban's
way
of
looking
at
movement and that which
preceded
it:
When Laban describes
changes
in the
space-force-time
qualities
of movement,
he describes
changes,
constella-
tions,
and order of
sequence
that add
up
to characteris-
tic
qualitative
modes of
behaving.
This is a
sharp
departure
from the
aesthetically
oriented dancer/cho-
reographer
still
looking
at characteristic
poses (Noverre
and most of the
nineteenth-century ballet),
or from the
kinesiologist looking
at fixed constellations of limbs
and trunk as
postures.
Laban,
for the first
time,
studied
the
process
of
moving,
with its fluctuations and modu-
lations that make it
"behaving." (11)
One of the chief considerations in
LMA,
reflected in the
Davis-Schmais and
Rodiger studies,
is the fluctuation in
movement variables or the amount of
change
that occurs in
each of the different elements.
Rodiger
states that "movement
parameters
which are in the most flux have the most effect on
the
shape
of the
piece
and are thus most
significant
....
[T]he
amount of
change
within a
parameter
is
significant" (12).
Davis and Schmais determined five
parameters
in Water
Study
which "accounted for most of the variation"
(13).
Rodiger
and Davis-Schmais define units for
study
on the basis
of when a
change occurs,
as well as on the movement variables
(derived
from
LMA)
in which there is the
greatest
amount of
fluctuation. The Laban
teaching
tradition
places importance
on the notion that the areas of
greatest change
are those that
have the
greatest import.
For
example,
the
tendency
is not to
look at a
particular quality,
such as
strength,
but at
changes
in
a
continuum,
such as from
strength
to
delicacy.
Variation can occur in either movement
qualities (Laban's
"efforts")
or in use of
space.
"In Water
Study," Rodiger
explains,
"the levels used
by
the dancers are
constantly
and
dimensional
space
and time-but also includes some course-
work and a
long-standing
interest in Laban's
description
of
qualitative
use of effort and
shaping. Irmgard
Bartenieff
describes the differences between Laban's
way
of
looking
at
movement and that which
preceded
it:
When Laban describes
changes
in the
space-force-time
qualities
of movement,
he describes
changes,
constella-
tions,
and order of
sequence
that add
up
to characteris-
tic
qualitative
modes of
behaving.
This is a
sharp
departure
from the
aesthetically
oriented dancer/cho-
reographer
still
looking
at characteristic
poses (Noverre
and most of the
nineteenth-century ballet),
or from the
kinesiologist looking
at fixed constellations of limbs
and trunk as
postures.
Laban,
for the first
time,
studied
the
process
of
moving,
with its fluctuations and modu-
lations that make it
"behaving." (11)
One of the chief considerations in
LMA,
reflected in the
Davis-Schmais and
Rodiger studies,
is the fluctuation in
movement variables or the amount of
change
that occurs in
each of the different elements.
Rodiger
states that "movement
parameters
which are in the most flux have the most effect on
the
shape
of the
piece
and are thus most
significant
....
[T]he
amount of
change
within a
parameter
is
significant" (12).
Davis and Schmais determined five
parameters
in Water
Study
which "accounted for most of the variation"
(13).
Rodiger
and Davis-Schmais define units for
study
on the basis
of when a
change occurs,
as well as on the movement variables
(derived
from
LMA)
in which there is the
greatest
amount of
fluctuation. The Laban
teaching
tradition
places importance
on the notion that the areas of
greatest change
are those that
have the
greatest import.
For
example,
the
tendency
is not to
look at a
particular quality,
such as
strength,
but at
changes
in
a
continuum,
such as from
strength
to
delicacy.
Variation can occur in either movement
qualities (Laban's
"efforts")
or in use of
space.
"In Water
Study," Rodiger
explains,
"the levels used
by
the dancers are
constantly
and
dimensional
space
and time-but also includes some course-
work and a
long-standing
interest in Laban's
description
of
qualitative
use of effort and
shaping. Irmgard
Bartenieff
describes the differences between Laban's
way
of
looking
at
movement and that which
preceded
it:
When Laban describes
changes
in the
space-force-time
qualities
of movement,
he describes
changes,
constella-
tions,
and order of
sequence
that add
up
to characteris-
tic
qualitative
modes of
behaving.
This is a
sharp
departure
from the
aesthetically
oriented dancer/cho-
reographer
still
looking
at characteristic
poses (Noverre
and most of the
nineteenth-century ballet),
or from the
kinesiologist looking
at fixed constellations of limbs
and trunk as
postures.
Laban,
for the first
time,
studied
the
process
of
moving,
with its fluctuations and modu-
lations that make it
"behaving." (11)
One of the chief considerations in
LMA,
reflected in the
Davis-Schmais and
Rodiger studies,
is the fluctuation in
movement variables or the amount of
change
that occurs in
each of the different elements.
Rodiger
states that "movement
parameters
which are in the most flux have the most effect on
the
shape
of the
piece
and are thus most
significant
....
[T]he
amount of
change
within a
parameter
is
significant" (12).
Davis and Schmais determined five
parameters
in Water
Study
which "accounted for most of the variation"
(13).
Rodiger
and Davis-Schmais define units for
study
on the basis
of when a
change occurs,
as well as on the movement variables
(derived
from
LMA)
in which there is the
greatest
amount of
fluctuation. The Laban
teaching
tradition
places importance
on the notion that the areas of
greatest change
are those that
have the
greatest import.
For
example,
the
tendency
is not to
look at a
particular quality,
such as
strength,
but at
changes
in
a
continuum,
such as from
strength
to
delicacy.
Variation can occur in either movement
qualities (Laban's
"efforts")
or in use of
space.
"In Water
Study," Rodiger
explains,
"the levels used
by
the dancers are
constantly
and
dimensional
space
and time-but also includes some course-
work and a
long-standing
interest in Laban's
description
of
qualitative
use of effort and
shaping. Irmgard
Bartenieff
describes the differences between Laban's
way
of
looking
at
movement and that which
preceded
it:
When Laban describes
changes
in the
space-force-time
qualities
of movement,
he describes
changes,
constella-
tions,
and order of
sequence
that add
up
to characteris-
tic
qualitative
modes of
behaving.
This is a
sharp
departure
from the
aesthetically
oriented dancer/cho-
reographer
still
looking
at characteristic
poses (Noverre
and most of the
nineteenth-century ballet),
or from the
kinesiologist looking
at fixed constellations of limbs
and trunk as
postures.
Laban,
for the first
time,
studied
the
process
of
moving,
with its fluctuations and modu-
lations that make it
"behaving." (11)
One of the chief considerations in
LMA,
reflected in the
Davis-Schmais and
Rodiger studies,
is the fluctuation in
movement variables or the amount of
change
that occurs in
each of the different elements.
Rodiger
states that "movement
parameters
which are in the most flux have the most effect on
the
shape
of the
piece
and are thus most
significant
....
[T]he
amount of
change
within a
parameter
is
significant" (12).
Davis and Schmais determined five
parameters
in Water
Study
which "accounted for most of the variation"
(13).
Rodiger
and Davis-Schmais define units for
study
on the basis
of when a
change occurs,
as well as on the movement variables
(derived
from
LMA)
in which there is the
greatest
amount of
fluctuation. The Laban
teaching
tradition
places importance
on the notion that the areas of
greatest change
are those that
have the
greatest import.
For
example,
the
tendency
is not to
look at a
particular quality,
such as
strength,
but at
changes
in
a
continuum,
such as from
strength
to
delicacy.
Variation can occur in either movement
qualities (Laban's
"efforts")
or in use of
space.
"In Water
Study," Rodiger
explains,
"the levels used
by
the dancers are
constantly
and
dimensional
space
and time-but also includes some course-
work and a
long-standing
interest in Laban's
description
of
qualitative
use of effort and
shaping. Irmgard
Bartenieff
describes the differences between Laban's
way
of
looking
at
movement and that which
preceded
it:
When Laban describes
changes
in the
space-force-time
qualities
of movement,
he describes
changes,
constella-
tions,
and order of
sequence
that add
up
to characteris-
tic
qualitative
modes of
behaving.
This is a
sharp
departure
from the
aesthetically
oriented dancer/cho-
reographer
still
looking
at characteristic
poses (Noverre
and most of the
nineteenth-century ballet),
or from the
kinesiologist looking
at fixed constellations of limbs
and trunk as
postures.
Laban,
for the first
time,
studied
the
process
of
moving,
with its fluctuations and modu-
lations that make it
"behaving." (11)
One of the chief considerations in
LMA,
reflected in the
Davis-Schmais and
Rodiger studies,
is the fluctuation in
movement variables or the amount of
change
that occurs in
each of the different elements.
Rodiger
states that "movement
parameters
which are in the most flux have the most effect on
the
shape
of the
piece
and are thus most
significant
....
[T]he
amount of
change
within a
parameter
is
significant" (12).
Davis and Schmais determined five
parameters
in Water
Study
which "accounted for most of the variation"
(13).
Rodiger
and Davis-Schmais define units for
study
on the basis
of when a
change occurs,
as well as on the movement variables
(derived
from
LMA)
in which there is the
greatest
amount of
fluctuation. The Laban
teaching
tradition
places importance
on the notion that the areas of
greatest change
are those that
have the
greatest import.
For
example,
the
tendency
is not to
look at a
particular quality,
such as
strength,
but at
changes
in
a
continuum,
such as from
strength
to
delicacy.
Variation can occur in either movement
qualities (Laban's
"efforts")
or in use of
space.
"In Water
Study," Rodiger
explains,
"the levels used
by
the dancers are
constantly
and
dimensional
space
and time-but also includes some course-
work and a
long-standing
interest in Laban's
description
of
qualitative
use of effort and
shaping. Irmgard
Bartenieff
describes the differences between Laban's
way
of
looking
at
movement and that which
preceded
it:
When Laban describes
changes
in the
space-force-time
qualities
of movement,
he describes
changes,
constella-
tions,
and order of
sequence
that add
up
to characteris-
tic
qualitative
modes of
behaving.
This is a
sharp
departure
from the
aesthetically
oriented dancer/cho-
reographer
still
looking
at characteristic
poses (Noverre
and most of the
nineteenth-century ballet),
or from the
kinesiologist looking
at fixed constellations of limbs
and trunk as
postures.
Laban,
for the first
time,
studied
the
process
of
moving,
with its fluctuations and modu-
lations that make it
"behaving." (11)
One of the chief considerations in
LMA,
reflected in the
Davis-Schmais and
Rodiger studies,
is the fluctuation in
movement variables or the amount of
change
that occurs in
each of the different elements.
Rodiger
states that "movement
parameters
which are in the most flux have the most effect on
the
shape
of the
piece
and are thus most
significant
....
[T]he
amount of
change
within a
parameter
is
significant" (12).
Davis and Schmais determined five
parameters
in Water
Study
which "accounted for most of the variation"
(13).
Rodiger
and Davis-Schmais define units for
study
on the basis
of when a
change occurs,
as well as on the movement variables
(derived
from
LMA)
in which there is the
greatest
amount of
fluctuation. The Laban
teaching
tradition
places importance
on the notion that the areas of
greatest change
are those that
have the
greatest import.
For
example,
the
tendency
is not to
look at a
particular quality,
such as
strength,
but at
changes
in
a
continuum,
such as from
strength
to
delicacy.
Variation can occur in either movement
qualities (Laban's
"efforts")
or in use of
space.
"In Water
Study," Rodiger
explains,
"the levels used
by
the dancers are
constantly
and
dimensional
space
and time-but also includes some course-
work and a
long-standing
interest in Laban's
description
of
qualitative
use of effort and
shaping. Irmgard
Bartenieff
describes the differences between Laban's
way
of
looking
at
movement and that which
preceded
it:
When Laban describes
changes
in the
space-force-time
qualities
of movement,
he describes
changes,
constella-
tions,
and order of
sequence
that add
up
to characteris-
tic
qualitative
modes of
behaving.
This is a
sharp
departure
from the
aesthetically
oriented dancer/cho-
reographer
still
looking
at characteristic
poses (Noverre
and most of the
nineteenth-century ballet),
or from the
kinesiologist looking
at fixed constellations of limbs
and trunk as
postures.
Laban,
for the first
time,
studied
the
process
of
moving,
with its fluctuations and modu-
lations that make it
"behaving." (11)
One of the chief considerations in
LMA,
reflected in the
Davis-Schmais and
Rodiger studies,
is the fluctuation in
movement variables or the amount of
change
that occurs in
each of the different elements.
Rodiger
states that "movement
parameters
which are in the most flux have the most effect on
the
shape
of the
piece
and are thus most
significant
....
[T]he
amount of
change
within a
parameter
is
significant" (12).
Davis and Schmais determined five
parameters
in Water
Study
which "accounted for most of the variation"
(13).
Rodiger
and Davis-Schmais define units for
study
on the basis
of when a
change occurs,
as well as on the movement variables
(derived
from
LMA)
in which there is the
greatest
amount of
fluctuation. The Laban
teaching
tradition
places importance
on the notion that the areas of
greatest change
are those that
have the
greatest import.
For
example,
the
tendency
is not to
look at a
particular quality,
such as
strength,
but at
changes
in
a
continuum,
such as from
strength
to
delicacy.
Variation can occur in either movement
qualities (Laban's
"efforts")
or in use of
space.
"In Water
Study," Rodiger
explains,
"the levels used
by
the dancers are
constantly
and
dimensional
space
and time-but also includes some course-
work and a
long-standing
interest in Laban's
description
of
qualitative
use of effort and
shaping. Irmgard
Bartenieff
describes the differences between Laban's
way
of
looking
at
movement and that which
preceded
it:
When Laban describes
changes
in the
space-force-time
qualities
of movement,
he describes
changes,
constella-
tions,
and order of
sequence
that add
up
to characteris-
tic
qualitative
modes of
behaving.
This is a
sharp
departure
from the
aesthetically
oriented dancer/cho-
reographer
still
looking
at characteristic
poses (Noverre
and most of the
nineteenth-century ballet),
or from the
kinesiologist looking
at fixed constellations of limbs
and trunk as
postures.
Laban,
for the first
time,
studied
the
process
of
moving,
with its fluctuations and modu-
lations that make it
"behaving." (11)
One of the chief considerations in
LMA,
reflected in the
Davis-Schmais and
Rodiger studies,
is the fluctuation in
movement variables or the amount of
change
that occurs in
each of the different elements.
Rodiger
states that "movement
parameters
which are in the most flux have the most effect on
the
shape
of the
piece
and are thus most
significant
....
[T]he
amount of
change
within a
parameter
is
significant" (12).
Davis and Schmais determined five
parameters
in Water
Study
which "accounted for most of the variation"
(13).
Rodiger
and Davis-Schmais define units for
study
on the basis
of when a
change occurs,
as well as on the movement variables
(derived
from
LMA)
in which there is the
greatest
amount of
fluctuation. The Laban
teaching
tradition
places importance
on the notion that the areas of
greatest change
are those that
have the
greatest import.
For
example,
the
tendency
is not to
look at a
particular quality,
such as
strength,
but at
changes
in
a
continuum,
such as from
strength
to
delicacy.
Variation can occur in either movement
qualities (Laban's
"efforts")
or in use of
space.
"In Water
Study," Rodiger
explains,
"the levels used
by
the dancers are
constantly
and
dimensional
space
and time-but also includes some course-
work and a
long-standing
interest in Laban's
description
of
qualitative
use of effort and
shaping. Irmgard
Bartenieff
describes the differences between Laban's
way
of
looking
at
movement and that which
preceded
it:
When Laban describes
changes
in the
space-force-time
qualities
of movement,
he describes
changes,
constella-
tions,
and order of
sequence
that add
up
to characteris-
tic
qualitative
modes of
behaving.
This is a
sharp
departure
from the
aesthetically
oriented dancer/cho-
reographer
still
looking
at characteristic
poses (Noverre
and most of the
nineteenth-century ballet),
or from the
kinesiologist looking
at fixed constellations of limbs
and trunk as
postures.
Laban,
for the first
time,
studied
the
process
of
moving,
with its fluctuations and modu-
lations that make it
"behaving." (11)
One of the chief considerations in
LMA,
reflected in the
Davis-Schmais and
Rodiger studies,
is the fluctuation in
movement variables or the amount of
change
that occurs in
each of the different elements.
Rodiger
states that "movement
parameters
which are in the most flux have the most effect on
the
shape
of the
piece
and are thus most
significant
....
[T]he
amount of
change
within a
parameter
is
significant" (12).
Davis and Schmais determined five
parameters
in Water
Study
which "accounted for most of the variation"
(13).
Rodiger
and Davis-Schmais define units for
study
on the basis
of when a
change occurs,
as well as on the movement variables
(derived
from
LMA)
in which there is the
greatest
amount of
fluctuation. The Laban
teaching
tradition
places importance
on the notion that the areas of
greatest change
are those that
have the
greatest import.
For
example,
the
tendency
is not to
look at a
particular quality,
such as
strength,
but at
changes
in
a
continuum,
such as from
strength
to
delicacy.
Variation can occur in either movement
qualities (Laban's
"efforts")
or in use of
space.
"In Water
Study," Rodiger
explains,
"the levels used
by
the dancers are
constantly
and
frequently changing,
which contributes
greatly
to the
ongoingness
of the dance. The dancers use the fullest
range
of levels
possible
without use of
props
or
partners:
from
lying
on the
floor to aerial work"
(14).
She identifies seven different
levels: aerial work, standing, standing crouch, kneeling high,
kneeling crouch, sitting
on
heels,
and
lying (15).
Rodiger
uses level
changes
to demonstrate the
workings
of
her
graph;
Water
Study
functions as an
example
for
Rodiger's
method rather than the other
way
around. She charts two other
variables:
stage facings
and
group
movement. The latter
consists of such
choreographic
devices as unison movement,
mirroring, canon,
and variations on a theme
(16).
Her
graphs
(Figure 1)
show a
long period
of minor
changes
followed
by
a
great
deal of fluctuation and then a
tapering
off.
"Combining
all three
general graphs" (Figure 2), according
to
Rodiger,
"gives
the overall
dynamic shape
of Water Study" (17).
Two of the three variables charted
by Rodiger
are similar to
those of the earlier
study by
Davis and Schmais. The
parame-
ters for that
study
are
briefly
defined as:
1)
Level-distance from the floor in terms of the
body, e.g.,
"knee
high," "standing low,"
etc.
2) Shape
Flow-growing
and
shrinking
of the total
body shape
... recorded in nine
degrees
of
change
from
hyper-
extension to total
body closing
or
folding. 3)
Effort
Flow-... the
ongoingness
of the
movement,
more or
less controlled... recorded... in three
degrees
of free
and three of bound.
4) Group Relationship-types
of
spatial-temporal relationship
between the dancers. In
the dance there are three
types
of
canon,
two
types
of
mirroring
and one
paralleling
....
5) Group
Forma-
tion-there are four main floor
patterns
. . . curved
line, straight
line, randomly
scattered over the floor
and
clumped
close
together. (18)
Davis and Schmais
identify progressively larger phrases,
each based on the
pattern
of a wave. The breath
rhythm,
as the
smallest
unit,
contains within it the
swelling
and
ebbing
that
forms the kernel of the
larger,
overall wave
pattern
of the
dance:
When the
phrase
is studied in terms of effort and
shape
flow,
it is a movement correlate of the
simplest
breath-
ing pattern, i.e., expanding
and
becoming
bound on
the
inhale, "shrinking"
and
becoming
freer on the
exhale. We know from members of the
original
company
that Doris
Humphrey
conceived the
dy-
namics and
quality
of the movement in terms of
breathing, using
the inhale and exhale of
breathing
as
the
paradigm
of the swell and ebb of the sea.
(19)
Considering
this kernel to be the first,
or smallest unit in the
dance's "levels of abstraction,"
Davis and Schmais
go
on to
identify
two
increasingly larger phrases,
each of which is
made
up
of several of the smaller ones:
The second is the movement
phrase
which in this
dance is
usually
a
complete
wave. We consider these
frequently changing,
which contributes
greatly
to the
ongoingness
of the dance. The dancers use the fullest
range
of levels
possible
without use of
props
or
partners:
from
lying
on the
floor to aerial work"
(14).
She identifies seven different
levels: aerial work, standing, standing crouch, kneeling high,
kneeling crouch, sitting
on
heels,
and
lying (15).
Rodiger
uses level
changes
to demonstrate the
workings
of
her
graph;
Water
Study
functions as an
example
for
Rodiger's
method rather than the other
way
around. She charts two other
variables:
stage facings
and
group
movement. The latter
consists of such
choreographic
devices as unison movement,
mirroring, canon,
and variations on a theme
(16).
Her
graphs
(Figure 1)
show a
long period
of minor
changes
followed
by
a
great
deal of fluctuation and then a
tapering
off.
"Combining
all three
general graphs" (Figure 2), according
to
Rodiger,
"gives
the overall
dynamic shape
of Water Study" (17).
Two of the three variables charted
by Rodiger
are similar to
those of the earlier
study by
Davis and Schmais. The
parame-
ters for that
study
are
briefly
defined as:
1)
Level-distance from the floor in terms of the
body, e.g.,
"knee
high," "standing low,"
etc.
2) Shape
Flow-growing
and
shrinking
of the total
body shape
... recorded in nine
degrees
of
change
from
hyper-
extension to total
body closing
or
folding. 3)
Effort
Flow-... the
ongoingness
of the
movement,
more or
less controlled... recorded... in three
degrees
of free
and three of bound.
4) Group Relationship-types
of
spatial-temporal relationship
between the dancers. In
the dance there are three
types
of
canon,
two
types
of
mirroring
and one
paralleling
....
5) Group
Forma-
tion-there are four main floor
patterns
. . . curved
line, straight
line, randomly
scattered over the floor
and
clumped
close
together. (18)
Davis and Schmais
identify progressively larger phrases,
each based on the
pattern
of a wave. The breath
rhythm,
as the
smallest
unit,
contains within it the
swelling
and
ebbing
that
forms the kernel of the
larger,
overall wave
pattern
of the
dance:
When the
phrase
is studied in terms of effort and
shape
flow,
it is a movement correlate of the
simplest
breath-
ing pattern, i.e., expanding
and
becoming
bound on
the
inhale, "shrinking"
and
becoming
freer on the
exhale. We know from members of the
original
company
that Doris
Humphrey
conceived the
dy-
namics and
quality
of the movement in terms of
breathing, using
the inhale and exhale of
breathing
as
the
paradigm
of the swell and ebb of the sea.
(19)
Considering
this kernel to be the first,
or smallest unit in the
dance's "levels of abstraction,"
Davis and Schmais
go
on to
identify
two
increasingly larger phrases,
each of which is
made
up
of several of the smaller ones:
The second is the movement
phrase
which in this
dance is
usually
a
complete
wave. We consider these
frequently changing,
which contributes
greatly
to the
ongoingness
of the dance. The dancers use the fullest
range
of levels
possible
without use of
props
or
partners:
from
lying
on the
floor to aerial work"
(14).
She identifies seven different
levels: aerial work, standing, standing crouch, kneeling high,
kneeling crouch, sitting
on
heels,
and
lying (15).
Rodiger
uses level
changes
to demonstrate the
workings
of
her
graph;
Water
Study
functions as an
example
for
Rodiger's
method rather than the other
way
around. She charts two other
variables:
stage facings
and
group
movement. The latter
consists of such
choreographic
devices as unison movement,
mirroring, canon,
and variations on a theme
(16).
Her
graphs
(Figure 1)
show a
long period
of minor
changes
followed
by
a
great
deal of fluctuation and then a
tapering
off.
"Combining
all three
general graphs" (Figure 2), according
to
Rodiger,
"gives
the overall
dynamic shape
of Water Study" (17).
Two of the three variables charted
by Rodiger
are similar to
those of the earlier
study by
Davis and Schmais. The
parame-
ters for that
study
are
briefly
defined as:
1)
Level-distance from the floor in terms of the
body, e.g.,
"knee
high," "standing low,"
etc.
2) Shape
Flow-growing
and
shrinking
of the total
body shape
... recorded in nine
degrees
of
change
from
hyper-
extension to total
body closing
or
folding. 3)
Effort
Flow-... the
ongoingness
of the
movement,
more or
less controlled... recorded... in three
degrees
of free
and three of bound.
4) Group Relationship-types
of
spatial-temporal relationship
between the dancers. In
the dance there are three
types
of
canon,
two
types
of
mirroring
and one
paralleling
....
5) Group
Forma-
tion-there are four main floor
patterns
. . . curved
line, straight
line, randomly
scattered over the floor
and
clumped
close
together. (18)
Davis and Schmais
identify progressively larger phrases,
each based on the
pattern
of a wave. The breath
rhythm,
as the
smallest
unit,
contains within it the
swelling
and
ebbing
that
forms the kernel of the
larger,
overall wave
pattern
of the
dance:
When the
phrase
is studied in terms of effort and
shape
flow,
it is a movement correlate of the
simplest
breath-
ing pattern, i.e., expanding
and
becoming
bound on
the
inhale, "shrinking"
and
becoming
freer on the
exhale. We know from members of the
original
company
that Doris
Humphrey
conceived the
dy-
namics and
quality
of the movement in terms of
breathing, using
the inhale and exhale of
breathing
as
the
paradigm
of the swell and ebb of the sea.
(19)
Considering
this kernel to be the first,
or smallest unit in the
dance's "levels of abstraction,"
Davis and Schmais
go
on to
identify
two
increasingly larger phrases,
each of which is
made
up
of several of the smaller ones:
The second is the movement
phrase
which in this
dance is
usually
a
complete
wave. We consider these
frequently changing,
which contributes
greatly
to the
ongoingness
of the dance. The dancers use the fullest
range
of levels
possible
without use of
props
or
partners:
from
lying
on the
floor to aerial work"
(14).
She identifies seven different
levels: aerial work, standing, standing crouch, kneeling high,
kneeling crouch, sitting
on
heels,
and
lying (15).
Rodiger
uses level
changes
to demonstrate the
workings
of
her
graph;
Water
Study
functions as an
example
for
Rodiger's
method rather than the other
way
around. She charts two other
variables:
stage facings
and
group
movement. The latter
consists of such
choreographic
devices as unison movement,
mirroring, canon,
and variations on a theme
(16).
Her
graphs
(Figure 1)
show a
long period
of minor
changes
followed
by
a
great
deal of fluctuation and then a
tapering
off.
"Combining
all three
general graphs" (Figure 2), according
to
Rodiger,
"gives
the overall
dynamic shape
of Water Study" (17).
Two of the three variables charted
by Rodiger
are similar to
those of the earlier
study by
Davis and Schmais. The
parame-
ters for that
study
are
briefly
defined as:
1)
Level-distance from the floor in terms of the
body, e.g.,
"knee
high," "standing low,"
etc.
2) Shape
Flow-growing
and
shrinking
of the total
body shape
... recorded in nine
degrees
of
change
from
hyper-
extension to total
body closing
or
folding. 3)
Effort
Flow-... the
ongoingness
of the
movement,
more or
less controlled... recorded... in three
degrees
of free
and three of bound.
4) Group Relationship-types
of
spatial-temporal relationship
between the dancers. In
the dance there are three
types
of
canon,
two
types
of
mirroring
and one
paralleling
....
5) Group
Forma-
tion-there are four main floor
patterns
. . . curved
line, straight
line, randomly
scattered over the floor
and
clumped
close
together. (18)
Davis and Schmais
identify progressively larger phrases,
each based on the
pattern
of a wave. The breath
rhythm,
as the
smallest
unit,
contains within it the
swelling
and
ebbing
that
forms the kernel of the
larger,
overall wave
pattern
of the
dance:
When the
phrase
is studied in terms of effort and
shape
flow,
it is a movement correlate of the
simplest
breath-
ing pattern, i.e., expanding
and
becoming
bound on
the
inhale, "shrinking"
and
becoming
freer on the
exhale. We know from members of the
original
company
that Doris
Humphrey
conceived the
dy-
namics and
quality
of the movement in terms of
breathing, using
the inhale and exhale of
breathing
as
the
paradigm
of the swell and ebb of the sea.
(19)
Considering
this kernel to be the first,
or smallest unit in the
dance's "levels of abstraction,"
Davis and Schmais
go
on to
identify
two
increasingly larger phrases,
each of which is
made
up
of several of the smaller ones:
The second is the movement
phrase
which in this
dance is
usually
a
complete
wave. We consider these
frequently changing,
which contributes
greatly
to the
ongoingness
of the dance. The dancers use the fullest
range
of levels
possible
without use of
props
or
partners:
from
lying
on the
floor to aerial work"
(14).
She identifies seven different
levels: aerial work, standing, standing crouch, kneeling high,
kneeling crouch, sitting
on
heels,
and
lying (15).
Rodiger
uses level
changes
to demonstrate the
workings
of
her
graph;
Water
Study
functions as an
example
for
Rodiger's
method rather than the other
way
around. She charts two other
variables:
stage facings
and
group
movement. The latter
consists of such
choreographic
devices as unison movement,
mirroring, canon,
and variations on a theme
(16).
Her
graphs
(Figure 1)
show a
long period
of minor
changes
followed
by
a
great
deal of fluctuation and then a
tapering
off.
"Combining
all three
general graphs" (Figure 2), according
to
Rodiger,
"gives
the overall
dynamic shape
of Water Study" (17).
Two of the three variables charted
by Rodiger
are similar to
those of the earlier
study by
Davis and Schmais. The
parame-
ters for that
study
are
briefly
defined as:
1)
Level-distance from the floor in terms of the
body, e.g.,
"knee
high," "standing low,"
etc.
2) Shape
Flow-growing
and
shrinking
of the total
body shape
... recorded in nine
degrees
of
change
from
hyper-
extension to total
body closing
or
folding. 3)
Effort
Flow-... the
ongoingness
of the
movement,
more or
less controlled... recorded... in three
degrees
of free
and three of bound.
4) Group Relationship-types
of
spatial-temporal relationship
between the dancers. In
the dance there are three
types
of
canon,
two
types
of
mirroring
and one
paralleling
....
5) Group
Forma-
tion-there are four main floor
patterns
. . . curved
line, straight
line, randomly
scattered over the floor
and
clumped
close
together. (18)
Davis and Schmais
identify progressively larger phrases,
each based on the
pattern
of a wave. The breath
rhythm,
as the
smallest
unit,
contains within it the
swelling
and
ebbing
that
forms the kernel of the
larger,
overall wave
pattern
of the
dance:
When the
phrase
is studied in terms of effort and
shape
flow,
it is a movement correlate of the
simplest
breath-
ing pattern, i.e., expanding
and
becoming
bound on
the
inhale, "shrinking"
and
becoming
freer on the
exhale. We know from members of the
original
company
that Doris
Humphrey
conceived the
dy-
namics and
quality
of the movement in terms of
breathing, using
the inhale and exhale of
breathing
as
the
paradigm
of the swell and ebb of the sea.
(19)
Considering
this kernel to be the first,
or smallest unit in the
dance's "levels of abstraction,"
Davis and Schmais
go
on to
identify
two
increasingly larger phrases,
each of which is
made
up
of several of the smaller ones:
The second is the movement
phrase
which in this
dance is
usually
a
complete
wave. We consider these
frequently changing,
which contributes
greatly
to the
ongoingness
of the dance. The dancers use the fullest
range
of levels
possible
without use of
props
or
partners:
from
lying
on the
floor to aerial work"
(14).
She identifies seven different
levels: aerial work, standing, standing crouch, kneeling high,
kneeling crouch, sitting
on
heels,
and
lying (15).
Rodiger
uses level
changes
to demonstrate the
workings
of
her
graph;
Water
Study
functions as an
example
for
Rodiger's
method rather than the other
way
around. She charts two other
variables:
stage facings
and
group
movement. The latter
consists of such
choreographic
devices as unison movement,
mirroring, canon,
and variations on a theme
(16).
Her
graphs
(Figure 1)
show a
long period
of minor
changes
followed
by
a
great
deal of fluctuation and then a
tapering
off.
"Combining
all three
general graphs" (Figure 2), according
to
Rodiger,
"gives
the overall
dynamic shape
of Water Study" (17).
Two of the three variables charted
by Rodiger
are similar to
those of the earlier
study by
Davis and Schmais. The
parame-
ters for that
study
are
briefly
defined as:
1)
Level-distance from the floor in terms of the
body, e.g.,
"knee
high," "standing low,"
etc.
2) Shape
Flow-growing
and
shrinking
of the total
body shape
... recorded in nine
degrees
of
change
from
hyper-
extension to total
body closing
or
folding. 3)
Effort
Flow-... the
ongoingness
of the
movement,
more or
less controlled... recorded... in three
degrees
of free
and three of bound.
4) Group Relationship-types
of
spatial-temporal relationship
between the dancers. In
the dance there are three
types
of
canon,
two
types
of
mirroring
and one
paralleling
....
5) Group
Forma-
tion-there are four main floor
patterns
. . . curved
line, straight
line, randomly
scattered over the floor
and
clumped
close
together. (18)
Davis and Schmais
identify progressively larger phrases,
each based on the
pattern
of a wave. The breath
rhythm,
as the
smallest
unit,
contains within it the
swelling
and
ebbing
that
forms the kernel of the
larger,
overall wave
pattern
of the
dance:
When the
phrase
is studied in terms of effort and
shape
flow,
it is a movement correlate of the
simplest
breath-
ing pattern, i.e., expanding
and
becoming
bound on
the
inhale, "shrinking"
and
becoming
freer on the
exhale. We know from members of the
original
company
that Doris
Humphrey
conceived the
dy-
namics and
quality
of the movement in terms of
breathing, using
the inhale and exhale of
breathing
as
the
paradigm
of the swell and ebb of the sea.
(19)
Considering
this kernel to be the first,
or smallest unit in the
dance's "levels of abstraction,"
Davis and Schmais
go
on to
identify
two
increasingly larger phrases,
each of which is
made
up
of several of the smaller ones:
The second is the movement
phrase
which in this
dance is
usually
a
complete
wave. We consider these
frequently changing,
which contributes
greatly
to the
ongoingness
of the dance. The dancers use the fullest
range
of levels
possible
without use of
props
or
partners:
from
lying
on the
floor to aerial work"
(14).
She identifies seven different
levels: aerial work, standing, standing crouch, kneeling high,
kneeling crouch, sitting
on
heels,
and
lying (15).
Rodiger
uses level
changes
to demonstrate the
workings
of
her
graph;
Water
Study
functions as an
example
for
Rodiger's
method rather than the other
way
around. She charts two other
variables:
stage facings
and
group
movement. The latter
consists of such
choreographic
devices as unison movement,
mirroring, canon,
and variations on a theme
(16).
Her
graphs
(Figure 1)
show a
long period
of minor
changes
followed
by
a
great
deal of fluctuation and then a
tapering
off.
"Combining
all three
general graphs" (Figure 2), according
to
Rodiger,
"gives
the overall
dynamic shape
of Water Study" (17).
Two of the three variables charted
by Rodiger
are similar to
those of the earlier
study by
Davis and Schmais. The
parame-
ters for that
study
are
briefly
defined as:
1)
Level-distance from the floor in terms of the
body, e.g.,
"knee
high," "standing low,"
etc.
2) Shape
Flow-growing
and
shrinking
of the total
body shape
... recorded in nine
degrees
of
change
from
hyper-
extension to total
body closing
or
folding. 3)
Effort
Flow-... the
ongoingness
of the
movement,
more or
less controlled... recorded... in three
degrees
of free
and three of bound.
4) Group Relationship-types
of
spatial-temporal relationship
between the dancers. In
the dance there are three
types
of
canon,
two
types
of
mirroring
and one
paralleling
....
5) Group
Forma-
tion-there are four main floor
patterns
. . . curved
line, straight
line, randomly
scattered over the floor
and
clumped
close
together. (18)
Davis and Schmais
identify progressively larger phrases,
each based on the
pattern
of a wave. The breath
rhythm,
as the
smallest
unit,
contains within it the
swelling
and
ebbing
that
forms the kernel of the
larger,
overall wave
pattern
of the
dance:
When the
phrase
is studied in terms of effort and
shape
flow,
it is a movement correlate of the
simplest
breath-
ing pattern, i.e., expanding
and
becoming
bound on
the
inhale, "shrinking"
and
becoming
freer on the
exhale. We know from members of the
original
company
that Doris
Humphrey
conceived the
dy-
namics and
quality
of the movement in terms of
breathing, using
the inhale and exhale of
breathing
as
the
paradigm
of the swell and ebb of the sea.
(19)
Considering
this kernel to be the first,
or smallest unit in the
dance's "levels of abstraction,"
Davis and Schmais
go
on to
identify
two
increasingly larger phrases,
each of which is
made
up
of several of the smaller ones:
The second is the movement
phrase
which in this
dance is
usually
a
complete
wave. We consider these
frequently changing,
which contributes
greatly
to the
ongoingness
of the dance. The dancers use the fullest
range
of levels
possible
without use of
props
or
partners:
from
lying
on the
floor to aerial work"
(14).
She identifies seven different
levels: aerial work, standing, standing crouch, kneeling high,
kneeling crouch, sitting
on
heels,
and
lying (15).
Rodiger
uses level
changes
to demonstrate the
workings
of
her
graph;
Water
Study
functions as an
example
for
Rodiger's
method rather than the other
way
around. She charts two other
variables:
stage facings
and
group
movement. The latter
consists of such
choreographic
devices as unison movement,
mirroring, canon,
and variations on a theme
(16).
Her
graphs
(Figure 1)
show a
long period
of minor
changes
followed
by
a
great
deal of fluctuation and then a
tapering
off.
"Combining
all three
general graphs" (Figure 2), according
to
Rodiger,
"gives
the overall
dynamic shape
of Water Study" (17).
Two of the three variables charted
by Rodiger
are similar to
those of the earlier
study by
Davis and Schmais. The
parame-
ters for that
study
are
briefly
defined as:
1)
Level-distance from the floor in terms of the
body, e.g.,
"knee
high," "standing low,"
etc.
2) Shape
Flow-growing
and
shrinking
of the total
body shape
... recorded in nine
degrees
of
change
from
hyper-
extension to total
body closing
or
folding. 3)
Effort
Flow-... the
ongoingness
of the
movement,
more or
less controlled... recorded... in three
degrees
of free
and three of bound.
4) Group Relationship-types
of
spatial-temporal relationship
between the dancers. In
the dance there are three
types
of
canon,
two
types
of
mirroring
and one
paralleling
....
5) Group
Forma-
tion-there are four main floor
patterns
. . . curved
line, straight
line, randomly
scattered over the floor
and
clumped
close
together. (18)
Davis and Schmais
identify progressively larger phrases,
each based on the
pattern
of a wave. The breath
rhythm,
as the
smallest
unit,
contains within it the
swelling
and
ebbing
that
forms the kernel of the
larger,
overall wave
pattern
of the
dance:
When the
phrase
is studied in terms of effort and
shape
flow,
it is a movement correlate of the
simplest
breath-
ing pattern, i.e., expanding
and
becoming
bound on
the
inhale, "shrinking"
and
becoming
freer on the
exhale. We know from members of the
original
company
that Doris
Humphrey
conceived the
dy-
namics and
quality
of the movement in terms of
breathing, using
the inhale and exhale of
breathing
as
the
paradigm
of the swell and ebb of the sea.
(19)
Considering
this kernel to be the first,
or smallest unit in the
dance's "levels of abstraction,"
Davis and Schmais
go
on to
identify
two
increasingly larger phrases,
each of which is
made
up
of several of the smaller ones:
The second is the movement
phrase
which in this
dance is
usually
a
complete
wave. We consider these
frequently changing,
which contributes
greatly
to the
ongoingness
of the dance. The dancers use the fullest
range
of levels
possible
without use of
props
or
partners:
from
lying
on the
floor to aerial work"
(14).
She identifies seven different
levels: aerial work, standing, standing crouch, kneeling high,
kneeling crouch, sitting
on
heels,
and
lying (15).
Rodiger
uses level
changes
to demonstrate the
workings
of
her
graph;
Water
Study
functions as an
example
for
Rodiger's
method rather than the other
way
around. She charts two other
variables:
stage facings
and
group
movement. The latter
consists of such
choreographic
devices as unison movement,
mirroring, canon,
and variations on a theme
(16).
Her
graphs
(Figure 1)
show a
long period
of minor
changes
followed
by
a
great
deal of fluctuation and then a
tapering
off.
"Combining
all three
general graphs" (Figure 2), according
to
Rodiger,
"gives
the overall
dynamic shape
of Water Study" (17).
Two of the three variables charted
by Rodiger
are similar to
those of the earlier
study by
Davis and Schmais. The
parame-
ters for that
study
are
briefly
defined as:
1)
Level-distance from the floor in terms of the
body, e.g.,
"knee
high," "standing low,"
etc.
2) Shape
Flow-growing
and
shrinking
of the total
body shape
... recorded in nine
degrees
of
change
from
hyper-
extension to total
body closing
or
folding. 3)
Effort
Flow-... the
ongoingness
of the
movement,
more or
less controlled... recorded... in three
degrees
of free
and three of bound.
4) Group Relationship-types
of
spatial-temporal relationship
between the dancers. In
the dance there are three
types
of
canon,
two
types
of
mirroring
and one
paralleling
....
5) Group
Forma-
tion-there are four main floor
patterns
. . . curved
line, straight
line, randomly
scattered over the floor
and
clumped
close
together. (18)
Davis and Schmais
identify progressively larger phrases,
each based on the
pattern
of a wave. The breath
rhythm,
as the
smallest
unit,
contains within it the
swelling
and
ebbing
that
forms the kernel of the
larger,
overall wave
pattern
of the
dance:
When the
phrase
is studied in terms of effort and
shape
flow,
it is a movement correlate of the
simplest
breath-
ing pattern, i.e., expanding
and
becoming
bound on
the
inhale, "shrinking"
and
becoming
freer on the
exhale. We know from members of the
original
company
that Doris
Humphrey
conceived the
dy-
namics and
quality
of the movement in terms of
breathing, using
the inhale and exhale of
breathing
as
the
paradigm
of the swell and ebb of the sea.
(19)
Considering
this kernel to be the first,
or smallest unit in the
dance's "levels of abstraction,"
Davis and Schmais
go
on to
identify
two
increasingly larger phrases,
each of which is
made
up
of several of the smaller ones:
The second is the movement
phrase
which in this
dance is
usually
a
complete
wave. We consider these
frequently changing,
which contributes
greatly
to the
ongoingness
of the dance. The dancers use the fullest
range
of levels
possible
without use of
props
or
partners:
from
lying
on the
floor to aerial work"
(14).
She identifies seven different
levels: aerial work, standing, standing crouch, kneeling high,
kneeling crouch, sitting
on
heels,
and
lying (15).
Rodiger
uses level
changes
to demonstrate the
workings
of
her
graph;
Water
Study
functions as an
example
for
Rodiger's
method rather than the other
way
around. She charts two other
variables:
stage facings
and
group
movement. The latter
consists of such
choreographic
devices as unison movement,
mirroring, canon,
and variations on a theme
(16).
Her
graphs
(Figure 1)
show a
long period
of minor
changes
followed
by
a
great
deal of fluctuation and then a
tapering
off.
"Combining
all three
general graphs" (Figure 2), according
to
Rodiger,
"gives
the overall
dynamic shape
of Water Study" (17).
Two of the three variables charted
by Rodiger
are similar to
those of the earlier
study by
Davis and Schmais. The
parame-
ters for that
study
are
briefly
defined as:
1)
Level-distance from the floor in terms of the
body, e.g.,
"knee
high," "standing low,"
etc.
2) Shape
Flow-growing
and
shrinking
of the total
body shape
... recorded in nine
degrees
of
change
from
hyper-
extension to total
body closing
or
folding. 3)
Effort
Flow-... the
ongoingness
of the
movement,
more or
less controlled... recorded... in three
degrees
of free
and three of bound.
4) Group Relationship-types
of
spatial-temporal relationship
between the dancers. In
the dance there are three
types
of
canon,
two
types
of
mirroring
and one
paralleling
....
5) Group
Forma-
tion-there are four main floor
patterns
. . . curved
line, straight
line, randomly
scattered over the floor
and
clumped
close
together. (18)
Davis and Schmais
identify progressively larger phrases,
each based on the
pattern
of a wave. The breath
rhythm,
as the
smallest
unit,
contains within it the
swelling
and
ebbing
that
forms the kernel of the
larger,
overall wave
pattern
of the
dance:
When the
phrase
is studied in terms of effort and
shape
flow,
it is a movement correlate of the
simplest
breath-
ing pattern, i.e., expanding
and
becoming
bound on
the
inhale, "shrinking"
and
becoming
freer on the
exhale. We know from members of the
original
company
that Doris
Humphrey
conceived the
dy-
namics and
quality
of the movement in terms of
breathing, using
the inhale and exhale of
breathing
as
the
paradigm
of the swell and ebb of the sea.
(19)
Considering
this kernel to be the first,
or smallest unit in the
dance's "levels of abstraction,"
Davis and Schmais
go
on to
identify
two
increasingly larger phrases,
each of which is
made
up
of several of the smaller ones:
The second is the movement
phrase
which in this
dance is
usually
a
complete
wave. We consider these
frequently changing,
which contributes
greatly
to the
ongoingness
of the dance. The dancers use the fullest
range
of levels
possible
without use of
props
or
partners:
from
lying
on the
floor to aerial work"
(14).
She identifies seven different
levels: aerial work, standing, standing crouch, kneeling high,
kneeling crouch, sitting
on
heels,
and
lying (15).
Rodiger
uses level
changes
to demonstrate the
workings
of
her
graph;
Water
Study
functions as an
example
for
Rodiger's
method rather than the other
way
around. She charts two other
variables:
stage facings
and
group
movement. The latter
consists of such
choreographic
devices as unison movement,
mirroring, canon,
and variations on a theme
(16).
Her
graphs
(Figure 1)
show a
long period
of minor
changes
followed
by
a
great
deal of fluctuation and then a
tapering
off.
"Combining
all three
general graphs" (Figure 2), according
to
Rodiger,
"gives
the overall
dynamic shape
of Water Study" (17).
Two of the three variables charted
by Rodiger
are similar to
those of the earlier
study by
Davis and Schmais. The
parame-
ters for that
study
are
briefly
defined as:
1)
Level-distance from the floor in terms of the
body, e.g.,
"knee
high," "standing low,"
etc.
2) Shape
Flow-growing
and
shrinking
of the total
body shape
... recorded in nine
degrees
of
change
from
hyper-
extension to total
body closing
or
folding. 3)
Effort
Flow-... the
ongoingness
of the
movement,
more or
less controlled... recorded... in three
degrees
of free
and three of bound.
4) Group Relationship-types
of
spatial-temporal relationship
between the dancers. In
the dance there are three
types
of
canon,
two
types
of
mirroring
and one
paralleling
....
5) Group
Forma-
tion-there are four main floor
patterns
. . . curved
line, straight
line, randomly
scattered over the floor
and
clumped
close
together. (18)
Davis and Schmais
identify progressively larger phrases,
each based on the
pattern
of a wave. The breath
rhythm,
as the
smallest
unit,
contains within it the
swelling
and
ebbing
that
forms the kernel of the
larger,
overall wave
pattern
of the
dance:
When the
phrase
is studied in terms of effort and
shape
flow,
it is a movement correlate of the
simplest
breath-
ing pattern, i.e., expanding
and
becoming
bound on
the
inhale, "shrinking"
and
becoming
freer on the
exhale. We know from members of the
original
company
that Doris
Humphrey
conceived the
dy-
namics and
quality
of the movement in terms of
breathing, using
the inhale and exhale of
breathing
as
the
paradigm
of the swell and ebb of the sea.
(19)
Considering
this kernel to be the first,
or smallest unit in the
dance's "levels of abstraction,"
Davis and Schmais
go
on to
identify
two
increasingly larger phrases,
each of which is
made
up
of several of the smaller ones:
The second is the movement
phrase
which in this
dance is
usually
a
complete
wave. We consider these
phrases
of movement
comparable
to
phrases
in music.
phrases
of movement
comparable
to
phrases
in music.
phrases
of movement
comparable
to
phrases
in music.
phrases
of movement
comparable
to
phrases
in music.
phrases
of movement
comparable
to
phrases
in music.
phrases
of movement
comparable
to
phrases
in music.
phrases
of movement
comparable
to
phrases
in music.
phrases
of movement
comparable
to
phrases
in music.
phrases
of movement
comparable
to
phrases
in music.
phrases
of movement
comparable
to
phrases
in music.
phrases
of movement
comparable
to
phrases
in music.
2 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
2 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
2 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
2 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
2 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
2 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
2 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
2 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
2 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
2 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
2 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
last wave I
00
spray (
recovery ?
waves <0
to
kneesa G
undertow
) __
splash __.
5th
diagonal
4th
diagonal
3rd
diagonal
2nd
diagonal
]st
diagonal
clashes ___
body wave
recovery
5th wave
4th wave
recovery
CT
recovery
3rd wave
recovery
j
2nd waves
T
-F-
recoveryns
,
bst wave
C,
recovery _ ^
'~~---
__ _>__
o
FIGUREt.. 1
CL
00 "c C Ic O a
I-s t q) (O
wrecovery F 1 ~~0recovery I
2nd wave
j_L
recovery
1st wave
._l_.
W EWz
FIGURE 1
last wave I
00
spray (
recovery ?
waves <0
to
kneesa G
undertow
) __
splash __.
5th
diagonal
4th
diagonal
3rd
diagonal
2nd
diagonal
]st
diagonal
clashes ___
body wave
recovery
5th wave
4th wave
recovery
CT
recovery
3rd wave
recovery
j
2nd waves
T
-F-
recoveryns
,
bst wave
C,
recovery _ ^
'~~---
__ _>__
o
FIGUREt.. 1
CL
00 "c C Ic O a
I-s t q) (O
wrecovery F 1 ~~0recovery I
2nd wave
j_L
recovery
1st wave
._l_.
W EWz
FIGURE 1
last wave I
00
spray (
recovery ?
waves <0
to
kneesa G
undertow
) __
splash __.
5th
diagonal
4th
diagonal
3rd
diagonal
2nd
diagonal
]st
diagonal
clashes ___
body wave
recovery
5th wave
4th wave
recovery
CT
recovery
3rd wave
recovery
j
2nd waves
T
-F-
recoveryns
,
bst wave
C,
recovery _ ^
'~~---
__ _>__
o
FIGUREt.. 1
CL
00 "c C Ic O a
I-s t q) (O
wrecovery F 1 ~~0recovery I
2nd wave
j_L
recovery
1st wave
._l_.
W EWz
FIGURE 1
last wave I
00
spray (
recovery ?
waves <0
to
kneesa G
undertow
) __
splash __.
5th
diagonal
4th
diagonal
3rd
diagonal
2nd
diagonal
]st
diagonal
clashes ___
body wave
recovery
5th wave
4th wave
recovery
CT
recovery
3rd wave
recovery
j
2nd waves
T
-F-
recoveryns
,
bst wave
C,
recovery _ ^
'~~---
__ _>__
o
FIGUREt.. 1
CL
00 "c C Ic O a
I-s t q) (O
wrecovery F 1 ~~0recovery I
2nd wave
j_L
recovery
1st wave
._l_.
W EWz
FIGURE 1
last wave I
00
spray (
recovery ?
waves <0
to
kneesa G
undertow
) __
splash __.
5th
diagonal
4th
diagonal
3rd
diagonal
2nd
diagonal
]st
diagonal
clashes ___
body wave
recovery
5th wave
4th wave
recovery
CT
recovery
3rd wave
recovery
j
2nd waves
T
-F-
recoveryns
,
bst wave
C,
recovery _ ^
'~~---
__ _>__
o
FIGUREt.. 1
CL
00 "c C Ic O a
I-s t q) (O
wrecovery F 1 ~~0recovery I
2nd wave
j_L
recovery
1st wave
._l_.
W EWz
FIGURE 1
last wave I
00
spray (
recovery ?
waves <0
to
kneesa G
undertow
) __
splash __.
5th
diagonal
4th
diagonal
3rd
diagonal
2nd
diagonal
]st
diagonal
clashes ___
body wave
recovery
5th wave
4th wave
recovery
CT
recovery
3rd wave
recovery
j
2nd waves
T
-F-
recoveryns
,
bst wave
C,
recovery _ ^
'~~---
__ _>__
o
FIGUREt.. 1
CL
00 "c C Ic O a
I-s t q) (O
wrecovery F 1 ~~0recovery I
2nd wave
j_L
recovery
1st wave
._l_.
W EWz
FIGURE 1
last wave I
00
spray (
recovery ?
waves <0
to
kneesa G
undertow
) __
splash __.
5th
diagonal
4th
diagonal
3rd
diagonal
2nd
diagonal
]st
diagonal
clashes ___
body wave
recovery
5th wave
4th wave
recovery
CT
recovery
3rd wave
recovery
j
2nd waves
T
-F-
recoveryns
,
bst wave
C,
recovery _ ^
'~~---
__ _>__
o
FIGUREt.. 1
CL
00 "c C Ic O a
I-s t q) (O
wrecovery F 1 ~~0recovery I
2nd wave
j_L
recovery
1st wave
._l_.
W EWz
FIGURE 1
last wave I
00
spray (
recovery ?
waves <0
to
kneesa G
undertow
) __
splash __.
5th
diagonal
4th
diagonal
3rd
diagonal
2nd
diagonal
]st
diagonal
clashes ___
body wave
recovery
5th wave
4th wave
recovery
CT
recovery
3rd wave
recovery
j
2nd waves
T
-F-
recoveryns
,
bst wave
C,
recovery _ ^
'~~---
__ _>__
o
FIGUREt.. 1
CL
00 "c C Ic O a
I-s t q) (O
wrecovery F 1 ~~0recovery I
2nd wave
j_L
recovery
1st wave
._l_.
W EWz
FIGURE 1
last wave I
00
spray (
recovery ?
waves <0
to
kneesa G
undertow
) __
splash __.
5th
diagonal
4th
diagonal
3rd
diagonal
2nd
diagonal
]st
diagonal
clashes ___
body wave
recovery
5th wave
4th wave
recovery
CT
recovery
3rd wave
recovery
j
2nd waves
T
-F-
recoveryns
,
bst wave
C,
recovery _ ^
'~~---
__ _>__
o
FIGUREt.. 1
CL
00 "c C Ic O a
I-s t q) (O
wrecovery F 1 ~~0recovery I
2nd wave
j_L
recovery
1st wave
._l_.
W EWz
FIGURE 1
last wave I
00
spray (
recovery ?
waves <0
to
kneesa G
undertow
) __
splash __.
5th
diagonal
4th
diagonal
3rd
diagonal
2nd
diagonal
]st
diagonal
clashes ___
body wave
recovery
5th wave
4th wave
recovery
CT
recovery
3rd wave
recovery
j
2nd waves
T
-F-
recoveryns
,
bst wave
C,
recovery _ ^
'~~---
__ _>__
o
FIGUREt.. 1
CL
00 "c C Ic O a
I-s t q) (O
wrecovery F 1 ~~0recovery I
2nd wave
j_L
recovery
1st wave
._l_.
W EWz
FIGURE 1
last wave I
00
spray (
recovery ?
waves <0
to
kneesa G
undertow
) __
splash __.
5th
diagonal
4th
diagonal
3rd
diagonal
2nd
diagonal
]st
diagonal
clashes ___
body wave
recovery
5th wave
4th wave
recovery
CT
recovery
3rd wave
recovery
j
2nd waves
T
-F-
recoveryns
,
bst wave
C,
recovery _ ^
'~~---
__ _>__
o
FIGUREt.. 1
CL
00 "c C Ic O a
I-s t q) (O
wrecovery F 1 ~~0recovery I
2nd wave
j_L
recovery
1st wave
._l_.
W EWz
FIGURE 1
Chart of Water
Study
from Ann
Rodiger's
"Dance
Graph Analysis"
(used
with
permission).
Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
3
Chart of Water
Study
from Ann
Rodiger's
"Dance
Graph Analysis"
(used
with
permission).
Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
3
Chart of Water
Study
from Ann
Rodiger's
"Dance
Graph Analysis"
(used
with
permission).
Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
3
Chart of Water
Study
from Ann
Rodiger's
"Dance
Graph Analysis"
(used
with
permission).
Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
3
Chart of Water
Study
from Ann
Rodiger's
"Dance
Graph Analysis"
(used
with
permission).
Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
3
Chart of Water
Study
from Ann
Rodiger's
"Dance
Graph Analysis"
(used
with
permission).
Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
3
Chart of Water
Study
from Ann
Rodiger's
"Dance
Graph Analysis"
(used
with
permission).
Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
3
Chart of Water
Study
from Ann
Rodiger's
"Dance
Graph Analysis"
(used
with
permission).
Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
3
Chart of Water
Study
from Ann
Rodiger's
"Dance
Graph Analysis"
(used
with
permission).
Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
3
Chart of Water
Study
from Ann
Rodiger's
"Dance
Graph Analysis"
(used
with
permission).
Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
3
Chart of Water
Study
from Ann
Rodiger's
"Dance
Graph Analysis"
(used
with
permission).
Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
3
FIGURE 2
The overall
dynamic shape
of Water
Study
from Ann Rodi-
ger's
"Dance
Graph Analysis" (used
with
permission).
FIGURE 2
The overall
dynamic shape
of Water
Study
from Ann Rodi-
ger's
"Dance
Graph Analysis" (used
with
permission).
FIGURE 2
The overall
dynamic shape
of Water
Study
from Ann Rodi-
ger's
"Dance
Graph Analysis" (used
with
permission).
FIGURE 2
The overall
dynamic shape
of Water
Study
from Ann Rodi-
ger's
"Dance
Graph Analysis" (used
with
permission).
FIGURE 2
The overall
dynamic shape
of Water
Study
from Ann Rodi-
ger's
"Dance
Graph Analysis" (used
with
permission).
FIGURE 2
The overall
dynamic shape
of Water
Study
from Ann Rodi-
ger's
"Dance
Graph Analysis" (used
with
permission).
FIGURE 2
The overall
dynamic shape
of Water
Study
from Ann Rodi-
ger's
"Dance
Graph Analysis" (used
with
permission).
FIGURE 2
The overall
dynamic shape
of Water
Study
from Ann Rodi-
ger's
"Dance
Graph Analysis" (used
with
permission).
FIGURE 2
The overall
dynamic shape
of Water
Study
from Ann Rodi-
ger's
"Dance
Graph Analysis" (used
with
permission).
FIGURE 2
The overall
dynamic shape
of Water
Study
from Ann Rodi-
ger's
"Dance
Graph Analysis" (used
with
permission).
FIGURE 2
The overall
dynamic shape
of Water
Study
from Ann Rodi-
ger's
"Dance
Graph Analysis" (used
with
permission).
Essentially they
define themselves
through repetition
and a distinct
beginning
and end. The next level of
patterning
we have called "sections." Each section is
made
up
of four to seven
phrases
which
progressively
become more excited and accentuated. The sections
are marked
by changes
in the
spatial-temporal group
relationship
or in the
group
formation.
(20)
Finally,
Davis and Schmais
identify
an overall
form,
a wave
pattern
similar to that noted in
Rodiger's
charts. Davis and
Schmais
give
the dance a
symmetrical shape (Figure 3),
whereas
Rodiger's
is
slightly asymmetrical (21):
The fourth level of abstraction refers to the
pattern
of
the entire dance. Here we see that the
progression
of
the first half of the dance itself constitutes the swell of
a wave. The second half... is a
gradual subsiding
back to the first
phrases
of the dance. In this second
part,
movement within the sections becomes lower in
level,
the waves become slower and more
symmetric,
the
group pattern
becomes more diffuse. Thus the
entire dance is a
complete swelling
and
subsiding
wave.
(22)
The
Rodiger
and Davis-Schmais studies look within the
dance for
significance
in its structure-the
relationship
of one
element to another in terms of variation and
patterning:
the
consistent
degree
of fluctuation in the different elements
charted
by Rodiger
is seen to be
important,
as is the wave
pattern reproduced
from smaller to
larger
units in the Davis-
Schmais
study.
These rather
elegant pattern analyses
add
up
to a classic
dramatic structure of
rising action, climax,
and
denouement,
seen in the overall formation of the dance and worked out on
an abstract level
through
fluctuation and
clustering
of move-
ment variables rather than
through
narrative. Marcia B.
Siegel
notes that we are "drawn into crescendos and subsidences of
excitement that manifest themselves in
changing appear-
ances,
both of the dancers' bodies and of the
evolving
form of
the
stage space" (23).
For
Siegel,
the dance is "almost as
powerful
a musical
experience
as a visual one"
(24).
Siegel's analysis
of Water
Study
in The
Shapes of Change
Essentially they
define themselves
through repetition
and a distinct
beginning
and end. The next level of
patterning
we have called "sections." Each section is
made
up
of four to seven
phrases
which
progressively
become more excited and accentuated. The sections
are marked
by changes
in the
spatial-temporal group
relationship
or in the
group
formation.
(20)
Finally,
Davis and Schmais
identify
an overall
form,
a wave
pattern
similar to that noted in
Rodiger's
charts. Davis and
Schmais
give
the dance a
symmetrical shape (Figure 3),
whereas
Rodiger's
is
slightly asymmetrical (21):
The fourth level of abstraction refers to the
pattern
of
the entire dance. Here we see that the
progression
of
the first half of the dance itself constitutes the swell of
a wave. The second half... is a
gradual subsiding
back to the first
phrases
of the dance. In this second
part,
movement within the sections becomes lower in
level,
the waves become slower and more
symmetric,
the
group pattern
becomes more diffuse. Thus the
entire dance is a
complete swelling
and
subsiding
wave.
(22)
The
Rodiger
and Davis-Schmais studies look within the
dance for
significance
in its structure-the
relationship
of one
element to another in terms of variation and
patterning:
the
consistent
degree
of fluctuation in the different elements
charted
by Rodiger
is seen to be
important,
as is the wave
pattern reproduced
from smaller to
larger
units in the Davis-
Schmais
study.
These rather
elegant pattern analyses
add
up
to a classic
dramatic structure of
rising action, climax,
and
denouement,
seen in the overall formation of the dance and worked out on
an abstract level
through
fluctuation and
clustering
of move-
ment variables rather than
through
narrative. Marcia B.
Siegel
notes that we are "drawn into crescendos and subsidences of
excitement that manifest themselves in
changing appear-
ances,
both of the dancers' bodies and of the
evolving
form of
the
stage space" (23).
For
Siegel,
the dance is "almost as
powerful
a musical
experience
as a visual one"
(24).
Siegel's analysis
of Water
Study
in The
Shapes of Change
Essentially they
define themselves
through repetition
and a distinct
beginning
and end. The next level of
patterning
we have called "sections." Each section is
made
up
of four to seven
phrases
which
progressively
become more excited and accentuated. The sections
are marked
by changes
in the
spatial-temporal group
relationship
or in the
group
formation.
(20)
Finally,
Davis and Schmais
identify
an overall
form,
a wave
pattern
similar to that noted in
Rodiger's
charts. Davis and
Schmais
give
the dance a
symmetrical shape (Figure 3),
whereas
Rodiger's
is
slightly asymmetrical (21):
The fourth level of abstraction refers to the
pattern
of
the entire dance. Here we see that the
progression
of
the first half of the dance itself constitutes the swell of
a wave. The second half... is a
gradual subsiding
back to the first
phrases
of the dance. In this second
part,
movement within the sections becomes lower in
level,
the waves become slower and more
symmetric,
the
group pattern
becomes more diffuse. Thus the
entire dance is a
complete swelling
and
subsiding
wave.
(22)
The
Rodiger
and Davis-Schmais studies look within the
dance for
significance
in its structure-the
relationship
of one
element to another in terms of variation and
patterning:
the
consistent
degree
of fluctuation in the different elements
charted
by Rodiger
is seen to be
important,
as is the wave
pattern reproduced
from smaller to
larger
units in the Davis-
Schmais
study.
These rather
elegant pattern analyses
add
up
to a classic
dramatic structure of
rising action, climax,
and
denouement,
seen in the overall formation of the dance and worked out on
an abstract level
through
fluctuation and
clustering
of move-
ment variables rather than
through
narrative. Marcia B.
Siegel
notes that we are "drawn into crescendos and subsidences of
excitement that manifest themselves in
changing appear-
ances,
both of the dancers' bodies and of the
evolving
form of
the
stage space" (23).
For
Siegel,
the dance is "almost as
powerful
a musical
experience
as a visual one"
(24).
Siegel's analysis
of Water
Study
in The
Shapes of Change
Essentially they
define themselves
through repetition
and a distinct
beginning
and end. The next level of
patterning
we have called "sections." Each section is
made
up
of four to seven
phrases
which
progressively
become more excited and accentuated. The sections
are marked
by changes
in the
spatial-temporal group
relationship
or in the
group
formation.
(20)
Finally,
Davis and Schmais
identify
an overall
form,
a wave
pattern
similar to that noted in
Rodiger's
charts. Davis and
Schmais
give
the dance a
symmetrical shape (Figure 3),
whereas
Rodiger's
is
slightly asymmetrical (21):
The fourth level of abstraction refers to the
pattern
of
the entire dance. Here we see that the
progression
of
the first half of the dance itself constitutes the swell of
a wave. The second half... is a
gradual subsiding
back to the first
phrases
of the dance. In this second
part,
movement within the sections becomes lower in
level,
the waves become slower and more
symmetric,
the
group pattern
becomes more diffuse. Thus the
entire dance is a
complete swelling
and
subsiding
wave.
(22)
The
Rodiger
and Davis-Schmais studies look within the
dance for
significance
in its structure-the
relationship
of one
element to another in terms of variation and
patterning:
the
consistent
degree
of fluctuation in the different elements
charted
by Rodiger
is seen to be
important,
as is the wave
pattern reproduced
from smaller to
larger
units in the Davis-
Schmais
study.
These rather
elegant pattern analyses
add
up
to a classic
dramatic structure of
rising action, climax,
and
denouement,
seen in the overall formation of the dance and worked out on
an abstract level
through
fluctuation and
clustering
of move-
ment variables rather than
through
narrative. Marcia B.
Siegel
notes that we are "drawn into crescendos and subsidences of
excitement that manifest themselves in
changing appear-
ances,
both of the dancers' bodies and of the
evolving
form of
the
stage space" (23).
For
Siegel,
the dance is "almost as
powerful
a musical
experience
as a visual one"
(24).
Siegel's analysis
of Water
Study
in The
Shapes of Change
Essentially they
define themselves
through repetition
and a distinct
beginning
and end. The next level of
patterning
we have called "sections." Each section is
made
up
of four to seven
phrases
which
progressively
become more excited and accentuated. The sections
are marked
by changes
in the
spatial-temporal group
relationship
or in the
group
formation.
(20)
Finally,
Davis and Schmais
identify
an overall
form,
a wave
pattern
similar to that noted in
Rodiger's
charts. Davis and
Schmais
give
the dance a
symmetrical shape (Figure 3),
whereas
Rodiger's
is
slightly asymmetrical (21):
The fourth level of abstraction refers to the
pattern
of
the entire dance. Here we see that the
progression
of
the first half of the dance itself constitutes the swell of
a wave. The second half... is a
gradual subsiding
back to the first
phrases
of the dance. In this second
part,
movement within the sections becomes lower in
level,
the waves become slower and more
symmetric,
the
group pattern
becomes more diffuse. Thus the
entire dance is a
complete swelling
and
subsiding
wave.
(22)
The
Rodiger
and Davis-Schmais studies look within the
dance for
significance
in its structure-the
relationship
of one
element to another in terms of variation and
patterning:
the
consistent
degree
of fluctuation in the different elements
charted
by Rodiger
is seen to be
important,
as is the wave
pattern reproduced
from smaller to
larger
units in the Davis-
Schmais
study.
These rather
elegant pattern analyses
add
up
to a classic
dramatic structure of
rising action, climax,
and
denouement,
seen in the overall formation of the dance and worked out on
an abstract level
through
fluctuation and
clustering
of move-
ment variables rather than
through
narrative. Marcia B.
Siegel
notes that we are "drawn into crescendos and subsidences of
excitement that manifest themselves in
changing appear-
ances,
both of the dancers' bodies and of the
evolving
form of
the
stage space" (23).
For
Siegel,
the dance is "almost as
powerful
a musical
experience
as a visual one"
(24).
Siegel's analysis
of Water
Study
in The
Shapes of Change
Essentially they
define themselves
through repetition
and a distinct
beginning
and end. The next level of
patterning
we have called "sections." Each section is
made
up
of four to seven
phrases
which
progressively
become more excited and accentuated. The sections
are marked
by changes
in the
spatial-temporal group
relationship
or in the
group
formation.
(20)
Finally,
Davis and Schmais
identify
an overall
form,
a wave
pattern
similar to that noted in
Rodiger's
charts. Davis and
Schmais
give
the dance a
symmetrical shape (Figure 3),
whereas
Rodiger's
is
slightly asymmetrical (21):
The fourth level of abstraction refers to the
pattern
of
the entire dance. Here we see that the
progression
of
the first half of the dance itself constitutes the swell of
a wave. The second half... is a
gradual subsiding
back to the first
phrases
of the dance. In this second
part,
movement within the sections becomes lower in
level,
the waves become slower and more
symmetric,
the
group pattern
becomes more diffuse. Thus the
entire dance is a
complete swelling
and
subsiding
wave.
(22)
The
Rodiger
and Davis-Schmais studies look within the
dance for
significance
in its structure-the
relationship
of one
element to another in terms of variation and
patterning:
the
consistent
degree
of fluctuation in the different elements
charted
by Rodiger
is seen to be
important,
as is the wave
pattern reproduced
from smaller to
larger
units in the Davis-
Schmais
study.
These rather
elegant pattern analyses
add
up
to a classic
dramatic structure of
rising action, climax,
and
denouement,
seen in the overall formation of the dance and worked out on
an abstract level
through
fluctuation and
clustering
of move-
ment variables rather than
through
narrative. Marcia B.
Siegel
notes that we are "drawn into crescendos and subsidences of
excitement that manifest themselves in
changing appear-
ances,
both of the dancers' bodies and of the
evolving
form of
the
stage space" (23).
For
Siegel,
the dance is "almost as
powerful
a musical
experience
as a visual one"
(24).
Siegel's analysis
of Water
Study
in The
Shapes of Change
Essentially they
define themselves
through repetition
and a distinct
beginning
and end. The next level of
patterning
we have called "sections." Each section is
made
up
of four to seven
phrases
which
progressively
become more excited and accentuated. The sections
are marked
by changes
in the
spatial-temporal group
relationship
or in the
group
formation.
(20)
Finally,
Davis and Schmais
identify
an overall
form,
a wave
pattern
similar to that noted in
Rodiger's
charts. Davis and
Schmais
give
the dance a
symmetrical shape (Figure 3),
whereas
Rodiger's
is
slightly asymmetrical (21):
The fourth level of abstraction refers to the
pattern
of
the entire dance. Here we see that the
progression
of
the first half of the dance itself constitutes the swell of
a wave. The second half... is a
gradual subsiding
back to the first
phrases
of the dance. In this second
part,
movement within the sections becomes lower in
level,
the waves become slower and more
symmetric,
the
group pattern
becomes more diffuse. Thus the
entire dance is a
complete swelling
and
subsiding
wave.
(22)
The
Rodiger
and Davis-Schmais studies look within the
dance for
significance
in its structure-the
relationship
of one
element to another in terms of variation and
patterning:
the
consistent
degree
of fluctuation in the different elements
charted
by Rodiger
is seen to be
important,
as is the wave
pattern reproduced
from smaller to
larger
units in the Davis-
Schmais
study.
These rather
elegant pattern analyses
add
up
to a classic
dramatic structure of
rising action, climax,
and
denouement,
seen in the overall formation of the dance and worked out on
an abstract level
through
fluctuation and
clustering
of move-
ment variables rather than
through
narrative. Marcia B.
Siegel
notes that we are "drawn into crescendos and subsidences of
excitement that manifest themselves in
changing appear-
ances,
both of the dancers' bodies and of the
evolving
form of
the
stage space" (23).
For
Siegel,
the dance is "almost as
powerful
a musical
experience
as a visual one"
(24).
Siegel's analysis
of Water
Study
in The
Shapes of Change
Essentially they
define themselves
through repetition
and a distinct
beginning
and end. The next level of
patterning
we have called "sections." Each section is
made
up
of four to seven
phrases
which
progressively
become more excited and accentuated. The sections
are marked
by changes
in the
spatial-temporal group
relationship
or in the
group
formation.
(20)
Finally,
Davis and Schmais
identify
an overall
form,
a wave
pattern
similar to that noted in
Rodiger's
charts. Davis and
Schmais
give
the dance a
symmetrical shape (Figure 3),
whereas
Rodiger's
is
slightly asymmetrical (21):
The fourth level of abstraction refers to the
pattern
of
the entire dance. Here we see that the
progression
of
the first half of the dance itself constitutes the swell of
a wave. The second half... is a
gradual subsiding
back to the first
phrases
of the dance. In this second
part,
movement within the sections becomes lower in
level,
the waves become slower and more
symmetric,
the
group pattern
becomes more diffuse. Thus the
entire dance is a
complete swelling
and
subsiding
wave.
(22)
The
Rodiger
and Davis-Schmais studies look within the
dance for
significance
in its structure-the
relationship
of one
element to another in terms of variation and
patterning:
the
consistent
degree
of fluctuation in the different elements
charted
by Rodiger
is seen to be
important,
as is the wave
pattern reproduced
from smaller to
larger
units in the Davis-
Schmais
study.
These rather
elegant pattern analyses
add
up
to a classic
dramatic structure of
rising action, climax,
and
denouement,
seen in the overall formation of the dance and worked out on
an abstract level
through
fluctuation and
clustering
of move-
ment variables rather than
through
narrative. Marcia B.
Siegel
notes that we are "drawn into crescendos and subsidences of
excitement that manifest themselves in
changing appear-
ances,
both of the dancers' bodies and of the
evolving
form of
the
stage space" (23).
For
Siegel,
the dance is "almost as
powerful
a musical
experience
as a visual one"
(24).
Siegel's analysis
of Water
Study
in The
Shapes of Change
Essentially they
define themselves
through repetition
and a distinct
beginning
and end. The next level of
patterning
we have called "sections." Each section is
made
up
of four to seven
phrases
which
progressively
become more excited and accentuated. The sections
are marked
by changes
in the
spatial-temporal group
relationship
or in the
group
formation.
(20)
Finally,
Davis and Schmais
identify
an overall
form,
a wave
pattern
similar to that noted in
Rodiger's
charts. Davis and
Schmais
give
the dance a
symmetrical shape (Figure 3),
whereas
Rodiger's
is
slightly asymmetrical (21):
The fourth level of abstraction refers to the
pattern
of
the entire dance. Here we see that the
progression
of
the first half of the dance itself constitutes the swell of
a wave. The second half... is a
gradual subsiding
back to the first
phrases
of the dance. In this second
part,
movement within the sections becomes lower in
level,
the waves become slower and more
symmetric,
the
group pattern
becomes more diffuse. Thus the
entire dance is a
complete swelling
and
subsiding
wave.
(22)
The
Rodiger
and Davis-Schmais studies look within the
dance for
significance
in its structure-the
relationship
of one
element to another in terms of variation and
patterning:
the
consistent
degree
of fluctuation in the different elements
charted
by Rodiger
is seen to be
important,
as is the wave
pattern reproduced
from smaller to
larger
units in the Davis-
Schmais
study.
These rather
elegant pattern analyses
add
up
to a classic
dramatic structure of
rising action, climax,
and
denouement,
seen in the overall formation of the dance and worked out on
an abstract level
through
fluctuation and
clustering
of move-
ment variables rather than
through
narrative. Marcia B.
Siegel
notes that we are "drawn into crescendos and subsidences of
excitement that manifest themselves in
changing appear-
ances,
both of the dancers' bodies and of the
evolving
form of
the
stage space" (23).
For
Siegel,
the dance is "almost as
powerful
a musical
experience
as a visual one"
(24).
Siegel's analysis
of Water
Study
in The
Shapes of Change
Essentially they
define themselves
through repetition
and a distinct
beginning
and end. The next level of
patterning
we have called "sections." Each section is
made
up
of four to seven
phrases
which
progressively
become more excited and accentuated. The sections
are marked
by changes
in the
spatial-temporal group
relationship
or in the
group
formation.
(20)
Finally,
Davis and Schmais
identify
an overall
form,
a wave
pattern
similar to that noted in
Rodiger's
charts. Davis and
Schmais
give
the dance a
symmetrical shape (Figure 3),
whereas
Rodiger's
is
slightly asymmetrical (21):
The fourth level of abstraction refers to the
pattern
of
the entire dance. Here we see that the
progression
of
the first half of the dance itself constitutes the swell of
a wave. The second half... is a
gradual subsiding
back to the first
phrases
of the dance. In this second
part,
movement within the sections becomes lower in
level,
the waves become slower and more
symmetric,
the
group pattern
becomes more diffuse. Thus the
entire dance is a
complete swelling
and
subsiding
wave.
(22)
The
Rodiger
and Davis-Schmais studies look within the
dance for
significance
in its structure-the
relationship
of one
element to another in terms of variation and
patterning:
the
consistent
degree
of fluctuation in the different elements
charted
by Rodiger
is seen to be
important,
as is the wave
pattern reproduced
from smaller to
larger
units in the Davis-
Schmais
study.
These rather
elegant pattern analyses
add
up
to a classic
dramatic structure of
rising action, climax,
and
denouement,
seen in the overall formation of the dance and worked out on
an abstract level
through
fluctuation and
clustering
of move-
ment variables rather than
through
narrative. Marcia B.
Siegel
notes that we are "drawn into crescendos and subsidences of
excitement that manifest themselves in
changing appear-
ances,
both of the dancers' bodies and of the
evolving
form of
the
stage space" (23).
For
Siegel,
the dance is "almost as
powerful
a musical
experience
as a visual one"
(24).
Siegel's analysis
of Water
Study
in The
Shapes of Change
Essentially they
define themselves
through repetition
and a distinct
beginning
and end. The next level of
patterning
we have called "sections." Each section is
made
up
of four to seven
phrases
which
progressively
become more excited and accentuated. The sections
are marked
by changes
in the
spatial-temporal group
relationship
or in the
group
formation.
(20)
Finally,
Davis and Schmais
identify
an overall
form,
a wave
pattern
similar to that noted in
Rodiger's
charts. Davis and
Schmais
give
the dance a
symmetrical shape (Figure 3),
whereas
Rodiger's
is
slightly asymmetrical (21):
The fourth level of abstraction refers to the
pattern
of
the entire dance. Here we see that the
progression
of
the first half of the dance itself constitutes the swell of
a wave. The second half... is a
gradual subsiding
back to the first
phrases
of the dance. In this second
part,
movement within the sections becomes lower in
level,
the waves become slower and more
symmetric,
the
group pattern
becomes more diffuse. Thus the
entire dance is a
complete swelling
and
subsiding
wave.
(22)
The
Rodiger
and Davis-Schmais studies look within the
dance for
significance
in its structure-the
relationship
of one
element to another in terms of variation and
patterning:
the
consistent
degree
of fluctuation in the different elements
charted
by Rodiger
is seen to be
important,
as is the wave
pattern reproduced
from smaller to
larger
units in the Davis-
Schmais
study.
These rather
elegant pattern analyses
add
up
to a classic
dramatic structure of
rising action, climax,
and
denouement,
seen in the overall formation of the dance and worked out on
an abstract level
through
fluctuation and
clustering
of move-
ment variables rather than
through
narrative. Marcia B.
Siegel
notes that we are "drawn into crescendos and subsidences of
excitement that manifest themselves in
changing appear-
ances,
both of the dancers' bodies and of the
evolving
form of
the
stage space" (23).
For
Siegel,
the dance is "almost as
powerful
a musical
experience
as a visual one"
(24).
Siegel's analysis
of Water
Study
in The
Shapes of Change
FIGURE 3
"Four Levels of
Patterning"
from "An
Analysis
of the
Style
and
Composition
of Water
Study" by
Martha Ann Davis and
Claire Schmais
(used
with
permission).
varies from the other two studies in some of the structures to
which she calls attention as well as in the amount of historical
background
she
gives.
Her
analysis might
be considered what
anthropologist
Clifford Geertz calls a "thick
description,"
which includes context,
detailed
description,
and
interpretation
(25).
At this
point,
I would like to consider
only
the
analysis
as it
emerges
in her
description. Siegel's
source of informa-
tion also differs from the other two studies: while
Rodiger
recommends
using
a Labanotation score for Dance
Graph
Analysis
and Davis and Schmais studied both a film and a
Labanotation score of Water
Study, Siegel
witnessed a recon-
struction
performed by
students at New York
University (26).
Siegel's
focus is on sections of the dance and how
they vary
in relation to each other rather than on
tracking
one or another
movement variable
throughout
the
piece.
She sets out her
terms
by stating
that the dance uses "movement that does not
describe the movement of water but
corresponds
to its ener-
gies
and
spatial configurations" (27, emphasis
in
original).
It
is
easy
to see the
emphasis
on
energies
and
particularly
on
space
in her
analysis.
For
example,
she describes the
opening
movement almost
entirely
in
spatial
terms:
the dancers are
spaced evenly
around the
stage;
each
is curled
tightly
into a ball...
[B]eginning
to the
right
of the
audience,
a
ripple passes
across the
space-the
dancers
slowly
rise a little off the
floor,
keeping
a low
crouched
position
.. .
[T]he
bodies fold and sink in
succession back across the
space from left
to
right.
(28, emphasis added)
For variations of this
movement,
she
brings
in the element of
time:
It is
repeated
four times . . .
[A] tendency
toward
propulsion
becomes more
pronounced
and more ur-
gent.
Each dancer times her move with her own breath
rhythm
.... Each dancer
begins
to move
individually
and waits in a kind of
suspension
until the movement
passes
back to her.
(29, emphasis added)
As the dance becomes more
complex,
so do
Siegel's
move-
ment
images, combining space
and
energy
in
descriptive
FIGURE 3
"Four Levels of
Patterning"
from "An
Analysis
of the
Style
and
Composition
of Water
Study" by
Martha Ann Davis and
Claire Schmais
(used
with
permission).
varies from the other two studies in some of the structures to
which she calls attention as well as in the amount of historical
background
she
gives.
Her
analysis might
be considered what
anthropologist
Clifford Geertz calls a "thick
description,"
which includes context,
detailed
description,
and
interpretation
(25).
At this
point,
I would like to consider
only
the
analysis
as it
emerges
in her
description. Siegel's
source of informa-
tion also differs from the other two studies: while
Rodiger
recommends
using
a Labanotation score for Dance
Graph
Analysis
and Davis and Schmais studied both a film and a
Labanotation score of Water
Study, Siegel
witnessed a recon-
struction
performed by
students at New York
University (26).
Siegel's
focus is on sections of the dance and how
they vary
in relation to each other rather than on
tracking
one or another
movement variable
throughout
the
piece.
She sets out her
terms
by stating
that the dance uses "movement that does not
describe the movement of water but
corresponds
to its ener-
gies
and
spatial configurations" (27, emphasis
in
original).
It
is
easy
to see the
emphasis
on
energies
and
particularly
on
space
in her
analysis.
For
example,
she describes the
opening
movement almost
entirely
in
spatial
terms:
the dancers are
spaced evenly
around the
stage;
each
is curled
tightly
into a ball...
[B]eginning
to the
right
of the
audience,
a
ripple passes
across the
space-the
dancers
slowly
rise a little off the
floor,
keeping
a low
crouched
position
.. .
[T]he
bodies fold and sink in
succession back across the
space from left
to
right.
(28, emphasis added)
For variations of this
movement,
she
brings
in the element of
time:
It is
repeated
four times . . .
[A] tendency
toward
propulsion
becomes more
pronounced
and more ur-
gent.
Each dancer times her move with her own breath
rhythm
.... Each dancer
begins
to move
individually
and waits in a kind of
suspension
until the movement
passes
back to her.
(29, emphasis added)
As the dance becomes more
complex,
so do
Siegel's
move-
ment
images, combining space
and
energy
in
descriptive
FIGURE 3
"Four Levels of
Patterning"
from "An
Analysis
of the
Style
and
Composition
of Water
Study" by
Martha Ann Davis and
Claire Schmais
(used
with
permission).
varies from the other two studies in some of the structures to
which she calls attention as well as in the amount of historical
background
she
gives.
Her
analysis might
be considered what
anthropologist
Clifford Geertz calls a "thick
description,"
which includes context,
detailed
description,
and
interpretation
(25).
At this
point,
I would like to consider
only
the
analysis
as it
emerges
in her
description. Siegel's
source of informa-
tion also differs from the other two studies: while
Rodiger
recommends
using
a Labanotation score for Dance
Graph
Analysis
and Davis and Schmais studied both a film and a
Labanotation score of Water
Study, Siegel
witnessed a recon-
struction
performed by
students at New York
University (26).
Siegel's
focus is on sections of the dance and how
they vary
in relation to each other rather than on
tracking
one or another
movement variable
throughout
the
piece.
She sets out her
terms
by stating
that the dance uses "movement that does not
describe the movement of water but
corresponds
to its ener-
gies
and
spatial configurations" (27, emphasis
in
original).
It
is
easy
to see the
emphasis
on
energies
and
particularly
on
space
in her
analysis.
For
example,
she describes the
opening
movement almost
entirely
in
spatial
terms:
the dancers are
spaced evenly
around the
stage;
each
is curled
tightly
into a ball...
[B]eginning
to the
right
of the
audience,
a
ripple passes
across the
space-the
dancers
slowly
rise a little off the
floor,
keeping
a low
crouched
position
.. .
[T]he
bodies fold and sink in
succession back across the
space from left
to
right.
(28, emphasis added)
For variations of this
movement,
she
brings
in the element of
time:
It is
repeated
four times . . .
[A] tendency
toward
propulsion
becomes more
pronounced
and more ur-
gent.
Each dancer times her move with her own breath
rhythm
.... Each dancer
begins
to move
individually
and waits in a kind of
suspension
until the movement
passes
back to her.
(29, emphasis added)
As the dance becomes more
complex,
so do
Siegel's
move-
ment
images, combining space
and
energy
in
descriptive
FIGURE 3
"Four Levels of
Patterning"
from "An
Analysis
of the
Style
and
Composition
of Water
Study" by
Martha Ann Davis and
Claire Schmais
(used
with
permission).
varies from the other two studies in some of the structures to
which she calls attention as well as in the amount of historical
background
she
gives.
Her
analysis might
be considered what
anthropologist
Clifford Geertz calls a "thick
description,"
which includes context,
detailed
description,
and
interpretation
(25).
At this
point,
I would like to consider
only
the
analysis
as it
emerges
in her
description. Siegel's
source of informa-
tion also differs from the other two studies: while
Rodiger
recommends
using
a Labanotation score for Dance
Graph
Analysis
and Davis and Schmais studied both a film and a
Labanotation score of Water
Study, Siegel
witnessed a recon-
struction
performed by
students at New York
University (26).
Siegel's
focus is on sections of the dance and how
they vary
in relation to each other rather than on
tracking
one or another
movement variable
throughout
the
piece.
She sets out her
terms
by stating
that the dance uses "movement that does not
describe the movement of water but
corresponds
to its ener-
gies
and
spatial configurations" (27, emphasis
in
original).
It
is
easy
to see the
emphasis
on
energies
and
particularly
on
space
in her
analysis.
For
example,
she describes the
opening
movement almost
entirely
in
spatial
terms:
the dancers are
spaced evenly
around the
stage;
each
is curled
tightly
into a ball...
[B]eginning
to the
right
of the
audience,
a
ripple passes
across the
space-the
dancers
slowly
rise a little off the
floor,
keeping
a low
crouched
position
.. .
[T]he
bodies fold and sink in
succession back across the
space from left
to
right.
(28, emphasis added)
For variations of this
movement,
she
brings
in the element of
time:
It is
repeated
four times . . .
[A] tendency
toward
propulsion
becomes more
pronounced
and more ur-
gent.
Each dancer times her move with her own breath
rhythm
.... Each dancer
begins
to move
individually
and waits in a kind of
suspension
until the movement
passes
back to her.
(29, emphasis added)
As the dance becomes more
complex,
so do
Siegel's
move-
ment
images, combining space
and
energy
in
descriptive
FIGURE 3
"Four Levels of
Patterning"
from "An
Analysis
of the
Style
and
Composition
of Water
Study" by
Martha Ann Davis and
Claire Schmais
(used
with
permission).
varies from the other two studies in some of the structures to
which she calls attention as well as in the amount of historical
background
she
gives.
Her
analysis might
be considered what
anthropologist
Clifford Geertz calls a "thick
description,"
which includes context,
detailed
description,
and
interpretation
(25).
At this
point,
I would like to consider
only
the
analysis
as it
emerges
in her
description. Siegel's
source of informa-
tion also differs from the other two studies: while
Rodiger
recommends
using
a Labanotation score for Dance
Graph
Analysis
and Davis and Schmais studied both a film and a
Labanotation score of Water
Study, Siegel
witnessed a recon-
struction
performed by
students at New York
University (26).
Siegel's
focus is on sections of the dance and how
they vary
in relation to each other rather than on
tracking
one or another
movement variable
throughout
the
piece.
She sets out her
terms
by stating
that the dance uses "movement that does not
describe the movement of water but
corresponds
to its ener-
gies
and
spatial configurations" (27, emphasis
in
original).
It
is
easy
to see the
emphasis
on
energies
and
particularly
on
space
in her
analysis.
For
example,
she describes the
opening
movement almost
entirely
in
spatial
terms:
the dancers are
spaced evenly
around the
stage;
each
is curled
tightly
into a ball...
[B]eginning
to the
right
of the
audience,
a
ripple passes
across the
space-the
dancers
slowly
rise a little off the
floor,
keeping
a low
crouched
position
.. .
[T]he
bodies fold and sink in
succession back across the
space from left
to
right.
(28, emphasis added)
For variations of this
movement,
she
brings
in the element of
time:
It is
repeated
four times . . .
[A] tendency
toward
propulsion
becomes more
pronounced
and more ur-
gent.
Each dancer times her move with her own breath
rhythm
.... Each dancer
begins
to move
individually
and waits in a kind of
suspension
until the movement
passes
back to her.
(29, emphasis added)
As the dance becomes more
complex,
so do
Siegel's
move-
ment
images, combining space
and
energy
in
descriptive
FIGURE 3
"Four Levels of
Patterning"
from "An
Analysis
of the
Style
and
Composition
of Water
Study" by
Martha Ann Davis and
Claire Schmais
(used
with
permission).
varies from the other two studies in some of the structures to
which she calls attention as well as in the amount of historical
background
she
gives.
Her
analysis might
be considered what
anthropologist
Clifford Geertz calls a "thick
description,"
which includes context,
detailed
description,
and
interpretation
(25).
At this
point,
I would like to consider
only
the
analysis
as it
emerges
in her
description. Siegel's
source of informa-
tion also differs from the other two studies: while
Rodiger
recommends
using
a Labanotation score for Dance
Graph
Analysis
and Davis and Schmais studied both a film and a
Labanotation score of Water
Study, Siegel
witnessed a recon-
struction
performed by
students at New York
University (26).
Siegel's
focus is on sections of the dance and how
they vary
in relation to each other rather than on
tracking
one or another
movement variable
throughout
the
piece.
She sets out her
terms
by stating
that the dance uses "movement that does not
describe the movement of water but
corresponds
to its ener-
gies
and
spatial configurations" (27, emphasis
in
original).
It
is
easy
to see the
emphasis
on
energies
and
particularly
on
space
in her
analysis.
For
example,
she describes the
opening
movement almost
entirely
in
spatial
terms:
the dancers are
spaced evenly
around the
stage;
each
is curled
tightly
into a ball...
[B]eginning
to the
right
of the
audience,
a
ripple passes
across the
space-the
dancers
slowly
rise a little off the
floor,
keeping
a low
crouched
position
.. .
[T]he
bodies fold and sink in
succession back across the
space from left
to
right.
(28, emphasis added)
For variations of this
movement,
she
brings
in the element of
time:
It is
repeated
four times . . .
[A] tendency
toward
propulsion
becomes more
pronounced
and more ur-
gent.
Each dancer times her move with her own breath
rhythm
.... Each dancer
begins
to move
individually
and waits in a kind of
suspension
until the movement
passes
back to her.
(29, emphasis added)
As the dance becomes more
complex,
so do
Siegel's
move-
ment
images, combining space
and
energy
in
descriptive
FIGURE 3
"Four Levels of
Patterning"
from "An
Analysis
of the
Style
and
Composition
of Water
Study" by
Martha Ann Davis and
Claire Schmais
(used
with
permission).
varies from the other two studies in some of the structures to
which she calls attention as well as in the amount of historical
background
she
gives.
Her
analysis might
be considered what
anthropologist
Clifford Geertz calls a "thick
description,"
which includes context,
detailed
description,
and
interpretation
(25).
At this
point,
I would like to consider
only
the
analysis
as it
emerges
in her
description. Siegel's
source of informa-
tion also differs from the other two studies: while
Rodiger
recommends
using
a Labanotation score for Dance
Graph
Analysis
and Davis and Schmais studied both a film and a
Labanotation score of Water
Study, Siegel
witnessed a recon-
struction
performed by
students at New York
University (26).
Siegel's
focus is on sections of the dance and how
they vary
in relation to each other rather than on
tracking
one or another
movement variable
throughout
the
piece.
She sets out her
terms
by stating
that the dance uses "movement that does not
describe the movement of water but
corresponds
to its ener-
gies
and
spatial configurations" (27, emphasis
in
original).
It
is
easy
to see the
emphasis
on
energies
and
particularly
on
space
in her
analysis.
For
example,
she describes the
opening
movement almost
entirely
in
spatial
terms:
the dancers are
spaced evenly
around the
stage;
each
is curled
tightly
into a ball...
[B]eginning
to the
right
of the
audience,
a
ripple passes
across the
space-the
dancers
slowly
rise a little off the
floor,
keeping
a low
crouched
position
.. .
[T]he
bodies fold and sink in
succession back across the
space from left
to
right.
(28, emphasis added)
For variations of this
movement,
she
brings
in the element of
time:
It is
repeated
four times . . .
[A] tendency
toward
propulsion
becomes more
pronounced
and more ur-
gent.
Each dancer times her move with her own breath
rhythm
.... Each dancer
begins
to move
individually
and waits in a kind of
suspension
until the movement
passes
back to her.
(29, emphasis added)
As the dance becomes more
complex,
so do
Siegel's
move-
ment
images, combining space
and
energy
in
descriptive
FIGURE 3
"Four Levels of
Patterning"
from "An
Analysis
of the
Style
and
Composition
of Water
Study" by
Martha Ann Davis and
Claire Schmais
(used
with
permission).
varies from the other two studies in some of the structures to
which she calls attention as well as in the amount of historical
background
she
gives.
Her
analysis might
be considered what
anthropologist
Clifford Geertz calls a "thick
description,"
which includes context,
detailed
description,
and
interpretation
(25).
At this
point,
I would like to consider
only
the
analysis
as it
emerges
in her
description. Siegel's
source of informa-
tion also differs from the other two studies: while
Rodiger
recommends
using
a Labanotation score for Dance
Graph
Analysis
and Davis and Schmais studied both a film and a
Labanotation score of Water
Study, Siegel
witnessed a recon-
struction
performed by
students at New York
University (26).
Siegel's
focus is on sections of the dance and how
they vary
in relation to each other rather than on
tracking
one or another
movement variable
throughout
the
piece.
She sets out her
terms
by stating
that the dance uses "movement that does not
describe the movement of water but
corresponds
to its ener-
gies
and
spatial configurations" (27, emphasis
in
original).
It
is
easy
to see the
emphasis
on
energies
and
particularly
on
space
in her
analysis.
For
example,
she describes the
opening
movement almost
entirely
in
spatial
terms:
the dancers are
spaced evenly
around the
stage;
each
is curled
tightly
into a ball...
[B]eginning
to the
right
of the
audience,
a
ripple passes
across the
space-the
dancers
slowly
rise a little off the
floor,
keeping
a low
crouched
position
.. .
[T]he
bodies fold and sink in
succession back across the
space from left
to
right.
(28, emphasis added)
For variations of this
movement,
she
brings
in the element of
time:
It is
repeated
four times . . .
[A] tendency
toward
propulsion
becomes more
pronounced
and more ur-
gent.
Each dancer times her move with her own breath
rhythm
.... Each dancer
begins
to move
individually
and waits in a kind of
suspension
until the movement
passes
back to her.
(29, emphasis added)
As the dance becomes more
complex,
so do
Siegel's
move-
ment
images, combining space
and
energy
in
descriptive
FIGURE 3
"Four Levels of
Patterning"
from "An
Analysis
of the
Style
and
Composition
of Water
Study" by
Martha Ann Davis and
Claire Schmais
(used
with
permission).
varies from the other two studies in some of the structures to
which she calls attention as well as in the amount of historical
background
she
gives.
Her
analysis might
be considered what
anthropologist
Clifford Geertz calls a "thick
description,"
which includes context,
detailed
description,
and
interpretation
(25).
At this
point,
I would like to consider
only
the
analysis
as it
emerges
in her
description. Siegel's
source of informa-
tion also differs from the other two studies: while
Rodiger
recommends
using
a Labanotation score for Dance
Graph
Analysis
and Davis and Schmais studied both a film and a
Labanotation score of Water
Study, Siegel
witnessed a recon-
struction
performed by
students at New York
University (26).
Siegel's
focus is on sections of the dance and how
they vary
in relation to each other rather than on
tracking
one or another
movement variable
throughout
the
piece.
She sets out her
terms
by stating
that the dance uses "movement that does not
describe the movement of water but
corresponds
to its ener-
gies
and
spatial configurations" (27, emphasis
in
original).
It
is
easy
to see the
emphasis
on
energies
and
particularly
on
space
in her
analysis.
For
example,
she describes the
opening
movement almost
entirely
in
spatial
terms:
the dancers are
spaced evenly
around the
stage;
each
is curled
tightly
into a ball...
[B]eginning
to the
right
of the
audience,
a
ripple passes
across the
space-the
dancers
slowly
rise a little off the
floor,
keeping
a low
crouched
position
.. .
[T]he
bodies fold and sink in
succession back across the
space from left
to
right.
(28, emphasis added)
For variations of this
movement,
she
brings
in the element of
time:
It is
repeated
four times . . .
[A] tendency
toward
propulsion
becomes more
pronounced
and more ur-
gent.
Each dancer times her move with her own breath
rhythm
.... Each dancer
begins
to move
individually
and waits in a kind of
suspension
until the movement
passes
back to her.
(29, emphasis added)
As the dance becomes more
complex,
so do
Siegel's
move-
ment
images, combining space
and
energy
in
descriptive
FIGURE 3
"Four Levels of
Patterning"
from "An
Analysis
of the
Style
and
Composition
of Water
Study" by
Martha Ann Davis and
Claire Schmais
(used
with
permission).
varies from the other two studies in some of the structures to
which she calls attention as well as in the amount of historical
background
she
gives.
Her
analysis might
be considered what
anthropologist
Clifford Geertz calls a "thick
description,"
which includes context,
detailed
description,
and
interpretation
(25).
At this
point,
I would like to consider
only
the
analysis
as it
emerges
in her
description. Siegel's
source of informa-
tion also differs from the other two studies: while
Rodiger
recommends
using
a Labanotation score for Dance
Graph
Analysis
and Davis and Schmais studied both a film and a
Labanotation score of Water
Study, Siegel
witnessed a recon-
struction
performed by
students at New York
University (26).
Siegel's
focus is on sections of the dance and how
they vary
in relation to each other rather than on
tracking
one or another
movement variable
throughout
the
piece.
She sets out her
terms
by stating
that the dance uses "movement that does not
describe the movement of water but
corresponds
to its ener-
gies
and
spatial configurations" (27, emphasis
in
original).
It
is
easy
to see the
emphasis
on
energies
and
particularly
on
space
in her
analysis.
For
example,
she describes the
opening
movement almost
entirely
in
spatial
terms:
the dancers are
spaced evenly
around the
stage;
each
is curled
tightly
into a ball...
[B]eginning
to the
right
of the
audience,
a
ripple passes
across the
space-the
dancers
slowly
rise a little off the
floor,
keeping
a low
crouched
position
.. .
[T]he
bodies fold and sink in
succession back across the
space from left
to
right.
(28, emphasis added)
For variations of this
movement,
she
brings
in the element of
time:
It is
repeated
four times . . .
[A] tendency
toward
propulsion
becomes more
pronounced
and more ur-
gent.
Each dancer times her move with her own breath
rhythm
.... Each dancer
begins
to move
individually
and waits in a kind of
suspension
until the movement
passes
back to her.
(29, emphasis added)
As the dance becomes more
complex,
so do
Siegel's
move-
ment
images, combining space
and
energy
in
descriptive
FIGURE 3
"Four Levels of
Patterning"
from "An
Analysis
of the
Style
and
Composition
of Water
Study" by
Martha Ann Davis and
Claire Schmais
(used
with
permission).
varies from the other two studies in some of the structures to
which she calls attention as well as in the amount of historical
background
she
gives.
Her
analysis might
be considered what
anthropologist
Clifford Geertz calls a "thick
description,"
which includes context,
detailed
description,
and
interpretation
(25).
At this
point,
I would like to consider
only
the
analysis
as it
emerges
in her
description. Siegel's
source of informa-
tion also differs from the other two studies: while
Rodiger
recommends
using
a Labanotation score for Dance
Graph
Analysis
and Davis and Schmais studied both a film and a
Labanotation score of Water
Study, Siegel
witnessed a recon-
struction
performed by
students at New York
University (26).
Siegel's
focus is on sections of the dance and how
they vary
in relation to each other rather than on
tracking
one or another
movement variable
throughout
the
piece.
She sets out her
terms
by stating
that the dance uses "movement that does not
describe the movement of water but
corresponds
to its ener-
gies
and
spatial configurations" (27, emphasis
in
original).
It
is
easy
to see the
emphasis
on
energies
and
particularly
on
space
in her
analysis.
For
example,
she describes the
opening
movement almost
entirely
in
spatial
terms:
the dancers are
spaced evenly
around the
stage;
each
is curled
tightly
into a ball...
[B]eginning
to the
right
of the
audience,
a
ripple passes
across the
space-the
dancers
slowly
rise a little off the
floor,
keeping
a low
crouched
position
.. .
[T]he
bodies fold and sink in
succession back across the
space from left
to
right.
(28, emphasis added)
For variations of this
movement,
she
brings
in the element of
time:
It is
repeated
four times . . .
[A] tendency
toward
propulsion
becomes more
pronounced
and more ur-
gent.
Each dancer times her move with her own breath
rhythm
.... Each dancer
begins
to move
individually
and waits in a kind of
suspension
until the movement
passes
back to her.
(29, emphasis added)
As the dance becomes more
complex,
so do
Siegel's
move-
ment
images, combining space
and
energy
in
descriptive
4 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
4 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
4 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
4 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
4 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
4 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
4 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
4 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
4 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
4 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
4 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
terms:
As the
impetus builds,
some of them throw their torsos
into a backward
arching
curve on the
upward push,
then fold over
again
into a
lunge,
the arms
flinging
first
back and then over the
body
like a
cresting
wave.
(30, emphasis added)
The introduction to the
published
score of Water
Study
states that the dance "contains the first full exhibition of the
Humphrey principle
of fall and
recovery,
the alternate
yield-
ing
to and
defying
of
gravity
that
give
the movement its
design
in
space" (31). Siegel
identifies an oscillation between two
circles in the
sagittal
and horizontal
planes
which
may
also be
linked
expressively
to fall and
recovery,
since the
sagittal
plane
stresses forward and backward movement which takes
the
body
off balance while the horizontal
plane,
as
Siegel
notes,
is used for
recovery:
Spatially,
we could see the whole dance as
being
made
of two kinds of circle. One surrounds the dancer like
a wheel in
front, below,
behind and above the
body.
Its
complete
form is the
somersault,
but
usually
we see
only pieces
of it .... The other circle
encompasses
all the
space horizontally
around the
body.
It's seen
. . in the circular recoveries on the floor in the
counterpoint
section . . .
[T]he
three-dimensional
spiral
movements
provid[e]
a connection between the
two
space patterns. (32)
In her
biography
of
Humphrey, Days
on
Earth, Siegel
mentions the manifestation of Water
Study's
theme in its
movement
phrasing:
The
typical phrase
for Water
Study begins
with a
nearly
neutral
flow, intensifies and accelerates to a
natural
climax,
which often is
prolonged
with a sus-
pension
of
breath,
then subsides back to
neutrality
again.
If it were
diagrammed,
the
energy
flow would
make a wave
shape
....
(33)
Siegel
also notes the
progression
of the wave
pattern
from
smaller to
larger
units of movement: "over and
over,
in the
individual action and in the
group patterns,
we see the theme
of
cresting
and
subsiding" (34).
In
addition,
she discusses the
cumulative,
additive effect of the
choreographic
devices of
canon and unison movement:
As the dancers link into the
group, they
add their
movement to the ensemble. The choral effect almost
always
builds to its maximum
strength-where
all the
members of the
group
are in
motion-just
at the
climax of the collective thrust. Those who
began
earliest sustain the
peak
until the last ones catch
up.
Only
after this massed
high point
has been reached do
the individual dancers
begin
to
drop away.
This
gives
the dance in its climactic moments a cumulative
terms:
As the
impetus builds,
some of them throw their torsos
into a backward
arching
curve on the
upward push,
then fold over
again
into a
lunge,
the arms
flinging
first
back and then over the
body
like a
cresting
wave.
(30, emphasis added)
The introduction to the
published
score of Water
Study
states that the dance "contains the first full exhibition of the
Humphrey principle
of fall and
recovery,
the alternate
yield-
ing
to and
defying
of
gravity
that
give
the movement its
design
in
space" (31). Siegel
identifies an oscillation between two
circles in the
sagittal
and horizontal
planes
which
may
also be
linked
expressively
to fall and
recovery,
since the
sagittal
plane
stresses forward and backward movement which takes
the
body
off balance while the horizontal
plane,
as
Siegel
notes,
is used for
recovery:
Spatially,
we could see the whole dance as
being
made
of two kinds of circle. One surrounds the dancer like
a wheel in
front, below,
behind and above the
body.
Its
complete
form is the
somersault,
but
usually
we see
only pieces
of it .... The other circle
encompasses
all the
space horizontally
around the
body.
It's seen
. . in the circular recoveries on the floor in the
counterpoint
section . . .
[T]he
three-dimensional
spiral
movements
provid[e]
a connection between the
two
space patterns. (32)
In her
biography
of
Humphrey, Days
on
Earth, Siegel
mentions the manifestation of Water
Study's
theme in its
movement
phrasing:
The
typical phrase
for Water
Study begins
with a
nearly
neutral
flow, intensifies and accelerates to a
natural
climax,
which often is
prolonged
with a sus-
pension
of
breath,
then subsides back to
neutrality
again.
If it were
diagrammed,
the
energy
flow would
make a wave
shape
....
(33)
Siegel
also notes the
progression
of the wave
pattern
from
smaller to
larger
units of movement: "over and
over,
in the
individual action and in the
group patterns,
we see the theme
of
cresting
and
subsiding" (34).
In
addition,
she discusses the
cumulative,
additive effect of the
choreographic
devices of
canon and unison movement:
As the dancers link into the
group, they
add their
movement to the ensemble. The choral effect almost
always
builds to its maximum
strength-where
all the
members of the
group
are in
motion-just
at the
climax of the collective thrust. Those who
began
earliest sustain the
peak
until the last ones catch
up.
Only
after this massed
high point
has been reached do
the individual dancers
begin
to
drop away.
This
gives
the dance in its climactic moments a cumulative
terms:
As the
impetus builds,
some of them throw their torsos
into a backward
arching
curve on the
upward push,
then fold over
again
into a
lunge,
the arms
flinging
first
back and then over the
body
like a
cresting
wave.
(30, emphasis added)
The introduction to the
published
score of Water
Study
states that the dance "contains the first full exhibition of the
Humphrey principle
of fall and
recovery,
the alternate
yield-
ing
to and
defying
of
gravity
that
give
the movement its
design
in
space" (31). Siegel
identifies an oscillation between two
circles in the
sagittal
and horizontal
planes
which
may
also be
linked
expressively
to fall and
recovery,
since the
sagittal
plane
stresses forward and backward movement which takes
the
body
off balance while the horizontal
plane,
as
Siegel
notes,
is used for
recovery:
Spatially,
we could see the whole dance as
being
made
of two kinds of circle. One surrounds the dancer like
a wheel in
front, below,
behind and above the
body.
Its
complete
form is the
somersault,
but
usually
we see
only pieces
of it .... The other circle
encompasses
all the
space horizontally
around the
body.
It's seen
. . in the circular recoveries on the floor in the
counterpoint
section . . .
[T]he
three-dimensional
spiral
movements
provid[e]
a connection between the
two
space patterns. (32)
In her
biography
of
Humphrey, Days
on
Earth, Siegel
mentions the manifestation of Water
Study's
theme in its
movement
phrasing:
The
typical phrase
for Water
Study begins
with a
nearly
neutral
flow, intensifies and accelerates to a
natural
climax,
which often is
prolonged
with a sus-
pension
of
breath,
then subsides back to
neutrality
again.
If it were
diagrammed,
the
energy
flow would
make a wave
shape
....
(33)
Siegel
also notes the
progression
of the wave
pattern
from
smaller to
larger
units of movement: "over and
over,
in the
individual action and in the
group patterns,
we see the theme
of
cresting
and
subsiding" (34).
In
addition,
she discusses the
cumulative,
additive effect of the
choreographic
devices of
canon and unison movement:
As the dancers link into the
group, they
add their
movement to the ensemble. The choral effect almost
always
builds to its maximum
strength-where
all the
members of the
group
are in
motion-just
at the
climax of the collective thrust. Those who
began
earliest sustain the
peak
until the last ones catch
up.
Only
after this massed
high point
has been reached do
the individual dancers
begin
to
drop away.
This
gives
the dance in its climactic moments a cumulative
terms:
As the
impetus builds,
some of them throw their torsos
into a backward
arching
curve on the
upward push,
then fold over
again
into a
lunge,
the arms
flinging
first
back and then over the
body
like a
cresting
wave.
(30, emphasis added)
The introduction to the
published
score of Water
Study
states that the dance "contains the first full exhibition of the
Humphrey principle
of fall and
recovery,
the alternate
yield-
ing
to and
defying
of
gravity
that
give
the movement its
design
in
space" (31). Siegel
identifies an oscillation between two
circles in the
sagittal
and horizontal
planes
which
may
also be
linked
expressively
to fall and
recovery,
since the
sagittal
plane
stresses forward and backward movement which takes
the
body
off balance while the horizontal
plane,
as
Siegel
notes,
is used for
recovery:
Spatially,
we could see the whole dance as
being
made
of two kinds of circle. One surrounds the dancer like
a wheel in
front, below,
behind and above the
body.
Its
complete
form is the
somersault,
but
usually
we see
only pieces
of it .... The other circle
encompasses
all the
space horizontally
around the
body.
It's seen
. . in the circular recoveries on the floor in the
counterpoint
section . . .
[T]he
three-dimensional
spiral
movements
provid[e]
a connection between the
two
space patterns. (32)
In her
biography
of
Humphrey, Days
on
Earth, Siegel
mentions the manifestation of Water
Study's
theme in its
movement
phrasing:
The
typical phrase
for Water
Study begins
with a
nearly
neutral
flow, intensifies and accelerates to a
natural
climax,
which often is
prolonged
with a sus-
pension
of
breath,
then subsides back to
neutrality
again.
If it were
diagrammed,
the
energy
flow would
make a wave
shape
....
(33)
Siegel
also notes the
progression
of the wave
pattern
from
smaller to
larger
units of movement: "over and
over,
in the
individual action and in the
group patterns,
we see the theme
of
cresting
and
subsiding" (34).
In
addition,
she discusses the
cumulative,
additive effect of the
choreographic
devices of
canon and unison movement:
As the dancers link into the
group, they
add their
movement to the ensemble. The choral effect almost
always
builds to its maximum
strength-where
all the
members of the
group
are in
motion-just
at the
climax of the collective thrust. Those who
began
earliest sustain the
peak
until the last ones catch
up.
Only
after this massed
high point
has been reached do
the individual dancers
begin
to
drop away.
This
gives
the dance in its climactic moments a cumulative
terms:
As the
impetus builds,
some of them throw their torsos
into a backward
arching
curve on the
upward push,
then fold over
again
into a
lunge,
the arms
flinging
first
back and then over the
body
like a
cresting
wave.
(30, emphasis added)
The introduction to the
published
score of Water
Study
states that the dance "contains the first full exhibition of the
Humphrey principle
of fall and
recovery,
the alternate
yield-
ing
to and
defying
of
gravity
that
give
the movement its
design
in
space" (31). Siegel
identifies an oscillation between two
circles in the
sagittal
and horizontal
planes
which
may
also be
linked
expressively
to fall and
recovery,
since the
sagittal
plane
stresses forward and backward movement which takes
the
body
off balance while the horizontal
plane,
as
Siegel
notes,
is used for
recovery:
Spatially,
we could see the whole dance as
being
made
of two kinds of circle. One surrounds the dancer like
a wheel in
front, below,
behind and above the
body.
Its
complete
form is the
somersault,
but
usually
we see
only pieces
of it .... The other circle
encompasses
all the
space horizontally
around the
body.
It's seen
. . in the circular recoveries on the floor in the
counterpoint
section . . .
[T]he
three-dimensional
spiral
movements
provid[e]
a connection between the
two
space patterns. (32)
In her
biography
of
Humphrey, Days
on
Earth, Siegel
mentions the manifestation of Water
Study's
theme in its
movement
phrasing:
The
typical phrase
for Water
Study begins
with a
nearly
neutral
flow, intensifies and accelerates to a
natural
climax,
which often is
prolonged
with a sus-
pension
of
breath,
then subsides back to
neutrality
again.
If it were
diagrammed,
the
energy
flow would
make a wave
shape
....
(33)
Siegel
also notes the
progression
of the wave
pattern
from
smaller to
larger
units of movement: "over and
over,
in the
individual action and in the
group patterns,
we see the theme
of
cresting
and
subsiding" (34).
In
addition,
she discusses the
cumulative,
additive effect of the
choreographic
devices of
canon and unison movement:
As the dancers link into the
group, they
add their
movement to the ensemble. The choral effect almost
always
builds to its maximum
strength-where
all the
members of the
group
are in
motion-just
at the
climax of the collective thrust. Those who
began
earliest sustain the
peak
until the last ones catch
up.
Only
after this massed
high point
has been reached do
the individual dancers
begin
to
drop away.
This
gives
the dance in its climactic moments a cumulative
terms:
As the
impetus builds,
some of them throw their torsos
into a backward
arching
curve on the
upward push,
then fold over
again
into a
lunge,
the arms
flinging
first
back and then over the
body
like a
cresting
wave.
(30, emphasis added)
The introduction to the
published
score of Water
Study
states that the dance "contains the first full exhibition of the
Humphrey principle
of fall and
recovery,
the alternate
yield-
ing
to and
defying
of
gravity
that
give
the movement its
design
in
space" (31). Siegel
identifies an oscillation between two
circles in the
sagittal
and horizontal
planes
which
may
also be
linked
expressively
to fall and
recovery,
since the
sagittal
plane
stresses forward and backward movement which takes
the
body
off balance while the horizontal
plane,
as
Siegel
notes,
is used for
recovery:
Spatially,
we could see the whole dance as
being
made
of two kinds of circle. One surrounds the dancer like
a wheel in
front, below,
behind and above the
body.
Its
complete
form is the
somersault,
but
usually
we see
only pieces
of it .... The other circle
encompasses
all the
space horizontally
around the
body.
It's seen
. . in the circular recoveries on the floor in the
counterpoint
section . . .
[T]he
three-dimensional
spiral
movements
provid[e]
a connection between the
two
space patterns. (32)
In her
biography
of
Humphrey, Days
on
Earth, Siegel
mentions the manifestation of Water
Study's
theme in its
movement
phrasing:
The
typical phrase
for Water
Study begins
with a
nearly
neutral
flow, intensifies and accelerates to a
natural
climax,
which often is
prolonged
with a sus-
pension
of
breath,
then subsides back to
neutrality
again.
If it were
diagrammed,
the
energy
flow would
make a wave
shape
....
(33)
Siegel
also notes the
progression
of the wave
pattern
from
smaller to
larger
units of movement: "over and
over,
in the
individual action and in the
group patterns,
we see the theme
of
cresting
and
subsiding" (34).
In
addition,
she discusses the
cumulative,
additive effect of the
choreographic
devices of
canon and unison movement:
As the dancers link into the
group, they
add their
movement to the ensemble. The choral effect almost
always
builds to its maximum
strength-where
all the
members of the
group
are in
motion-just
at the
climax of the collective thrust. Those who
began
earliest sustain the
peak
until the last ones catch
up.
Only
after this massed
high point
has been reached do
the individual dancers
begin
to
drop away.
This
gives
the dance in its climactic moments a cumulative
terms:
As the
impetus builds,
some of them throw their torsos
into a backward
arching
curve on the
upward push,
then fold over
again
into a
lunge,
the arms
flinging
first
back and then over the
body
like a
cresting
wave.
(30, emphasis added)
The introduction to the
published
score of Water
Study
states that the dance "contains the first full exhibition of the
Humphrey principle
of fall and
recovery,
the alternate
yield-
ing
to and
defying
of
gravity
that
give
the movement its
design
in
space" (31). Siegel
identifies an oscillation between two
circles in the
sagittal
and horizontal
planes
which
may
also be
linked
expressively
to fall and
recovery,
since the
sagittal
plane
stresses forward and backward movement which takes
the
body
off balance while the horizontal
plane,
as
Siegel
notes,
is used for
recovery:
Spatially,
we could see the whole dance as
being
made
of two kinds of circle. One surrounds the dancer like
a wheel in
front, below,
behind and above the
body.
Its
complete
form is the
somersault,
but
usually
we see
only pieces
of it .... The other circle
encompasses
all the
space horizontally
around the
body.
It's seen
. . in the circular recoveries on the floor in the
counterpoint
section . . .
[T]he
three-dimensional
spiral
movements
provid[e]
a connection between the
two
space patterns. (32)
In her
biography
of
Humphrey, Days
on
Earth, Siegel
mentions the manifestation of Water
Study's
theme in its
movement
phrasing:
The
typical phrase
for Water
Study begins
with a
nearly
neutral
flow, intensifies and accelerates to a
natural
climax,
which often is
prolonged
with a sus-
pension
of
breath,
then subsides back to
neutrality
again.
If it were
diagrammed,
the
energy
flow would
make a wave
shape
....
(33)
Siegel
also notes the
progression
of the wave
pattern
from
smaller to
larger
units of movement: "over and
over,
in the
individual action and in the
group patterns,
we see the theme
of
cresting
and
subsiding" (34).
In
addition,
she discusses the
cumulative,
additive effect of the
choreographic
devices of
canon and unison movement:
As the dancers link into the
group, they
add their
movement to the ensemble. The choral effect almost
always
builds to its maximum
strength-where
all the
members of the
group
are in
motion-just
at the
climax of the collective thrust. Those who
began
earliest sustain the
peak
until the last ones catch
up.
Only
after this massed
high point
has been reached do
the individual dancers
begin
to
drop away.
This
gives
the dance in its climactic moments a cumulative
terms:
As the
impetus builds,
some of them throw their torsos
into a backward
arching
curve on the
upward push,
then fold over
again
into a
lunge,
the arms
flinging
first
back and then over the
body
like a
cresting
wave.
(30, emphasis added)
The introduction to the
published
score of Water
Study
states that the dance "contains the first full exhibition of the
Humphrey principle
of fall and
recovery,
the alternate
yield-
ing
to and
defying
of
gravity
that
give
the movement its
design
in
space" (31). Siegel
identifies an oscillation between two
circles in the
sagittal
and horizontal
planes
which
may
also be
linked
expressively
to fall and
recovery,
since the
sagittal
plane
stresses forward and backward movement which takes
the
body
off balance while the horizontal
plane,
as
Siegel
notes,
is used for
recovery:
Spatially,
we could see the whole dance as
being
made
of two kinds of circle. One surrounds the dancer like
a wheel in
front, below,
behind and above the
body.
Its
complete
form is the
somersault,
but
usually
we see
only pieces
of it .... The other circle
encompasses
all the
space horizontally
around the
body.
It's seen
. . in the circular recoveries on the floor in the
counterpoint
section . . .
[T]he
three-dimensional
spiral
movements
provid[e]
a connection between the
two
space patterns. (32)
In her
biography
of
Humphrey, Days
on
Earth, Siegel
mentions the manifestation of Water
Study's
theme in its
movement
phrasing:
The
typical phrase
for Water
Study begins
with a
nearly
neutral
flow, intensifies and accelerates to a
natural
climax,
which often is
prolonged
with a sus-
pension
of
breath,
then subsides back to
neutrality
again.
If it were
diagrammed,
the
energy
flow would
make a wave
shape
....
(33)
Siegel
also notes the
progression
of the wave
pattern
from
smaller to
larger
units of movement: "over and
over,
in the
individual action and in the
group patterns,
we see the theme
of
cresting
and
subsiding" (34).
In
addition,
she discusses the
cumulative,
additive effect of the
choreographic
devices of
canon and unison movement:
As the dancers link into the
group, they
add their
movement to the ensemble. The choral effect almost
always
builds to its maximum
strength-where
all the
members of the
group
are in
motion-just
at the
climax of the collective thrust. Those who
began
earliest sustain the
peak
until the last ones catch
up.
Only
after this massed
high point
has been reached do
the individual dancers
begin
to
drop away.
This
gives
the dance in its climactic moments a cumulative
terms:
As the
impetus builds,
some of them throw their torsos
into a backward
arching
curve on the
upward push,
then fold over
again
into a
lunge,
the arms
flinging
first
back and then over the
body
like a
cresting
wave.
(30, emphasis added)
The introduction to the
published
score of Water
Study
states that the dance "contains the first full exhibition of the
Humphrey principle
of fall and
recovery,
the alternate
yield-
ing
to and
defying
of
gravity
that
give
the movement its
design
in
space" (31). Siegel
identifies an oscillation between two
circles in the
sagittal
and horizontal
planes
which
may
also be
linked
expressively
to fall and
recovery,
since the
sagittal
plane
stresses forward and backward movement which takes
the
body
off balance while the horizontal
plane,
as
Siegel
notes,
is used for
recovery:
Spatially,
we could see the whole dance as
being
made
of two kinds of circle. One surrounds the dancer like
a wheel in
front, below,
behind and above the
body.
Its
complete
form is the
somersault,
but
usually
we see
only pieces
of it .... The other circle
encompasses
all the
space horizontally
around the
body.
It's seen
. . in the circular recoveries on the floor in the
counterpoint
section . . .
[T]he
three-dimensional
spiral
movements
provid[e]
a connection between the
two
space patterns. (32)
In her
biography
of
Humphrey, Days
on
Earth, Siegel
mentions the manifestation of Water
Study's
theme in its
movement
phrasing:
The
typical phrase
for Water
Study begins
with a
nearly
neutral
flow, intensifies and accelerates to a
natural
climax,
which often is
prolonged
with a sus-
pension
of
breath,
then subsides back to
neutrality
again.
If it were
diagrammed,
the
energy
flow would
make a wave
shape
....
(33)
Siegel
also notes the
progression
of the wave
pattern
from
smaller to
larger
units of movement: "over and
over,
in the
individual action and in the
group patterns,
we see the theme
of
cresting
and
subsiding" (34).
In
addition,
she discusses the
cumulative,
additive effect of the
choreographic
devices of
canon and unison movement:
As the dancers link into the
group, they
add their
movement to the ensemble. The choral effect almost
always
builds to its maximum
strength-where
all the
members of the
group
are in
motion-just
at the
climax of the collective thrust. Those who
began
earliest sustain the
peak
until the last ones catch
up.
Only
after this massed
high point
has been reached do
the individual dancers
begin
to
drop away.
This
gives
the dance in its climactic moments a cumulative
terms:
As the
impetus builds,
some of them throw their torsos
into a backward
arching
curve on the
upward push,
then fold over
again
into a
lunge,
the arms
flinging
first
back and then over the
body
like a
cresting
wave.
(30, emphasis added)
The introduction to the
published
score of Water
Study
states that the dance "contains the first full exhibition of the
Humphrey principle
of fall and
recovery,
the alternate
yield-
ing
to and
defying
of
gravity
that
give
the movement its
design
in
space" (31). Siegel
identifies an oscillation between two
circles in the
sagittal
and horizontal
planes
which
may
also be
linked
expressively
to fall and
recovery,
since the
sagittal
plane
stresses forward and backward movement which takes
the
body
off balance while the horizontal
plane,
as
Siegel
notes,
is used for
recovery:
Spatially,
we could see the whole dance as
being
made
of two kinds of circle. One surrounds the dancer like
a wheel in
front, below,
behind and above the
body.
Its
complete
form is the
somersault,
but
usually
we see
only pieces
of it .... The other circle
encompasses
all the
space horizontally
around the
body.
It's seen
. . in the circular recoveries on the floor in the
counterpoint
section . . .
[T]he
three-dimensional
spiral
movements
provid[e]
a connection between the
two
space patterns. (32)
In her
biography
of
Humphrey, Days
on
Earth, Siegel
mentions the manifestation of Water
Study's
theme in its
movement
phrasing:
The
typical phrase
for Water
Study begins
with a
nearly
neutral
flow, intensifies and accelerates to a
natural
climax,
which often is
prolonged
with a sus-
pension
of
breath,
then subsides back to
neutrality
again.
If it were
diagrammed,
the
energy
flow would
make a wave
shape
....
(33)
Siegel
also notes the
progression
of the wave
pattern
from
smaller to
larger
units of movement: "over and
over,
in the
individual action and in the
group patterns,
we see the theme
of
cresting
and
subsiding" (34).
In
addition,
she discusses the
cumulative,
additive effect of the
choreographic
devices of
canon and unison movement:
As the dancers link into the
group, they
add their
movement to the ensemble. The choral effect almost
always
builds to its maximum
strength-where
all the
members of the
group
are in
motion-just
at the
climax of the collective thrust. Those who
began
earliest sustain the
peak
until the last ones catch
up.
Only
after this massed
high point
has been reached do
the individual dancers
begin
to
drop away.
This
gives
the dance in its climactic moments a cumulative
terms:
As the
impetus builds,
some of them throw their torsos
into a backward
arching
curve on the
upward push,
then fold over
again
into a
lunge,
the arms
flinging
first
back and then over the
body
like a
cresting
wave.
(30, emphasis added)
The introduction to the
published
score of Water
Study
states that the dance "contains the first full exhibition of the
Humphrey principle
of fall and
recovery,
the alternate
yield-
ing
to and
defying
of
gravity
that
give
the movement its
design
in
space" (31). Siegel
identifies an oscillation between two
circles in the
sagittal
and horizontal
planes
which
may
also be
linked
expressively
to fall and
recovery,
since the
sagittal
plane
stresses forward and backward movement which takes
the
body
off balance while the horizontal
plane,
as
Siegel
notes,
is used for
recovery:
Spatially,
we could see the whole dance as
being
made
of two kinds of circle. One surrounds the dancer like
a wheel in
front, below,
behind and above the
body.
Its
complete
form is the
somersault,
but
usually
we see
only pieces
of it .... The other circle
encompasses
all the
space horizontally
around the
body.
It's seen
. . in the circular recoveries on the floor in the
counterpoint
section . . .
[T]he
three-dimensional
spiral
movements
provid[e]
a connection between the
two
space patterns. (32)
In her
biography
of
Humphrey, Days
on
Earth, Siegel
mentions the manifestation of Water
Study's
theme in its
movement
phrasing:
The
typical phrase
for Water
Study begins
with a
nearly
neutral
flow, intensifies and accelerates to a
natural
climax,
which often is
prolonged
with a sus-
pension
of
breath,
then subsides back to
neutrality
again.
If it were
diagrammed,
the
energy
flow would
make a wave
shape
....
(33)
Siegel
also notes the
progression
of the wave
pattern
from
smaller to
larger
units of movement: "over and
over,
in the
individual action and in the
group patterns,
we see the theme
of
cresting
and
subsiding" (34).
In
addition,
she discusses the
cumulative,
additive effect of the
choreographic
devices of
canon and unison movement:
As the dancers link into the
group, they
add their
movement to the ensemble. The choral effect almost
always
builds to its maximum
strength-where
all the
members of the
group
are in
motion-just
at the
climax of the collective thrust. Those who
began
earliest sustain the
peak
until the last ones catch
up.
Only
after this massed
high point
has been reached do
the individual dancers
begin
to
drop away.
This
gives
the dance in its climactic moments a cumulative
power.... (35) power.... (35) power.... (35) power.... (35) power.... (35) power.... (35) power.... (35) power.... (35) power.... (35) power.... (35) power.... (35)
The formal characteristics identified in the dance thus far
include the increase and decrease in the amount of fluctuation
of movement variables
(Rodiger);
the
progression
of wave
pattern
from smaller to
larger phrases (Davis
and Schmais,
Siegel) culminating
in an overall
shape
linked to classical
dramatic
structure; the additive and subtractive
aspect
of
dancers
combining in,
and
departing from, unison movement
(Siegel);
and the dominant
planes
of movement
(Siegel)
which contain
aspects
of
Humphrey's principle
of fall and
recovery.
The
expressive significance
of these characteristics
can be
interpreted
in several
ways:
the
relationship
of formal
elements to movement
theory-LMA
and
Francois Delsarte's
theories will be used as
examples,
their
relationship
to the
action of
water, and their function in the
larger
movement
metaphor
of the dance.
Marcia
Siegel quotes
Eleanor
King's
statement that Water
Study
was "the most
satisfying
of all
Humphrey's
works to
perform" (36).
It is also
satisfying
to
watch,
giving
a sense of
integration
and
completeness.
One of the
principal
reasons
lies in the formal
arrangement
of its elements. "The
simplest
form of
harmony," according
to
Laban,
"is
symmetry,
bal-
ance"
(37).
"That
harmony
arises out of
spatial relationships
of
movement,
and that
symmetry
and balance are the
simplest
forms of
harmony
is
clearly
stated in
[Laban's] writings
of the
1920's,"
Vera Maletic notes in
Body-Space-Expression (38).
The wave-like
pattern
of
rising
and
falling
action in the breath
rhythms,
dance
phrases,
and overall structure of Water
Study
contain this harmonious balance that contributes to the dance' s
sense of
unity.
Laban also observes a harmonic connection between
sym-
metry, equilibrium,
and
stability,
and between
asymmetry,
disequilibrium,
and
lability (39).
In Water
Study, asymmetry
and
disequilibrium
contribute to the tension of the waves'
increasing activity,
while
symmetry
and
equilibrium
mark the
resolutions.
Beginning
from the
completely stable, symmet-
rical
kneeling position
on the
floor,
each wave increases in
mobility
and
asymmetrical
use not
only
of the
body,
but also
of the
stage space,
until dancers as a
group surge
back and
forth in uneven
diagonals culminating
in the
spiral
to the floor.
From that
point on,
dancers' movements diminish in
lability,
and the balance of the
stage
area is restored. The
piece
is
completed
when all dancers are in a
completely
stable
posi-
tion, lying
face down on the floor.
One of the
key
harmonic
principles
of Laban Movement
Analysis
is the idea of affinities between
spatial
use and
dynamics.
Each
point
on the
kinesphere
is
thought
to have
corresponding dynamic properties:
an effort which is "easi-
est" to
produce
in a
given
direction is described as
having
an
affinity
with that
point.
A
particular
effort
performed
with its
spatial
correlate creates a kind of
harmony,
while to
perform
an effort
"against"
its
spatial correspondent requires
more
exertion and therefore
generates
more tension.
An
example
from Water
Study
shows how tension and
resolution are created
by
use of
spatial
and
dynamic
affinities.
When the dancers
separate
into two lines on either side of the
stage,
rush at each
other, leap,
and fall
(Figure 4),
there is
opposition
not
only
in the action itself-dancers
hurling
The formal characteristics identified in the dance thus far
include the increase and decrease in the amount of fluctuation
of movement variables
(Rodiger);
the
progression
of wave
pattern
from smaller to
larger phrases (Davis
and Schmais,
Siegel) culminating
in an overall
shape
linked to classical
dramatic
structure; the additive and subtractive
aspect
of
dancers
combining in,
and
departing from, unison movement
(Siegel);
and the dominant
planes
of movement
(Siegel)
which contain
aspects
of
Humphrey's principle
of fall and
recovery.
The
expressive significance
of these characteristics
can be
interpreted
in several
ways:
the
relationship
of formal
elements to movement
theory-LMA
and
Francois Delsarte's
theories will be used as
examples,
their
relationship
to the
action of
water, and their function in the
larger
movement
metaphor
of the dance.
Marcia
Siegel quotes
Eleanor
King's
statement that Water
Study
was "the most
satisfying
of all
Humphrey's
works to
perform" (36).
It is also
satisfying
to
watch,
giving
a sense of
integration
and
completeness.
One of the
principal
reasons
lies in the formal
arrangement
of its elements. "The
simplest
form of
harmony," according
to
Laban,
"is
symmetry,
bal-
ance"
(37).
"That
harmony
arises out of
spatial relationships
of
movement,
and that
symmetry
and balance are the
simplest
forms of
harmony
is
clearly
stated in
[Laban's] writings
of the
1920's,"
Vera Maletic notes in
Body-Space-Expression (38).
The wave-like
pattern
of
rising
and
falling
action in the breath
rhythms,
dance
phrases,
and overall structure of Water
Study
contain this harmonious balance that contributes to the dance' s
sense of
unity.
Laban also observes a harmonic connection between
sym-
metry, equilibrium,
and
stability,
and between
asymmetry,
disequilibrium,
and
lability (39).
In Water
Study, asymmetry
and
disequilibrium
contribute to the tension of the waves'
increasing activity,
while
symmetry
and
equilibrium
mark the
resolutions.
Beginning
from the
completely stable, symmet-
rical
kneeling position
on the
floor,
each wave increases in
mobility
and
asymmetrical
use not
only
of the
body,
but also
of the
stage space,
until dancers as a
group surge
back and
forth in uneven
diagonals culminating
in the
spiral
to the floor.
From that
point on,
dancers' movements diminish in
lability,
and the balance of the
stage
area is restored. The
piece
is
completed
when all dancers are in a
completely
stable
posi-
tion, lying
face down on the floor.
One of the
key
harmonic
principles
of Laban Movement
Analysis
is the idea of affinities between
spatial
use and
dynamics.
Each
point
on the
kinesphere
is
thought
to have
corresponding dynamic properties:
an effort which is "easi-
est" to
produce
in a
given
direction is described as
having
an
affinity
with that
point.
A
particular
effort
performed
with its
spatial
correlate creates a kind of
harmony,
while to
perform
an effort
"against"
its
spatial correspondent requires
more
exertion and therefore
generates
more tension.
An
example
from Water
Study
shows how tension and
resolution are created
by
use of
spatial
and
dynamic
affinities.
When the dancers
separate
into two lines on either side of the
stage,
rush at each
other, leap,
and fall
(Figure 4),
there is
opposition
not
only
in the action itself-dancers
hurling
The formal characteristics identified in the dance thus far
include the increase and decrease in the amount of fluctuation
of movement variables
(Rodiger);
the
progression
of wave
pattern
from smaller to
larger phrases (Davis
and Schmais,
Siegel) culminating
in an overall
shape
linked to classical
dramatic
structure; the additive and subtractive
aspect
of
dancers
combining in,
and
departing from, unison movement
(Siegel);
and the dominant
planes
of movement
(Siegel)
which contain
aspects
of
Humphrey's principle
of fall and
recovery.
The
expressive significance
of these characteristics
can be
interpreted
in several
ways:
the
relationship
of formal
elements to movement
theory-LMA
and
Francois Delsarte's
theories will be used as
examples,
their
relationship
to the
action of
water, and their function in the
larger
movement
metaphor
of the dance.
Marcia
Siegel quotes
Eleanor
King's
statement that Water
Study
was "the most
satisfying
of all
Humphrey's
works to
perform" (36).
It is also
satisfying
to
watch,
giving
a sense of
integration
and
completeness.
One of the
principal
reasons
lies in the formal
arrangement
of its elements. "The
simplest
form of
harmony," according
to
Laban,
"is
symmetry,
bal-
ance"
(37).
"That
harmony
arises out of
spatial relationships
of
movement,
and that
symmetry
and balance are the
simplest
forms of
harmony
is
clearly
stated in
[Laban's] writings
of the
1920's,"
Vera Maletic notes in
Body-Space-Expression (38).
The wave-like
pattern
of
rising
and
falling
action in the breath
rhythms,
dance
phrases,
and overall structure of Water
Study
contain this harmonious balance that contributes to the dance' s
sense of
unity.
Laban also observes a harmonic connection between
sym-
metry, equilibrium,
and
stability,
and between
asymmetry,
disequilibrium,
and
lability (39).
In Water
Study, asymmetry
and
disequilibrium
contribute to the tension of the waves'
increasing activity,
while
symmetry
and
equilibrium
mark the
resolutions.
Beginning
from the
completely stable, symmet-
rical
kneeling position
on the
floor,
each wave increases in
mobility
and
asymmetrical
use not
only
of the
body,
but also
of the
stage space,
until dancers as a
group surge
back and
forth in uneven
diagonals culminating
in the
spiral
to the floor.
From that
point on,
dancers' movements diminish in
lability,
and the balance of the
stage
area is restored. The
piece
is
completed
when all dancers are in a
completely
stable
posi-
tion, lying
face down on the floor.
One of the
key
harmonic
principles
of Laban Movement
Analysis
is the idea of affinities between
spatial
use and
dynamics.
Each
point
on the
kinesphere
is
thought
to have
corresponding dynamic properties:
an effort which is "easi-
est" to
produce
in a
given
direction is described as
having
an
affinity
with that
point.
A
particular
effort
performed
with its
spatial
correlate creates a kind of
harmony,
while to
perform
an effort
"against"
its
spatial correspondent requires
more
exertion and therefore
generates
more tension.
An
example
from Water
Study
shows how tension and
resolution are created
by
use of
spatial
and
dynamic
affinities.
When the dancers
separate
into two lines on either side of the
stage,
rush at each
other, leap,
and fall
(Figure 4),
there is
opposition
not
only
in the action itself-dancers
hurling
The formal characteristics identified in the dance thus far
include the increase and decrease in the amount of fluctuation
of movement variables
(Rodiger);
the
progression
of wave
pattern
from smaller to
larger phrases (Davis
and Schmais,
Siegel) culminating
in an overall
shape
linked to classical
dramatic
structure; the additive and subtractive
aspect
of
dancers
combining in,
and
departing from, unison movement
(Siegel);
and the dominant
planes
of movement
(Siegel)
which contain
aspects
of
Humphrey's principle
of fall and
recovery.
The
expressive significance
of these characteristics
can be
interpreted
in several
ways:
the
relationship
of formal
elements to movement
theory-LMA
and
Francois Delsarte's
theories will be used as
examples,
their
relationship
to the
action of
water, and their function in the
larger
movement
metaphor
of the dance.
Marcia
Siegel quotes
Eleanor
King's
statement that Water
Study
was "the most
satisfying
of all
Humphrey's
works to
perform" (36).
It is also
satisfying
to
watch,
giving
a sense of
integration
and
completeness.
One of the
principal
reasons
lies in the formal
arrangement
of its elements. "The
simplest
form of
harmony," according
to
Laban,
"is
symmetry,
bal-
ance"
(37).
"That
harmony
arises out of
spatial relationships
of
movement,
and that
symmetry
and balance are the
simplest
forms of
harmony
is
clearly
stated in
[Laban's] writings
of the
1920's,"
Vera Maletic notes in
Body-Space-Expression (38).
The wave-like
pattern
of
rising
and
falling
action in the breath
rhythms,
dance
phrases,
and overall structure of Water
Study
contain this harmonious balance that contributes to the dance' s
sense of
unity.
Laban also observes a harmonic connection between
sym-
metry, equilibrium,
and
stability,
and between
asymmetry,
disequilibrium,
and
lability (39).
In Water
Study, asymmetry
and
disequilibrium
contribute to the tension of the waves'
increasing activity,
while
symmetry
and
equilibrium
mark the
resolutions.
Beginning
from the
completely stable, symmet-
rical
kneeling position
on the
floor,
each wave increases in
mobility
and
asymmetrical
use not
only
of the
body,
but also
of the
stage space,
until dancers as a
group surge
back and
forth in uneven
diagonals culminating
in the
spiral
to the floor.
From that
point on,
dancers' movements diminish in
lability,
and the balance of the
stage
area is restored. The
piece
is
completed
when all dancers are in a
completely
stable
posi-
tion, lying
face down on the floor.
One of the
key
harmonic
principles
of Laban Movement
Analysis
is the idea of affinities between
spatial
use and
dynamics.
Each
point
on the
kinesphere
is
thought
to have
corresponding dynamic properties:
an effort which is "easi-
est" to
produce
in a
given
direction is described as
having
an
affinity
with that
point.
A
particular
effort
performed
with its
spatial
correlate creates a kind of
harmony,
while to
perform
an effort
"against"
its
spatial correspondent requires
more
exertion and therefore
generates
more tension.
An
example
from Water
Study
shows how tension and
resolution are created
by
use of
spatial
and
dynamic
affinities.
When the dancers
separate
into two lines on either side of the
stage,
rush at each
other, leap,
and fall
(Figure 4),
there is
opposition
not
only
in the action itself-dancers
hurling
The formal characteristics identified in the dance thus far
include the increase and decrease in the amount of fluctuation
of movement variables
(Rodiger);
the
progression
of wave
pattern
from smaller to
larger phrases (Davis
and Schmais,
Siegel) culminating
in an overall
shape
linked to classical
dramatic
structure; the additive and subtractive
aspect
of
dancers
combining in,
and
departing from, unison movement
(Siegel);
and the dominant
planes
of movement
(Siegel)
which contain
aspects
of
Humphrey's principle
of fall and
recovery.
The
expressive significance
of these characteristics
can be
interpreted
in several
ways:
the
relationship
of formal
elements to movement
theory-LMA
and
Francois Delsarte's
theories will be used as
examples,
their
relationship
to the
action of
water, and their function in the
larger
movement
metaphor
of the dance.
Marcia
Siegel quotes
Eleanor
King's
statement that Water
Study
was "the most
satisfying
of all
Humphrey's
works to
perform" (36).
It is also
satisfying
to
watch,
giving
a sense of
integration
and
completeness.
One of the
principal
reasons
lies in the formal
arrangement
of its elements. "The
simplest
form of
harmony," according
to
Laban,
"is
symmetry,
bal-
ance"
(37).
"That
harmony
arises out of
spatial relationships
of
movement,
and that
symmetry
and balance are the
simplest
forms of
harmony
is
clearly
stated in
[Laban's] writings
of the
1920's,"
Vera Maletic notes in
Body-Space-Expression (38).
The wave-like
pattern
of
rising
and
falling
action in the breath
rhythms,
dance
phrases,
and overall structure of Water
Study
contain this harmonious balance that contributes to the dance' s
sense of
unity.
Laban also observes a harmonic connection between
sym-
metry, equilibrium,
and
stability,
and between
asymmetry,
disequilibrium,
and
lability (39).
In Water
Study, asymmetry
and
disequilibrium
contribute to the tension of the waves'
increasing activity,
while
symmetry
and
equilibrium
mark the
resolutions.
Beginning
from the
completely stable, symmet-
rical
kneeling position
on the
floor,
each wave increases in
mobility
and
asymmetrical
use not
only
of the
body,
but also
of the
stage space,
until dancers as a
group surge
back and
forth in uneven
diagonals culminating
in the
spiral
to the floor.
From that
point on,
dancers' movements diminish in
lability,
and the balance of the
stage
area is restored. The
piece
is
completed
when all dancers are in a
completely
stable
posi-
tion, lying
face down on the floor.
One of the
key
harmonic
principles
of Laban Movement
Analysis
is the idea of affinities between
spatial
use and
dynamics.
Each
point
on the
kinesphere
is
thought
to have
corresponding dynamic properties:
an effort which is "easi-
est" to
produce
in a
given
direction is described as
having
an
affinity
with that
point.
A
particular
effort
performed
with its
spatial
correlate creates a kind of
harmony,
while to
perform
an effort
"against"
its
spatial correspondent requires
more
exertion and therefore
generates
more tension.
An
example
from Water
Study
shows how tension and
resolution are created
by
use of
spatial
and
dynamic
affinities.
When the dancers
separate
into two lines on either side of the
stage,
rush at each
other, leap,
and fall
(Figure 4),
there is
opposition
not
only
in the action itself-dancers
hurling
The formal characteristics identified in the dance thus far
include the increase and decrease in the amount of fluctuation
of movement variables
(Rodiger);
the
progression
of wave
pattern
from smaller to
larger phrases (Davis
and Schmais,
Siegel) culminating
in an overall
shape
linked to classical
dramatic
structure; the additive and subtractive
aspect
of
dancers
combining in,
and
departing from, unison movement
(Siegel);
and the dominant
planes
of movement
(Siegel)
which contain
aspects
of
Humphrey's principle
of fall and
recovery.
The
expressive significance
of these characteristics
can be
interpreted
in several
ways:
the
relationship
of formal
elements to movement
theory-LMA
and
Francois Delsarte's
theories will be used as
examples,
their
relationship
to the
action of
water, and their function in the
larger
movement
metaphor
of the dance.
Marcia
Siegel quotes
Eleanor
King's
statement that Water
Study
was "the most
satisfying
of all
Humphrey's
works to
perform" (36).
It is also
satisfying
to
watch,
giving
a sense of
integration
and
completeness.
One of the
principal
reasons
lies in the formal
arrangement
of its elements. "The
simplest
form of
harmony," according
to
Laban,
"is
symmetry,
bal-
ance"
(37).
"That
harmony
arises out of
spatial relationships
of
movement,
and that
symmetry
and balance are the
simplest
forms of
harmony
is
clearly
stated in
[Laban's] writings
of the
1920's,"
Vera Maletic notes in
Body-Space-Expression (38).
The wave-like
pattern
of
rising
and
falling
action in the breath
rhythms,
dance
phrases,
and overall structure of Water
Study
contain this harmonious balance that contributes to the dance' s
sense of
unity.
Laban also observes a harmonic connection between
sym-
metry, equilibrium,
and
stability,
and between
asymmetry,
disequilibrium,
and
lability (39).
In Water
Study, asymmetry
and
disequilibrium
contribute to the tension of the waves'
increasing activity,
while
symmetry
and
equilibrium
mark the
resolutions.
Beginning
from the
completely stable, symmet-
rical
kneeling position
on the
floor,
each wave increases in
mobility
and
asymmetrical
use not
only
of the
body,
but also
of the
stage space,
until dancers as a
group surge
back and
forth in uneven
diagonals culminating
in the
spiral
to the floor.
From that
point on,
dancers' movements diminish in
lability,
and the balance of the
stage
area is restored. The
piece
is
completed
when all dancers are in a
completely
stable
posi-
tion, lying
face down on the floor.
One of the
key
harmonic
principles
of Laban Movement
Analysis
is the idea of affinities between
spatial
use and
dynamics.
Each
point
on the
kinesphere
is
thought
to have
corresponding dynamic properties:
an effort which is "easi-
est" to
produce
in a
given
direction is described as
having
an
affinity
with that
point.
A
particular
effort
performed
with its
spatial
correlate creates a kind of
harmony,
while to
perform
an effort
"against"
its
spatial correspondent requires
more
exertion and therefore
generates
more tension.
An
example
from Water
Study
shows how tension and
resolution are created
by
use of
spatial
and
dynamic
affinities.
When the dancers
separate
into two lines on either side of the
stage,
rush at each
other, leap,
and fall
(Figure 4),
there is
opposition
not
only
in the action itself-dancers
hurling
The formal characteristics identified in the dance thus far
include the increase and decrease in the amount of fluctuation
of movement variables
(Rodiger);
the
progression
of wave
pattern
from smaller to
larger phrases (Davis
and Schmais,
Siegel) culminating
in an overall
shape
linked to classical
dramatic
structure; the additive and subtractive
aspect
of
dancers
combining in,
and
departing from, unison movement
(Siegel);
and the dominant
planes
of movement
(Siegel)
which contain
aspects
of
Humphrey's principle
of fall and
recovery.
The
expressive significance
of these characteristics
can be
interpreted
in several
ways:
the
relationship
of formal
elements to movement
theory-LMA
and
Francois Delsarte's
theories will be used as
examples,
their
relationship
to the
action of
water, and their function in the
larger
movement
metaphor
of the dance.
Marcia
Siegel quotes
Eleanor
King's
statement that Water
Study
was "the most
satisfying
of all
Humphrey's
works to
perform" (36).
It is also
satisfying
to
watch,
giving
a sense of
integration
and
completeness.
One of the
principal
reasons
lies in the formal
arrangement
of its elements. "The
simplest
form of
harmony," according
to
Laban,
"is
symmetry,
bal-
ance"
(37).
"That
harmony
arises out of
spatial relationships
of
movement,
and that
symmetry
and balance are the
simplest
forms of
harmony
is
clearly
stated in
[Laban's] writings
of the
1920's,"
Vera Maletic notes in
Body-Space-Expression (38).
The wave-like
pattern
of
rising
and
falling
action in the breath
rhythms,
dance
phrases,
and overall structure of Water
Study
contain this harmonious balance that contributes to the dance' s
sense of
unity.
Laban also observes a harmonic connection between
sym-
metry, equilibrium,
and
stability,
and between
asymmetry,
disequilibrium,
and
lability (39).
In Water
Study, asymmetry
and
disequilibrium
contribute to the tension of the waves'
increasing activity,
while
symmetry
and
equilibrium
mark the
resolutions.
Beginning
from the
completely stable, symmet-
rical
kneeling position
on the
floor,
each wave increases in
mobility
and
asymmetrical
use not
only
of the
body,
but also
of the
stage space,
until dancers as a
group surge
back and
forth in uneven
diagonals culminating
in the
spiral
to the floor.
From that
point on,
dancers' movements diminish in
lability,
and the balance of the
stage
area is restored. The
piece
is
completed
when all dancers are in a
completely
stable
posi-
tion, lying
face down on the floor.
One of the
key
harmonic
principles
of Laban Movement
Analysis
is the idea of affinities between
spatial
use and
dynamics.
Each
point
on the
kinesphere
is
thought
to have
corresponding dynamic properties:
an effort which is "easi-
est" to
produce
in a
given
direction is described as
having
an
affinity
with that
point.
A
particular
effort
performed
with its
spatial
correlate creates a kind of
harmony,
while to
perform
an effort
"against"
its
spatial correspondent requires
more
exertion and therefore
generates
more tension.
An
example
from Water
Study
shows how tension and
resolution are created
by
use of
spatial
and
dynamic
affinities.
When the dancers
separate
into two lines on either side of the
stage,
rush at each
other, leap,
and fall
(Figure 4),
there is
opposition
not
only
in the action itself-dancers
hurling
The formal characteristics identified in the dance thus far
include the increase and decrease in the amount of fluctuation
of movement variables
(Rodiger);
the
progression
of wave
pattern
from smaller to
larger phrases (Davis
and Schmais,
Siegel) culminating
in an overall
shape
linked to classical
dramatic
structure; the additive and subtractive
aspect
of
dancers
combining in,
and
departing from, unison movement
(Siegel);
and the dominant
planes
of movement
(Siegel)
which contain
aspects
of
Humphrey's principle
of fall and
recovery.
The
expressive significance
of these characteristics
can be
interpreted
in several
ways:
the
relationship
of formal
elements to movement
theory-LMA
and
Francois Delsarte's
theories will be used as
examples,
their
relationship
to the
action of
water, and their function in the
larger
movement
metaphor
of the dance.
Marcia
Siegel quotes
Eleanor
King's
statement that Water
Study
was "the most
satisfying
of all
Humphrey's
works to
perform" (36).
It is also
satisfying
to
watch,
giving
a sense of
integration
and
completeness.
One of the
principal
reasons
lies in the formal
arrangement
of its elements. "The
simplest
form of
harmony," according
to
Laban,
"is
symmetry,
bal-
ance"
(37).
"That
harmony
arises out of
spatial relationships
of
movement,
and that
symmetry
and balance are the
simplest
forms of
harmony
is
clearly
stated in
[Laban's] writings
of the
1920's,"
Vera Maletic notes in
Body-Space-Expression (38).
The wave-like
pattern
of
rising
and
falling
action in the breath
rhythms,
dance
phrases,
and overall structure of Water
Study
contain this harmonious balance that contributes to the dance' s
sense of
unity.
Laban also observes a harmonic connection between
sym-
metry, equilibrium,
and
stability,
and between
asymmetry,
disequilibrium,
and
lability (39).
In Water
Study, asymmetry
and
disequilibrium
contribute to the tension of the waves'
increasing activity,
while
symmetry
and
equilibrium
mark the
resolutions.
Beginning
from the
completely stable, symmet-
rical
kneeling position
on the
floor,
each wave increases in
mobility
and
asymmetrical
use not
only
of the
body,
but also
of the
stage space,
until dancers as a
group surge
back and
forth in uneven
diagonals culminating
in the
spiral
to the floor.
From that
point on,
dancers' movements diminish in
lability,
and the balance of the
stage
area is restored. The
piece
is
completed
when all dancers are in a
completely
stable
posi-
tion, lying
face down on the floor.
One of the
key
harmonic
principles
of Laban Movement
Analysis
is the idea of affinities between
spatial
use and
dynamics.
Each
point
on the
kinesphere
is
thought
to have
corresponding dynamic properties:
an effort which is "easi-
est" to
produce
in a
given
direction is described as
having
an
affinity
with that
point.
A
particular
effort
performed
with its
spatial
correlate creates a kind of
harmony,
while to
perform
an effort
"against"
its
spatial correspondent requires
more
exertion and therefore
generates
more tension.
An
example
from Water
Study
shows how tension and
resolution are created
by
use of
spatial
and
dynamic
affinities.
When the dancers
separate
into two lines on either side of the
stage,
rush at each
other, leap,
and fall
(Figure 4),
there is
opposition
not
only
in the action itself-dancers
hurling
The formal characteristics identified in the dance thus far
include the increase and decrease in the amount of fluctuation
of movement variables
(Rodiger);
the
progression
of wave
pattern
from smaller to
larger phrases (Davis
and Schmais,
Siegel) culminating
in an overall
shape
linked to classical
dramatic
structure; the additive and subtractive
aspect
of
dancers
combining in,
and
departing from, unison movement
(Siegel);
and the dominant
planes
of movement
(Siegel)
which contain
aspects
of
Humphrey's principle
of fall and
recovery.
The
expressive significance
of these characteristics
can be
interpreted
in several
ways:
the
relationship
of formal
elements to movement
theory-LMA
and
Francois Delsarte's
theories will be used as
examples,
their
relationship
to the
action of
water, and their function in the
larger
movement
metaphor
of the dance.
Marcia
Siegel quotes
Eleanor
King's
statement that Water
Study
was "the most
satisfying
of all
Humphrey's
works to
perform" (36).
It is also
satisfying
to
watch,
giving
a sense of
integration
and
completeness.
One of the
principal
reasons
lies in the formal
arrangement
of its elements. "The
simplest
form of
harmony," according
to
Laban,
"is
symmetry,
bal-
ance"
(37).
"That
harmony
arises out of
spatial relationships
of
movement,
and that
symmetry
and balance are the
simplest
forms of
harmony
is
clearly
stated in
[Laban's] writings
of the
1920's,"
Vera Maletic notes in
Body-Space-Expression (38).
The wave-like
pattern
of
rising
and
falling
action in the breath
rhythms,
dance
phrases,
and overall structure of Water
Study
contain this harmonious balance that contributes to the dance' s
sense of
unity.
Laban also observes a harmonic connection between
sym-
metry, equilibrium,
and
stability,
and between
asymmetry,
disequilibrium,
and
lability (39).
In Water
Study, asymmetry
and
disequilibrium
contribute to the tension of the waves'
increasing activity,
while
symmetry
and
equilibrium
mark the
resolutions.
Beginning
from the
completely stable, symmet-
rical
kneeling position
on the
floor,
each wave increases in
mobility
and
asymmetrical
use not
only
of the
body,
but also
of the
stage space,
until dancers as a
group surge
back and
forth in uneven
diagonals culminating
in the
spiral
to the floor.
From that
point on,
dancers' movements diminish in
lability,
and the balance of the
stage
area is restored. The
piece
is
completed
when all dancers are in a
completely
stable
posi-
tion, lying
face down on the floor.
One of the
key
harmonic
principles
of Laban Movement
Analysis
is the idea of affinities between
spatial
use and
dynamics.
Each
point
on the
kinesphere
is
thought
to have
corresponding dynamic properties:
an effort which is "easi-
est" to
produce
in a
given
direction is described as
having
an
affinity
with that
point.
A
particular
effort
performed
with its
spatial
correlate creates a kind of
harmony,
while to
perform
an effort
"against"
its
spatial correspondent requires
more
exertion and therefore
generates
more tension.
An
example
from Water
Study
shows how tension and
resolution are created
by
use of
spatial
and
dynamic
affinities.
When the dancers
separate
into two lines on either side of the
stage,
rush at each
other, leap,
and fall
(Figure 4),
there is
opposition
not
only
in the action itself-dancers
hurling
The formal characteristics identified in the dance thus far
include the increase and decrease in the amount of fluctuation
of movement variables
(Rodiger);
the
progression
of wave
pattern
from smaller to
larger phrases (Davis
and Schmais,
Siegel) culminating
in an overall
shape
linked to classical
dramatic
structure; the additive and subtractive
aspect
of
dancers
combining in,
and
departing from, unison movement
(Siegel);
and the dominant
planes
of movement
(Siegel)
which contain
aspects
of
Humphrey's principle
of fall and
recovery.
The
expressive significance
of these characteristics
can be
interpreted
in several
ways:
the
relationship
of formal
elements to movement
theory-LMA
and
Francois Delsarte's
theories will be used as
examples,
their
relationship
to the
action of
water, and their function in the
larger
movement
metaphor
of the dance.
Marcia
Siegel quotes
Eleanor
King's
statement that Water
Study
was "the most
satisfying
of all
Humphrey's
works to
perform" (36).
It is also
satisfying
to
watch,
giving
a sense of
integration
and
completeness.
One of the
principal
reasons
lies in the formal
arrangement
of its elements. "The
simplest
form of
harmony," according
to
Laban,
"is
symmetry,
bal-
ance"
(37).
"That
harmony
arises out of
spatial relationships
of
movement,
and that
symmetry
and balance are the
simplest
forms of
harmony
is
clearly
stated in
[Laban's] writings
of the
1920's,"
Vera Maletic notes in
Body-Space-Expression (38).
The wave-like
pattern
of
rising
and
falling
action in the breath
rhythms,
dance
phrases,
and overall structure of Water
Study
contain this harmonious balance that contributes to the dance' s
sense of
unity.
Laban also observes a harmonic connection between
sym-
metry, equilibrium,
and
stability,
and between
asymmetry,
disequilibrium,
and
lability (39).
In Water
Study, asymmetry
and
disequilibrium
contribute to the tension of the waves'
increasing activity,
while
symmetry
and
equilibrium
mark the
resolutions.
Beginning
from the
completely stable, symmet-
rical
kneeling position
on the
floor,
each wave increases in
mobility
and
asymmetrical
use not
only
of the
body,
but also
of the
stage space,
until dancers as a
group surge
back and
forth in uneven
diagonals culminating
in the
spiral
to the floor.
From that
point on,
dancers' movements diminish in
lability,
and the balance of the
stage
area is restored. The
piece
is
completed
when all dancers are in a
completely
stable
posi-
tion, lying
face down on the floor.
One of the
key
harmonic
principles
of Laban Movement
Analysis
is the idea of affinities between
spatial
use and
dynamics.
Each
point
on the
kinesphere
is
thought
to have
corresponding dynamic properties:
an effort which is "easi-
est" to
produce
in a
given
direction is described as
having
an
affinity
with that
point.
A
particular
effort
performed
with its
spatial
correlate creates a kind of
harmony,
while to
perform
an effort
"against"
its
spatial correspondent requires
more
exertion and therefore
generates
more tension.
An
example
from Water
Study
shows how tension and
resolution are created
by
use of
spatial
and
dynamic
affinities.
When the dancers
separate
into two lines on either side of the
stage,
rush at each
other, leap,
and fall
(Figure 4),
there is
opposition
not
only
in the action itself-dancers
hurling
The formal characteristics identified in the dance thus far
include the increase and decrease in the amount of fluctuation
of movement variables
(Rodiger);
the
progression
of wave
pattern
from smaller to
larger phrases (Davis
and Schmais,
Siegel) culminating
in an overall
shape
linked to classical
dramatic
structure; the additive and subtractive
aspect
of
dancers
combining in,
and
departing from, unison movement
(Siegel);
and the dominant
planes
of movement
(Siegel)
which contain
aspects
of
Humphrey's principle
of fall and
recovery.
The
expressive significance
of these characteristics
can be
interpreted
in several
ways:
the
relationship
of formal
elements to movement
theory-LMA
and
Francois Delsarte's
theories will be used as
examples,
their
relationship
to the
action of
water, and their function in the
larger
movement
metaphor
of the dance.
Marcia
Siegel quotes
Eleanor
King's
statement that Water
Study
was "the most
satisfying
of all
Humphrey's
works to
perform" (36).
It is also
satisfying
to
watch,
giving
a sense of
integration
and
completeness.
One of the
principal
reasons
lies in the formal
arrangement
of its elements. "The
simplest
form of
harmony," according
to
Laban,
"is
symmetry,
bal-
ance"
(37).
"That
harmony
arises out of
spatial relationships
of
movement,
and that
symmetry
and balance are the
simplest
forms of
harmony
is
clearly
stated in
[Laban's] writings
of the
1920's,"
Vera Maletic notes in
Body-Space-Expression (38).
The wave-like
pattern
of
rising
and
falling
action in the breath
rhythms,
dance
phrases,
and overall structure of Water
Study
contain this harmonious balance that contributes to the dance' s
sense of
unity.
Laban also observes a harmonic connection between
sym-
metry, equilibrium,
and
stability,
and between
asymmetry,
disequilibrium,
and
lability (39).
In Water
Study, asymmetry
and
disequilibrium
contribute to the tension of the waves'
increasing activity,
while
symmetry
and
equilibrium
mark the
resolutions.
Beginning
from the
completely stable, symmet-
rical
kneeling position
on the
floor,
each wave increases in
mobility
and
asymmetrical
use not
only
of the
body,
but also
of the
stage space,
until dancers as a
group surge
back and
forth in uneven
diagonals culminating
in the
spiral
to the floor.
From that
point on,
dancers' movements diminish in
lability,
and the balance of the
stage
area is restored. The
piece
is
completed
when all dancers are in a
completely
stable
posi-
tion, lying
face down on the floor.
One of the
key
harmonic
principles
of Laban Movement
Analysis
is the idea of affinities between
spatial
use and
dynamics.
Each
point
on the
kinesphere
is
thought
to have
corresponding dynamic properties:
an effort which is "easi-
est" to
produce
in a
given
direction is described as
having
an
affinity
with that
point.
A
particular
effort
performed
with its
spatial
correlate creates a kind of
harmony,
while to
perform
an effort
"against"
its
spatial correspondent requires
more
exertion and therefore
generates
more tension.
An
example
from Water
Study
shows how tension and
resolution are created
by
use of
spatial
and
dynamic
affinities.
When the dancers
separate
into two lines on either side of the
stage,
rush at each
other, leap,
and fall
(Figure 4),
there is
opposition
not
only
in the action itself-dancers
hurling
themselves toward each other-but also in the
relationship
between
dynamics
and
space.
The
strength
with which the
themselves toward each other-but also in the
relationship
between
dynamics
and
space.
The
strength
with which the
themselves toward each other-but also in the
relationship
between
dynamics
and
space.
The
strength
with which the
themselves toward each other-but also in the
relationship
between
dynamics
and
space.
The
strength
with which the
themselves toward each other-but also in the
relationship
between
dynamics
and
space.
The
strength
with which the
themselves toward each other-but also in the
relationship
between
dynamics
and
space.
The
strength
with which the
themselves toward each other-but also in the
relationship
between
dynamics
and
space.
The
strength
with which the
themselves toward each other-but also in the
relationship
between
dynamics
and
space.
The
strength
with which the
themselves toward each other-but also in the
relationship
between
dynamics
and
space.
The
strength
with which the
themselves toward each other-but also in the
relationship
between
dynamics
and
space.
The
strength
with which the
themselves toward each other-but also in the
relationship
between
dynamics
and
space.
The
strength
with which the
Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
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(Spring 1992)
5 Dance Research Journal 24/1
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5 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
5 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
5 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
5 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
5 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
5 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
5 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
5 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
5
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FIGURE 4
Excerpt
from the Labanotation score of Water
Study
(reprinted
with the
permission
of Charles
Humphrey
Woodford and the Dance Notation
Bureau).
FIGURE 4
Excerpt
from the Labanotation score of Water
Study
(reprinted
with the
permission
of Charles
Humphrey
Woodford and the Dance Notation
Bureau).
FIGURE 4
Excerpt
from the Labanotation score of Water
Study
(reprinted
with the
permission
of Charles
Humphrey
Woodford and the Dance Notation
Bureau).
FIGURE 4
Excerpt
from the Labanotation score of Water
Study
(reprinted
with the
permission
of Charles
Humphrey
Woodford and the Dance Notation
Bureau).
FIGURE 4
Excerpt
from the Labanotation score of Water
Study
(reprinted
with the
permission
of Charles
Humphrey
Woodford and the Dance Notation
Bureau).
FIGURE 4
Excerpt
from the Labanotation score of Water
Study
(reprinted
with the
permission
of Charles
Humphrey
Woodford and the Dance Notation
Bureau).
FIGURE 4
Excerpt
from the Labanotation score of Water
Study
(reprinted
with the
permission
of Charles
Humphrey
Woodford and the Dance Notation
Bureau).
FIGURE 4
Excerpt
from the Labanotation score of Water
Study
(reprinted
with the
permission
of Charles
Humphrey
Woodford and the Dance Notation
Bureau).
FIGURE 4
Excerpt
from the Labanotation score of Water
Study
(reprinted
with the
permission
of Charles
Humphrey
Woodford and the Dance Notation
Bureau).
FIGURE 4
Excerpt
from the Labanotation score of Water
Study
(reprinted
with the
permission
of Charles
Humphrey
Woodford and the Dance Notation
Bureau).
FIGURE 4
Excerpt
from the Labanotation score of Water
Study
(reprinted
with the
permission
of Charles
Humphrey
Woodford and the Dance Notation
Bureau).
6 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
6 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
6 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
6 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
6 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
6 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
6 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
6 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
6 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
6 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
6 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
dancers burst
up
into their
jumps
contradicts the
affinity
of
upward
motion with
delicacy, creating
tension, while the
sideways
fall which follows combines
affinities-mobilizing
weight downward,
sinuous movement with outward
opening
of the
body-to suggest
a resolution.
Davis and
Schmais,
as
previously mentioned,
note the
fundamental,
underlying
correlation between breath
rhythms
and the flow of effort and
shape
that characterize Water
Study
from the smallest to the
largest phrases: "expanding
and
becoming
bound on the
inhale,
'shrinking'
and
becoming
freer on the exhale"
(40).
Davis takes this a
step
farther than Laban's harmonic
affinities
(though
not in relation to Water
Study)
in her
argument
that there can be an intrinsic
relationship
between
movement and what it communicates
(41).
In Towards
Understanding
the Intrinsic in
Body Movement,
Davis
quotes
Judith
Kestenberg's
and Wilhelm Reich's observations on
expanding
and
"shrinking"
actions:
Kestenberg
attends to continual fluctuations in
"growing
and
shrinking"
as the individual's commerce with the
world and
regards
it
organismically:
"We
change
shape by alternately growing
and
shrinking
as we
inhale and exhale. We
grow
as we take in and shrink
when we
expel
waste. We
grow
toward
pleasant
stimuli and shrink
away
from noxious ones." Reich
and
[Alexander]
Lowen
appear
to have a similar
approach
to
interpreting general expansion
and con-
traction
patterns....
"Pleasurable stimuli cause an
'emotion' of the
protoplasm
from the center toward
the
periphery. Conversely, unpleasurable
stimuli
cause an 'emotion'-or
rather,
'remotion'-from the
periphery
to the center of the
organism." (42)
Another
aspect
of movement that contributes to a sense of
harmony
is the use of
sequential
movement flow
through
the
body.
Both Laban and Delsarte include successive action in
their harmonic
principles:
Laban's law of
sequence, dealing
with the initiation
and the
follow-through
of the movement from the
centre of the
body
to its
periphery,
can be
compared
with Delsarte's
great
order
of succession,
according
to which a movement
begins
at the centre of the
body
and works outward
("true succession")
or
begins
at an
extremity
and works inward towards the centre
("re-
versed
succession").
It is the
greatest
order for the
expression
of
emotion;
its
quality
is
fluid, wave-like.
(43, emphasis
in
original)
Although principally
a
nineteenth-century phenomenon,
Delsarte movement and
interpretation
influenced both Ruth
St. Denis and Ted
Shawn,
with whom
Humphrey
worked until
just
a few months before
creating
Water
Study.
There are a number of
sequential
actions in Water
Study.
Full
body
successions include the
large, backward-arching
body
wave that
precedes
the rush toward
center-stage
and
leap
dancers burst
up
into their
jumps
contradicts the
affinity
of
upward
motion with
delicacy, creating
tension, while the
sideways
fall which follows combines
affinities-mobilizing
weight downward,
sinuous movement with outward
opening
of the
body-to suggest
a resolution.
Davis and
Schmais,
as
previously mentioned,
note the
fundamental,
underlying
correlation between breath
rhythms
and the flow of effort and
shape
that characterize Water
Study
from the smallest to the
largest phrases: "expanding
and
becoming
bound on the
inhale,
'shrinking'
and
becoming
freer on the exhale"
(40).
Davis takes this a
step
farther than Laban's harmonic
affinities
(though
not in relation to Water
Study)
in her
argument
that there can be an intrinsic
relationship
between
movement and what it communicates
(41).
In Towards
Understanding
the Intrinsic in
Body Movement,
Davis
quotes
Judith
Kestenberg's
and Wilhelm Reich's observations on
expanding
and
"shrinking"
actions:
Kestenberg
attends to continual fluctuations in
"growing
and
shrinking"
as the individual's commerce with the
world and
regards
it
organismically:
"We
change
shape by alternately growing
and
shrinking
as we
inhale and exhale. We
grow
as we take in and shrink
when we
expel
waste. We
grow
toward
pleasant
stimuli and shrink
away
from noxious ones." Reich
and
[Alexander]
Lowen
appear
to have a similar
approach
to
interpreting general expansion
and con-
traction
patterns....
"Pleasurable stimuli cause an
'emotion' of the
protoplasm
from the center toward
the
periphery. Conversely, unpleasurable
stimuli
cause an 'emotion'-or
rather,
'remotion'-from the
periphery
to the center of the
organism." (42)
Another
aspect
of movement that contributes to a sense of
harmony
is the use of
sequential
movement flow
through
the
body.
Both Laban and Delsarte include successive action in
their harmonic
principles:
Laban's law of
sequence, dealing
with the initiation
and the
follow-through
of the movement from the
centre of the
body
to its
periphery,
can be
compared
with Delsarte's
great
order
of succession,
according
to which a movement
begins
at the centre of the
body
and works outward
("true succession")
or
begins
at an
extremity
and works inward towards the centre
("re-
versed
succession").
It is the
greatest
order for the
expression
of
emotion;
its
quality
is
fluid, wave-like.
(43, emphasis
in
original)
Although principally
a
nineteenth-century phenomenon,
Delsarte movement and
interpretation
influenced both Ruth
St. Denis and Ted
Shawn,
with whom
Humphrey
worked until
just
a few months before
creating
Water
Study.
There are a number of
sequential
actions in Water
Study.
Full
body
successions include the
large, backward-arching
body
wave that
precedes
the rush toward
center-stage
and
leap
dancers burst
up
into their
jumps
contradicts the
affinity
of
upward
motion with
delicacy, creating
tension, while the
sideways
fall which follows combines
affinities-mobilizing
weight downward,
sinuous movement with outward
opening
of the
body-to suggest
a resolution.
Davis and
Schmais,
as
previously mentioned,
note the
fundamental,
underlying
correlation between breath
rhythms
and the flow of effort and
shape
that characterize Water
Study
from the smallest to the
largest phrases: "expanding
and
becoming
bound on the
inhale,
'shrinking'
and
becoming
freer on the exhale"
(40).
Davis takes this a
step
farther than Laban's harmonic
affinities
(though
not in relation to Water
Study)
in her
argument
that there can be an intrinsic
relationship
between
movement and what it communicates
(41).
In Towards
Understanding
the Intrinsic in
Body Movement,
Davis
quotes
Judith
Kestenberg's
and Wilhelm Reich's observations on
expanding
and
"shrinking"
actions:
Kestenberg
attends to continual fluctuations in
"growing
and
shrinking"
as the individual's commerce with the
world and
regards
it
organismically:
"We
change
shape by alternately growing
and
shrinking
as we
inhale and exhale. We
grow
as we take in and shrink
when we
expel
waste. We
grow
toward
pleasant
stimuli and shrink
away
from noxious ones." Reich
and
[Alexander]
Lowen
appear
to have a similar
approach
to
interpreting general expansion
and con-
traction
patterns....
"Pleasurable stimuli cause an
'emotion' of the
protoplasm
from the center toward
the
periphery. Conversely, unpleasurable
stimuli
cause an 'emotion'-or
rather,
'remotion'-from the
periphery
to the center of the
organism." (42)
Another
aspect
of movement that contributes to a sense of
harmony
is the use of
sequential
movement flow
through
the
body.
Both Laban and Delsarte include successive action in
their harmonic
principles:
Laban's law of
sequence, dealing
with the initiation
and the
follow-through
of the movement from the
centre of the
body
to its
periphery,
can be
compared
with Delsarte's
great
order
of succession,
according
to which a movement
begins
at the centre of the
body
and works outward
("true succession")
or
begins
at an
extremity
and works inward towards the centre
("re-
versed
succession").
It is the
greatest
order for the
expression
of
emotion;
its
quality
is
fluid, wave-like.
(43, emphasis
in
original)
Although principally
a
nineteenth-century phenomenon,
Delsarte movement and
interpretation
influenced both Ruth
St. Denis and Ted
Shawn,
with whom
Humphrey
worked until
just
a few months before
creating
Water
Study.
There are a number of
sequential
actions in Water
Study.
Full
body
successions include the
large, backward-arching
body
wave that
precedes
the rush toward
center-stage
and
leap
dancers burst
up
into their
jumps
contradicts the
affinity
of
upward
motion with
delicacy, creating
tension, while the
sideways
fall which follows combines
affinities-mobilizing
weight downward,
sinuous movement with outward
opening
of the
body-to suggest
a resolution.
Davis and
Schmais,
as
previously mentioned,
note the
fundamental,
underlying
correlation between breath
rhythms
and the flow of effort and
shape
that characterize Water
Study
from the smallest to the
largest phrases: "expanding
and
becoming
bound on the
inhale,
'shrinking'
and
becoming
freer on the exhale"
(40).
Davis takes this a
step
farther than Laban's harmonic
affinities
(though
not in relation to Water
Study)
in her
argument
that there can be an intrinsic
relationship
between
movement and what it communicates
(41).
In Towards
Understanding
the Intrinsic in
Body Movement,
Davis
quotes
Judith
Kestenberg's
and Wilhelm Reich's observations on
expanding
and
"shrinking"
actions:
Kestenberg
attends to continual fluctuations in
"growing
and
shrinking"
as the individual's commerce with the
world and
regards
it
organismically:
"We
change
shape by alternately growing
and
shrinking
as we
inhale and exhale. We
grow
as we take in and shrink
when we
expel
waste. We
grow
toward
pleasant
stimuli and shrink
away
from noxious ones." Reich
and
[Alexander]
Lowen
appear
to have a similar
approach
to
interpreting general expansion
and con-
traction
patterns....
"Pleasurable stimuli cause an
'emotion' of the
protoplasm
from the center toward
the
periphery. Conversely, unpleasurable
stimuli
cause an 'emotion'-or
rather,
'remotion'-from the
periphery
to the center of the
organism." (42)
Another
aspect
of movement that contributes to a sense of
harmony
is the use of
sequential
movement flow
through
the
body.
Both Laban and Delsarte include successive action in
their harmonic
principles:
Laban's law of
sequence, dealing
with the initiation
and the
follow-through
of the movement from the
centre of the
body
to its
periphery,
can be
compared
with Delsarte's
great
order
of succession,
according
to which a movement
begins
at the centre of the
body
and works outward
("true succession")
or
begins
at an
extremity
and works inward towards the centre
("re-
versed
succession").
It is the
greatest
order for the
expression
of
emotion;
its
quality
is
fluid, wave-like.
(43, emphasis
in
original)
Although principally
a
nineteenth-century phenomenon,
Delsarte movement and
interpretation
influenced both Ruth
St. Denis and Ted
Shawn,
with whom
Humphrey
worked until
just
a few months before
creating
Water
Study.
There are a number of
sequential
actions in Water
Study.
Full
body
successions include the
large, backward-arching
body
wave that
precedes
the rush toward
center-stage
and
leap
dancers burst
up
into their
jumps
contradicts the
affinity
of
upward
motion with
delicacy, creating
tension, while the
sideways
fall which follows combines
affinities-mobilizing
weight downward,
sinuous movement with outward
opening
of the
body-to suggest
a resolution.
Davis and
Schmais,
as
previously mentioned,
note the
fundamental,
underlying
correlation between breath
rhythms
and the flow of effort and
shape
that characterize Water
Study
from the smallest to the
largest phrases: "expanding
and
becoming
bound on the
inhale,
'shrinking'
and
becoming
freer on the exhale"
(40).
Davis takes this a
step
farther than Laban's harmonic
affinities
(though
not in relation to Water
Study)
in her
argument
that there can be an intrinsic
relationship
between
movement and what it communicates
(41).
In Towards
Understanding
the Intrinsic in
Body Movement,
Davis
quotes
Judith
Kestenberg's
and Wilhelm Reich's observations on
expanding
and
"shrinking"
actions:
Kestenberg
attends to continual fluctuations in
"growing
and
shrinking"
as the individual's commerce with the
world and
regards
it
organismically:
"We
change
shape by alternately growing
and
shrinking
as we
inhale and exhale. We
grow
as we take in and shrink
when we
expel
waste. We
grow
toward
pleasant
stimuli and shrink
away
from noxious ones." Reich
and
[Alexander]
Lowen
appear
to have a similar
approach
to
interpreting general expansion
and con-
traction
patterns....
"Pleasurable stimuli cause an
'emotion' of the
protoplasm
from the center toward
the
periphery. Conversely, unpleasurable
stimuli
cause an 'emotion'-or
rather,
'remotion'-from the
periphery
to the center of the
organism." (42)
Another
aspect
of movement that contributes to a sense of
harmony
is the use of
sequential
movement flow
through
the
body.
Both Laban and Delsarte include successive action in
their harmonic
principles:
Laban's law of
sequence, dealing
with the initiation
and the
follow-through
of the movement from the
centre of the
body
to its
periphery,
can be
compared
with Delsarte's
great
order
of succession,
according
to which a movement
begins
at the centre of the
body
and works outward
("true succession")
or
begins
at an
extremity
and works inward towards the centre
("re-
versed
succession").
It is the
greatest
order for the
expression
of
emotion;
its
quality
is
fluid, wave-like.
(43, emphasis
in
original)
Although principally
a
nineteenth-century phenomenon,
Delsarte movement and
interpretation
influenced both Ruth
St. Denis and Ted
Shawn,
with whom
Humphrey
worked until
just
a few months before
creating
Water
Study.
There are a number of
sequential
actions in Water
Study.
Full
body
successions include the
large, backward-arching
body
wave that
precedes
the rush toward
center-stage
and
leap
dancers burst
up
into their
jumps
contradicts the
affinity
of
upward
motion with
delicacy, creating
tension, while the
sideways
fall which follows combines
affinities-mobilizing
weight downward,
sinuous movement with outward
opening
of the
body-to suggest
a resolution.
Davis and
Schmais,
as
previously mentioned,
note the
fundamental,
underlying
correlation between breath
rhythms
and the flow of effort and
shape
that characterize Water
Study
from the smallest to the
largest phrases: "expanding
and
becoming
bound on the
inhale,
'shrinking'
and
becoming
freer on the exhale"
(40).
Davis takes this a
step
farther than Laban's harmonic
affinities
(though
not in relation to Water
Study)
in her
argument
that there can be an intrinsic
relationship
between
movement and what it communicates
(41).
In Towards
Understanding
the Intrinsic in
Body Movement,
Davis
quotes
Judith
Kestenberg's
and Wilhelm Reich's observations on
expanding
and
"shrinking"
actions:
Kestenberg
attends to continual fluctuations in
"growing
and
shrinking"
as the individual's commerce with the
world and
regards
it
organismically:
"We
change
shape by alternately growing
and
shrinking
as we
inhale and exhale. We
grow
as we take in and shrink
when we
expel
waste. We
grow
toward
pleasant
stimuli and shrink
away
from noxious ones." Reich
and
[Alexander]
Lowen
appear
to have a similar
approach
to
interpreting general expansion
and con-
traction
patterns....
"Pleasurable stimuli cause an
'emotion' of the
protoplasm
from the center toward
the
periphery. Conversely, unpleasurable
stimuli
cause an 'emotion'-or
rather,
'remotion'-from the
periphery
to the center of the
organism." (42)
Another
aspect
of movement that contributes to a sense of
harmony
is the use of
sequential
movement flow
through
the
body.
Both Laban and Delsarte include successive action in
their harmonic
principles:
Laban's law of
sequence, dealing
with the initiation
and the
follow-through
of the movement from the
centre of the
body
to its
periphery,
can be
compared
with Delsarte's
great
order
of succession,
according
to which a movement
begins
at the centre of the
body
and works outward
("true succession")
or
begins
at an
extremity
and works inward towards the centre
("re-
versed
succession").
It is the
greatest
order for the
expression
of
emotion;
its
quality
is
fluid, wave-like.
(43, emphasis
in
original)
Although principally
a
nineteenth-century phenomenon,
Delsarte movement and
interpretation
influenced both Ruth
St. Denis and Ted
Shawn,
with whom
Humphrey
worked until
just
a few months before
creating
Water
Study.
There are a number of
sequential
actions in Water
Study.
Full
body
successions include the
large, backward-arching
body
wave that
precedes
the rush toward
center-stage
and
leap
dancers burst
up
into their
jumps
contradicts the
affinity
of
upward
motion with
delicacy, creating
tension, while the
sideways
fall which follows combines
affinities-mobilizing
weight downward,
sinuous movement with outward
opening
of the
body-to suggest
a resolution.
Davis and
Schmais,
as
previously mentioned,
note the
fundamental,
underlying
correlation between breath
rhythms
and the flow of effort and
shape
that characterize Water
Study
from the smallest to the
largest phrases: "expanding
and
becoming
bound on the
inhale,
'shrinking'
and
becoming
freer on the exhale"
(40).
Davis takes this a
step
farther than Laban's harmonic
affinities
(though
not in relation to Water
Study)
in her
argument
that there can be an intrinsic
relationship
between
movement and what it communicates
(41).
In Towards
Understanding
the Intrinsic in
Body Movement,
Davis
quotes
Judith
Kestenberg's
and Wilhelm Reich's observations on
expanding
and
"shrinking"
actions:
Kestenberg
attends to continual fluctuations in
"growing
and
shrinking"
as the individual's commerce with the
world and
regards
it
organismically:
"We
change
shape by alternately growing
and
shrinking
as we
inhale and exhale. We
grow
as we take in and shrink
when we
expel
waste. We
grow
toward
pleasant
stimuli and shrink
away
from noxious ones." Reich
and
[Alexander]
Lowen
appear
to have a similar
approach
to
interpreting general expansion
and con-
traction
patterns....
"Pleasurable stimuli cause an
'emotion' of the
protoplasm
from the center toward
the
periphery. Conversely, unpleasurable
stimuli
cause an 'emotion'-or
rather,
'remotion'-from the
periphery
to the center of the
organism." (42)
Another
aspect
of movement that contributes to a sense of
harmony
is the use of
sequential
movement flow
through
the
body.
Both Laban and Delsarte include successive action in
their harmonic
principles:
Laban's law of
sequence, dealing
with the initiation
and the
follow-through
of the movement from the
centre of the
body
to its
periphery,
can be
compared
with Delsarte's
great
order
of succession,
according
to which a movement
begins
at the centre of the
body
and works outward
("true succession")
or
begins
at an
extremity
and works inward towards the centre
("re-
versed
succession").
It is the
greatest
order for the
expression
of
emotion;
its
quality
is
fluid, wave-like.
(43, emphasis
in
original)
Although principally
a
nineteenth-century phenomenon,
Delsarte movement and
interpretation
influenced both Ruth
St. Denis and Ted
Shawn,
with whom
Humphrey
worked until
just
a few months before
creating
Water
Study.
There are a number of
sequential
actions in Water
Study.
Full
body
successions include the
large, backward-arching
body
wave that
precedes
the rush toward
center-stage
and
leap
dancers burst
up
into their
jumps
contradicts the
affinity
of
upward
motion with
delicacy, creating
tension, while the
sideways
fall which follows combines
affinities-mobilizing
weight downward,
sinuous movement with outward
opening
of the
body-to suggest
a resolution.
Davis and
Schmais,
as
previously mentioned,
note the
fundamental,
underlying
correlation between breath
rhythms
and the flow of effort and
shape
that characterize Water
Study
from the smallest to the
largest phrases: "expanding
and
becoming
bound on the
inhale,
'shrinking'
and
becoming
freer on the exhale"
(40).
Davis takes this a
step
farther than Laban's harmonic
affinities
(though
not in relation to Water
Study)
in her
argument
that there can be an intrinsic
relationship
between
movement and what it communicates
(41).
In Towards
Understanding
the Intrinsic in
Body Movement,
Davis
quotes
Judith
Kestenberg's
and Wilhelm Reich's observations on
expanding
and
"shrinking"
actions:
Kestenberg
attends to continual fluctuations in
"growing
and
shrinking"
as the individual's commerce with the
world and
regards
it
organismically:
"We
change
shape by alternately growing
and
shrinking
as we
inhale and exhale. We
grow
as we take in and shrink
when we
expel
waste. We
grow
toward
pleasant
stimuli and shrink
away
from noxious ones." Reich
and
[Alexander]
Lowen
appear
to have a similar
approach
to
interpreting general expansion
and con-
traction
patterns....
"Pleasurable stimuli cause an
'emotion' of the
protoplasm
from the center toward
the
periphery. Conversely, unpleasurable
stimuli
cause an 'emotion'-or
rather,
'remotion'-from the
periphery
to the center of the
organism." (42)
Another
aspect
of movement that contributes to a sense of
harmony
is the use of
sequential
movement flow
through
the
body.
Both Laban and Delsarte include successive action in
their harmonic
principles:
Laban's law of
sequence, dealing
with the initiation
and the
follow-through
of the movement from the
centre of the
body
to its
periphery,
can be
compared
with Delsarte's
great
order
of succession,
according
to which a movement
begins
at the centre of the
body
and works outward
("true succession")
or
begins
at an
extremity
and works inward towards the centre
("re-
versed
succession").
It is the
greatest
order for the
expression
of
emotion;
its
quality
is
fluid, wave-like.
(43, emphasis
in
original)
Although principally
a
nineteenth-century phenomenon,
Delsarte movement and
interpretation
influenced both Ruth
St. Denis and Ted
Shawn,
with whom
Humphrey
worked until
just
a few months before
creating
Water
Study.
There are a number of
sequential
actions in Water
Study.
Full
body
successions include the
large, backward-arching
body
wave that
precedes
the rush toward
center-stage
and
leap
dancers burst
up
into their
jumps
contradicts the
affinity
of
upward
motion with
delicacy, creating
tension, while the
sideways
fall which follows combines
affinities-mobilizing
weight downward,
sinuous movement with outward
opening
of the
body-to suggest
a resolution.
Davis and
Schmais,
as
previously mentioned,
note the
fundamental,
underlying
correlation between breath
rhythms
and the flow of effort and
shape
that characterize Water
Study
from the smallest to the
largest phrases: "expanding
and
becoming
bound on the
inhale,
'shrinking'
and
becoming
freer on the exhale"
(40).
Davis takes this a
step
farther than Laban's harmonic
affinities
(though
not in relation to Water
Study)
in her
argument
that there can be an intrinsic
relationship
between
movement and what it communicates
(41).
In Towards
Understanding
the Intrinsic in
Body Movement,
Davis
quotes
Judith
Kestenberg's
and Wilhelm Reich's observations on
expanding
and
"shrinking"
actions:
Kestenberg
attends to continual fluctuations in
"growing
and
shrinking"
as the individual's commerce with the
world and
regards
it
organismically:
"We
change
shape by alternately growing
and
shrinking
as we
inhale and exhale. We
grow
as we take in and shrink
when we
expel
waste. We
grow
toward
pleasant
stimuli and shrink
away
from noxious ones." Reich
and
[Alexander]
Lowen
appear
to have a similar
approach
to
interpreting general expansion
and con-
traction
patterns....
"Pleasurable stimuli cause an
'emotion' of the
protoplasm
from the center toward
the
periphery. Conversely, unpleasurable
stimuli
cause an 'emotion'-or
rather,
'remotion'-from the
periphery
to the center of the
organism." (42)
Another
aspect
of movement that contributes to a sense of
harmony
is the use of
sequential
movement flow
through
the
body.
Both Laban and Delsarte include successive action in
their harmonic
principles:
Laban's law of
sequence, dealing
with the initiation
and the
follow-through
of the movement from the
centre of the
body
to its
periphery,
can be
compared
with Delsarte's
great
order
of succession,
according
to which a movement
begins
at the centre of the
body
and works outward
("true succession")
or
begins
at an
extremity
and works inward towards the centre
("re-
versed
succession").
It is the
greatest
order for the
expression
of
emotion;
its
quality
is
fluid, wave-like.
(43, emphasis
in
original)
Although principally
a
nineteenth-century phenomenon,
Delsarte movement and
interpretation
influenced both Ruth
St. Denis and Ted
Shawn,
with whom
Humphrey
worked until
just
a few months before
creating
Water
Study.
There are a number of
sequential
actions in Water
Study.
Full
body
successions include the
large, backward-arching
body
wave that
precedes
the rush toward
center-stage
and
leap
dancers burst
up
into their
jumps
contradicts the
affinity
of
upward
motion with
delicacy, creating
tension, while the
sideways
fall which follows combines
affinities-mobilizing
weight downward,
sinuous movement with outward
opening
of the
body-to suggest
a resolution.
Davis and
Schmais,
as
previously mentioned,
note the
fundamental,
underlying
correlation between breath
rhythms
and the flow of effort and
shape
that characterize Water
Study
from the smallest to the
largest phrases: "expanding
and
becoming
bound on the
inhale,
'shrinking'
and
becoming
freer on the exhale"
(40).
Davis takes this a
step
farther than Laban's harmonic
affinities
(though
not in relation to Water
Study)
in her
argument
that there can be an intrinsic
relationship
between
movement and what it communicates
(41).
In Towards
Understanding
the Intrinsic in
Body Movement,
Davis
quotes
Judith
Kestenberg's
and Wilhelm Reich's observations on
expanding
and
"shrinking"
actions:
Kestenberg
attends to continual fluctuations in
"growing
and
shrinking"
as the individual's commerce with the
world and
regards
it
organismically:
"We
change
shape by alternately growing
and
shrinking
as we
inhale and exhale. We
grow
as we take in and shrink
when we
expel
waste. We
grow
toward
pleasant
stimuli and shrink
away
from noxious ones." Reich
and
[Alexander]
Lowen
appear
to have a similar
approach
to
interpreting general expansion
and con-
traction
patterns....
"Pleasurable stimuli cause an
'emotion' of the
protoplasm
from the center toward
the
periphery. Conversely, unpleasurable
stimuli
cause an 'emotion'-or
rather,
'remotion'-from the
periphery
to the center of the
organism." (42)
Another
aspect
of movement that contributes to a sense of
harmony
is the use of
sequential
movement flow
through
the
body.
Both Laban and Delsarte include successive action in
their harmonic
principles:
Laban's law of
sequence, dealing
with the initiation
and the
follow-through
of the movement from the
centre of the
body
to its
periphery,
can be
compared
with Delsarte's
great
order
of succession,
according
to which a movement
begins
at the centre of the
body
and works outward
("true succession")
or
begins
at an
extremity
and works inward towards the centre
("re-
versed
succession").
It is the
greatest
order for the
expression
of
emotion;
its
quality
is
fluid, wave-like.
(43, emphasis
in
original)
Although principally
a
nineteenth-century phenomenon,
Delsarte movement and
interpretation
influenced both Ruth
St. Denis and Ted
Shawn,
with whom
Humphrey
worked until
just
a few months before
creating
Water
Study.
There are a number of
sequential
actions in Water
Study.
Full
body
successions include the
large, backward-arching
body
wave that
precedes
the rush toward
center-stage
and
leap
dancers burst
up
into their
jumps
contradicts the
affinity
of
upward
motion with
delicacy, creating
tension, while the
sideways
fall which follows combines
affinities-mobilizing
weight downward,
sinuous movement with outward
opening
of the
body-to suggest
a resolution.
Davis and
Schmais,
as
previously mentioned,
note the
fundamental,
underlying
correlation between breath
rhythms
and the flow of effort and
shape
that characterize Water
Study
from the smallest to the
largest phrases: "expanding
and
becoming
bound on the
inhale,
'shrinking'
and
becoming
freer on the exhale"
(40).
Davis takes this a
step
farther than Laban's harmonic
affinities
(though
not in relation to Water
Study)
in her
argument
that there can be an intrinsic
relationship
between
movement and what it communicates
(41).
In Towards
Understanding
the Intrinsic in
Body Movement,
Davis
quotes
Judith
Kestenberg's
and Wilhelm Reich's observations on
expanding
and
"shrinking"
actions:
Kestenberg
attends to continual fluctuations in
"growing
and
shrinking"
as the individual's commerce with the
world and
regards
it
organismically:
"We
change
shape by alternately growing
and
shrinking
as we
inhale and exhale. We
grow
as we take in and shrink
when we
expel
waste. We
grow
toward
pleasant
stimuli and shrink
away
from noxious ones." Reich
and
[Alexander]
Lowen
appear
to have a similar
approach
to
interpreting general expansion
and con-
traction
patterns....
"Pleasurable stimuli cause an
'emotion' of the
protoplasm
from the center toward
the
periphery. Conversely, unpleasurable
stimuli
cause an 'emotion'-or
rather,
'remotion'-from the
periphery
to the center of the
organism." (42)
Another
aspect
of movement that contributes to a sense of
harmony
is the use of
sequential
movement flow
through
the
body.
Both Laban and Delsarte include successive action in
their harmonic
principles:
Laban's law of
sequence, dealing
with the initiation
and the
follow-through
of the movement from the
centre of the
body
to its
periphery,
can be
compared
with Delsarte's
great
order
of succession,
according
to which a movement
begins
at the centre of the
body
and works outward
("true succession")
or
begins
at an
extremity
and works inward towards the centre
("re-
versed
succession").
It is the
greatest
order for the
expression
of
emotion;
its
quality
is
fluid, wave-like.
(43, emphasis
in
original)
Although principally
a
nineteenth-century phenomenon,
Delsarte movement and
interpretation
influenced both Ruth
St. Denis and Ted
Shawn,
with whom
Humphrey
worked until
just
a few months before
creating
Water
Study.
There are a number of
sequential
actions in Water
Study.
Full
body
successions include the
large, backward-arching
body
wave that
precedes
the rush toward
center-stage
and
leap
previously described,
as well as the
unfolding, sideways
fall
that follows.
previously described,
as well as the
unfolding, sideways
fall
that follows.
previously described,
as well as the
unfolding, sideways
fall
that follows.
previously described,
as well as the
unfolding, sideways
fall
that follows.
previously described,
as well as the
unfolding, sideways
fall
that follows.
previously described,
as well as the
unfolding, sideways
fall
that follows.
previously described,
as well as the
unfolding, sideways
fall
that follows.
previously described,
as well as the
unfolding, sideways
fall
that follows.
previously described,
as well as the
unfolding, sideways
fall
that follows.
previously described,
as well as the
unfolding, sideways
fall
that follows.
previously described,
as well as the
unfolding, sideways
fall
that follows.
The harmonious
feeling
of the dance can be attributed,
according
to these theories, to the
symmetry
and balance of its
phrasing;
to the correlation between
stability, symmetry,
and
equilibrium,
or their inverse;
to the
spatial
and
dynamic
affinities;
and to the use of successive movement flow
through
the
body.
The
harmony
of formal
arrangement
is
further underscored
by
the intrinsic
significance
of the
grow-
ing
and
shrinking phrasing,
while the occasional "disharmo-
nies" of the
leaps
and falls serve to further our
appreciation
of
the overall harmonic tendencies.
Delsarte's theories about the different realms of movement
add a further dimension to the
interpretation
of Water
Study.
Delsarte divided the
body
and its
surrounding space
into zones
with
corresponding physical, emotional,
and
spiritual expres-
sion.
Generally,
the lower areas referred to the
physical plane
of
being
while the
upper
zone was
primarily spiritual.
The
upper body
and arms could
express
emotion or
spirituality
(44).
Water
Study begins
in the
physical zone,
but with
emotionally expressive
movements of the torso. It
progresses
steadily upward (see Rodiger's
chart of
levels), making
brief
forays
into the
spiritual
realm with
leaps
and
upward reaching
gestures,
and
finally subsiding again
in the
physical.
The fact
that most of the movement emanates from the center of the
body may
be a Delsartian clue to the emotional correlations-
as
opposed
to
spiritual
or
purely physical-that Humphrey
saw between the dance's movement and the human condition.
Metaphorical implications
of Water
Study may
also be
explored.
On one level the dance is
just
what the title
says-
a
study
of the action of
water,
translated into human move-
ment. Davis and Schmais offer a brief
interpretation
of the
action:
Low, calm swells of water first
appear. They gradu-
ally
increase in size and turbulence from
larger
swells
to
caps
to
clashing
currents to massive
breaking
waves.
There is a
"leveling
off' as the waves
spend
them-
selves in
long
rushes of current
(the
middle of the
dance),
then
they begin
to subside into
lighter
cas-
cades and scattered
peaks
of water
gradually ap-
proaching
shore. And
finally gentle laps
of water
wash
up against
the beach.
(45)
Three
types
of water movement are
suggested
in the
dance,
according
to
Siegel:
"the swell and draw of the
tide,
the
cumulative force and burst of the
waves,
and the
surging
sub-
surface flow of flat calm"
(46).
On another
level, however,
the work
refers,
as Jowitt
says,
to the
"analogy
between the human
being
and universal
processes" (47).
A dance's references to the world
beyond
itself can occur
through
several "modes of
representation,"
according
to Susan Foster in
Reading Dancing,
each of
which,
"as it
signals worldly experience, implies
a stance toward the
world that is crucial to the dance's
meaning.
... In a dance
where the
trope
of
metaphor predominates,"
she
explains,
"the
dance functions as an
analogy
to the world .... The
choreographer's
task is to translate
worldly
events into move-
ment,
while the viewer's role is to find in the movement its
The harmonious
feeling
of the dance can be attributed,
according
to these theories, to the
symmetry
and balance of its
phrasing;
to the correlation between
stability, symmetry,
and
equilibrium,
or their inverse;
to the
spatial
and
dynamic
affinities;
and to the use of successive movement flow
through
the
body.
The
harmony
of formal
arrangement
is
further underscored
by
the intrinsic
significance
of the
grow-
ing
and
shrinking phrasing,
while the occasional "disharmo-
nies" of the
leaps
and falls serve to further our
appreciation
of
the overall harmonic tendencies.
Delsarte's theories about the different realms of movement
add a further dimension to the
interpretation
of Water
Study.
Delsarte divided the
body
and its
surrounding space
into zones
with
corresponding physical, emotional,
and
spiritual expres-
sion.
Generally,
the lower areas referred to the
physical plane
of
being
while the
upper
zone was
primarily spiritual.
The
upper body
and arms could
express
emotion or
spirituality
(44).
Water
Study begins
in the
physical zone,
but with
emotionally expressive
movements of the torso. It
progresses
steadily upward (see Rodiger's
chart of
levels), making
brief
forays
into the
spiritual
realm with
leaps
and
upward reaching
gestures,
and
finally subsiding again
in the
physical.
The fact
that most of the movement emanates from the center of the
body may
be a Delsartian clue to the emotional correlations-
as
opposed
to
spiritual
or
purely physical-that Humphrey
saw between the dance's movement and the human condition.
Metaphorical implications
of Water
Study may
also be
explored.
On one level the dance is
just
what the title
says-
a
study
of the action of
water,
translated into human move-
ment. Davis and Schmais offer a brief
interpretation
of the
action:
Low, calm swells of water first
appear. They gradu-
ally
increase in size and turbulence from
larger
swells
to
caps
to
clashing
currents to massive
breaking
waves.
There is a
"leveling
off' as the waves
spend
them-
selves in
long
rushes of current
(the
middle of the
dance),
then
they begin
to subside into
lighter
cas-
cades and scattered
peaks
of water
gradually ap-
proaching
shore. And
finally gentle laps
of water
wash
up against
the beach.
(45)
Three
types
of water movement are
suggested
in the
dance,
according
to
Siegel:
"the swell and draw of the
tide,
the
cumulative force and burst of the
waves,
and the
surging
sub-
surface flow of flat calm"
(46).
On another
level, however,
the work
refers,
as Jowitt
says,
to the
"analogy
between the human
being
and universal
processes" (47).
A dance's references to the world
beyond
itself can occur
through
several "modes of
representation,"
according
to Susan Foster in
Reading Dancing,
each of
which,
"as it
signals worldly experience, implies
a stance toward the
world that is crucial to the dance's
meaning.
... In a dance
where the
trope
of
metaphor predominates,"
she
explains,
"the
dance functions as an
analogy
to the world .... The
choreographer's
task is to translate
worldly
events into move-
ment,
while the viewer's role is to find in the movement its
The harmonious
feeling
of the dance can be attributed,
according
to these theories, to the
symmetry
and balance of its
phrasing;
to the correlation between
stability, symmetry,
and
equilibrium,
or their inverse;
to the
spatial
and
dynamic
affinities;
and to the use of successive movement flow
through
the
body.
The
harmony
of formal
arrangement
is
further underscored
by
the intrinsic
significance
of the
grow-
ing
and
shrinking phrasing,
while the occasional "disharmo-
nies" of the
leaps
and falls serve to further our
appreciation
of
the overall harmonic tendencies.
Delsarte's theories about the different realms of movement
add a further dimension to the
interpretation
of Water
Study.
Delsarte divided the
body
and its
surrounding space
into zones
with
corresponding physical, emotional,
and
spiritual expres-
sion.
Generally,
the lower areas referred to the
physical plane
of
being
while the
upper
zone was
primarily spiritual.
The
upper body
and arms could
express
emotion or
spirituality
(44).
Water
Study begins
in the
physical zone,
but with
emotionally expressive
movements of the torso. It
progresses
steadily upward (see Rodiger's
chart of
levels), making
brief
forays
into the
spiritual
realm with
leaps
and
upward reaching
gestures,
and
finally subsiding again
in the
physical.
The fact
that most of the movement emanates from the center of the
body may
be a Delsartian clue to the emotional correlations-
as
opposed
to
spiritual
or
purely physical-that Humphrey
saw between the dance's movement and the human condition.
Metaphorical implications
of Water
Study may
also be
explored.
On one level the dance is
just
what the title
says-
a
study
of the action of
water,
translated into human move-
ment. Davis and Schmais offer a brief
interpretation
of the
action:
Low, calm swells of water first
appear. They gradu-
ally
increase in size and turbulence from
larger
swells
to
caps
to
clashing
currents to massive
breaking
waves.
There is a
"leveling
off' as the waves
spend
them-
selves in
long
rushes of current
(the
middle of the
dance),
then
they begin
to subside into
lighter
cas-
cades and scattered
peaks
of water
gradually ap-
proaching
shore. And
finally gentle laps
of water
wash
up against
the beach.
(45)
Three
types
of water movement are
suggested
in the
dance,
according
to
Siegel:
"the swell and draw of the
tide,
the
cumulative force and burst of the
waves,
and the
surging
sub-
surface flow of flat calm"
(46).
On another
level, however,
the work
refers,
as Jowitt
says,
to the
"analogy
between the human
being
and universal
processes" (47).
A dance's references to the world
beyond
itself can occur
through
several "modes of
representation,"
according
to Susan Foster in
Reading Dancing,
each of
which,
"as it
signals worldly experience, implies
a stance toward the
world that is crucial to the dance's
meaning.
... In a dance
where the
trope
of
metaphor predominates,"
she
explains,
"the
dance functions as an
analogy
to the world .... The
choreographer's
task is to translate
worldly
events into move-
ment,
while the viewer's role is to find in the movement its
The harmonious
feeling
of the dance can be attributed,
according
to these theories, to the
symmetry
and balance of its
phrasing;
to the correlation between
stability, symmetry,
and
equilibrium,
or their inverse;
to the
spatial
and
dynamic
affinities;
and to the use of successive movement flow
through
the
body.
The
harmony
of formal
arrangement
is
further underscored
by
the intrinsic
significance
of the
grow-
ing
and
shrinking phrasing,
while the occasional "disharmo-
nies" of the
leaps
and falls serve to further our
appreciation
of
the overall harmonic tendencies.
Delsarte's theories about the different realms of movement
add a further dimension to the
interpretation
of Water
Study.
Delsarte divided the
body
and its
surrounding space
into zones
with
corresponding physical, emotional,
and
spiritual expres-
sion.
Generally,
the lower areas referred to the
physical plane
of
being
while the
upper
zone was
primarily spiritual.
The
upper body
and arms could
express
emotion or
spirituality
(44).
Water
Study begins
in the
physical zone,
but with
emotionally expressive
movements of the torso. It
progresses
steadily upward (see Rodiger's
chart of
levels), making
brief
forays
into the
spiritual
realm with
leaps
and
upward reaching
gestures,
and
finally subsiding again
in the
physical.
The fact
that most of the movement emanates from the center of the
body may
be a Delsartian clue to the emotional correlations-
as
opposed
to
spiritual
or
purely physical-that Humphrey
saw between the dance's movement and the human condition.
Metaphorical implications
of Water
Study may
also be
explored.
On one level the dance is
just
what the title
says-
a
study
of the action of
water,
translated into human move-
ment. Davis and Schmais offer a brief
interpretation
of the
action:
Low, calm swells of water first
appear. They gradu-
ally
increase in size and turbulence from
larger
swells
to
caps
to
clashing
currents to massive
breaking
waves.
There is a
"leveling
off' as the waves
spend
them-
selves in
long
rushes of current
(the
middle of the
dance),
then
they begin
to subside into
lighter
cas-
cades and scattered
peaks
of water
gradually ap-
proaching
shore. And
finally gentle laps
of water
wash
up against
the beach.
(45)
Three
types
of water movement are
suggested
in the
dance,
according
to
Siegel:
"the swell and draw of the
tide,
the
cumulative force and burst of the
waves,
and the
surging
sub-
surface flow of flat calm"
(46).
On another
level, however,
the work
refers,
as Jowitt
says,
to the
"analogy
between the human
being
and universal
processes" (47).
A dance's references to the world
beyond
itself can occur
through
several "modes of
representation,"
according
to Susan Foster in
Reading Dancing,
each of
which,
"as it
signals worldly experience, implies
a stance toward the
world that is crucial to the dance's
meaning.
... In a dance
where the
trope
of
metaphor predominates,"
she
explains,
"the
dance functions as an
analogy
to the world .... The
choreographer's
task is to translate
worldly
events into move-
ment,
while the viewer's role is to find in the movement its
The harmonious
feeling
of the dance can be attributed,
according
to these theories, to the
symmetry
and balance of its
phrasing;
to the correlation between
stability, symmetry,
and
equilibrium,
or their inverse;
to the
spatial
and
dynamic
affinities;
and to the use of successive movement flow
through
the
body.
The
harmony
of formal
arrangement
is
further underscored
by
the intrinsic
significance
of the
grow-
ing
and
shrinking phrasing,
while the occasional "disharmo-
nies" of the
leaps
and falls serve to further our
appreciation
of
the overall harmonic tendencies.
Delsarte's theories about the different realms of movement
add a further dimension to the
interpretation
of Water
Study.
Delsarte divided the
body
and its
surrounding space
into zones
with
corresponding physical, emotional,
and
spiritual expres-
sion.
Generally,
the lower areas referred to the
physical plane
of
being
while the
upper
zone was
primarily spiritual.
The
upper body
and arms could
express
emotion or
spirituality
(44).
Water
Study begins
in the
physical zone,
but with
emotionally expressive
movements of the torso. It
progresses
steadily upward (see Rodiger's
chart of
levels), making
brief
forays
into the
spiritual
realm with
leaps
and
upward reaching
gestures,
and
finally subsiding again
in the
physical.
The fact
that most of the movement emanates from the center of the
body may
be a Delsartian clue to the emotional correlations-
as
opposed
to
spiritual
or
purely physical-that Humphrey
saw between the dance's movement and the human condition.
Metaphorical implications
of Water
Study may
also be
explored.
On one level the dance is
just
what the title
says-
a
study
of the action of
water,
translated into human move-
ment. Davis and Schmais offer a brief
interpretation
of the
action:
Low, calm swells of water first
appear. They gradu-
ally
increase in size and turbulence from
larger
swells
to
caps
to
clashing
currents to massive
breaking
waves.
There is a
"leveling
off' as the waves
spend
them-
selves in
long
rushes of current
(the
middle of the
dance),
then
they begin
to subside into
lighter
cas-
cades and scattered
peaks
of water
gradually ap-
proaching
shore. And
finally gentle laps
of water
wash
up against
the beach.
(45)
Three
types
of water movement are
suggested
in the
dance,
according
to
Siegel:
"the swell and draw of the
tide,
the
cumulative force and burst of the
waves,
and the
surging
sub-
surface flow of flat calm"
(46).
On another
level, however,
the work
refers,
as Jowitt
says,
to the
"analogy
between the human
being
and universal
processes" (47).
A dance's references to the world
beyond
itself can occur
through
several "modes of
representation,"
according
to Susan Foster in
Reading Dancing,
each of
which,
"as it
signals worldly experience, implies
a stance toward the
world that is crucial to the dance's
meaning.
... In a dance
where the
trope
of
metaphor predominates,"
she
explains,
"the
dance functions as an
analogy
to the world .... The
choreographer's
task is to translate
worldly
events into move-
ment,
while the viewer's role is to find in the movement its
The harmonious
feeling
of the dance can be attributed,
according
to these theories, to the
symmetry
and balance of its
phrasing;
to the correlation between
stability, symmetry,
and
equilibrium,
or their inverse;
to the
spatial
and
dynamic
affinities;
and to the use of successive movement flow
through
the
body.
The
harmony
of formal
arrangement
is
further underscored
by
the intrinsic
significance
of the
grow-
ing
and
shrinking phrasing,
while the occasional "disharmo-
nies" of the
leaps
and falls serve to further our
appreciation
of
the overall harmonic tendencies.
Delsarte's theories about the different realms of movement
add a further dimension to the
interpretation
of Water
Study.
Delsarte divided the
body
and its
surrounding space
into zones
with
corresponding physical, emotional,
and
spiritual expres-
sion.
Generally,
the lower areas referred to the
physical plane
of
being
while the
upper
zone was
primarily spiritual.
The
upper body
and arms could
express
emotion or
spirituality
(44).
Water
Study begins
in the
physical zone,
but with
emotionally expressive
movements of the torso. It
progresses
steadily upward (see Rodiger's
chart of
levels), making
brief
forays
into the
spiritual
realm with
leaps
and
upward reaching
gestures,
and
finally subsiding again
in the
physical.
The fact
that most of the movement emanates from the center of the
body may
be a Delsartian clue to the emotional correlations-
as
opposed
to
spiritual
or
purely physical-that Humphrey
saw between the dance's movement and the human condition.
Metaphorical implications
of Water
Study may
also be
explored.
On one level the dance is
just
what the title
says-
a
study
of the action of
water,
translated into human move-
ment. Davis and Schmais offer a brief
interpretation
of the
action:
Low, calm swells of water first
appear. They gradu-
ally
increase in size and turbulence from
larger
swells
to
caps
to
clashing
currents to massive
breaking
waves.
There is a
"leveling
off' as the waves
spend
them-
selves in
long
rushes of current
(the
middle of the
dance),
then
they begin
to subside into
lighter
cas-
cades and scattered
peaks
of water
gradually ap-
proaching
shore. And
finally gentle laps
of water
wash
up against
the beach.
(45)
Three
types
of water movement are
suggested
in the
dance,
according
to
Siegel:
"the swell and draw of the
tide,
the
cumulative force and burst of the
waves,
and the
surging
sub-
surface flow of flat calm"
(46).
On another
level, however,
the work
refers,
as Jowitt
says,
to the
"analogy
between the human
being
and universal
processes" (47).
A dance's references to the world
beyond
itself can occur
through
several "modes of
representation,"
according
to Susan Foster in
Reading Dancing,
each of
which,
"as it
signals worldly experience, implies
a stance toward the
world that is crucial to the dance's
meaning.
... In a dance
where the
trope
of
metaphor predominates,"
she
explains,
"the
dance functions as an
analogy
to the world .... The
choreographer's
task is to translate
worldly
events into move-
ment,
while the viewer's role is to find in the movement its
The harmonious
feeling
of the dance can be attributed,
according
to these theories, to the
symmetry
and balance of its
phrasing;
to the correlation between
stability, symmetry,
and
equilibrium,
or their inverse;
to the
spatial
and
dynamic
affinities;
and to the use of successive movement flow
through
the
body.
The
harmony
of formal
arrangement
is
further underscored
by
the intrinsic
significance
of the
grow-
ing
and
shrinking phrasing,
while the occasional "disharmo-
nies" of the
leaps
and falls serve to further our
appreciation
of
the overall harmonic tendencies.
Delsarte's theories about the different realms of movement
add a further dimension to the
interpretation
of Water
Study.
Delsarte divided the
body
and its
surrounding space
into zones
with
corresponding physical, emotional,
and
spiritual expres-
sion.
Generally,
the lower areas referred to the
physical plane
of
being
while the
upper
zone was
primarily spiritual.
The
upper body
and arms could
express
emotion or
spirituality
(44).
Water
Study begins
in the
physical zone,
but with
emotionally expressive
movements of the torso. It
progresses
steadily upward (see Rodiger's
chart of
levels), making
brief
forays
into the
spiritual
realm with
leaps
and
upward reaching
gestures,
and
finally subsiding again
in the
physical.
The fact
that most of the movement emanates from the center of the
body may
be a Delsartian clue to the emotional correlations-
as
opposed
to
spiritual
or
purely physical-that Humphrey
saw between the dance's movement and the human condition.
Metaphorical implications
of Water
Study may
also be
explored.
On one level the dance is
just
what the title
says-
a
study
of the action of
water,
translated into human move-
ment. Davis and Schmais offer a brief
interpretation
of the
action:
Low, calm swells of water first
appear. They gradu-
ally
increase in size and turbulence from
larger
swells
to
caps
to
clashing
currents to massive
breaking
waves.
There is a
"leveling
off' as the waves
spend
them-
selves in
long
rushes of current
(the
middle of the
dance),
then
they begin
to subside into
lighter
cas-
cades and scattered
peaks
of water
gradually ap-
proaching
shore. And
finally gentle laps
of water
wash
up against
the beach.
(45)
Three
types
of water movement are
suggested
in the
dance,
according
to
Siegel:
"the swell and draw of the
tide,
the
cumulative force and burst of the
waves,
and the
surging
sub-
surface flow of flat calm"
(46).
On another
level, however,
the work
refers,
as Jowitt
says,
to the
"analogy
between the human
being
and universal
processes" (47).
A dance's references to the world
beyond
itself can occur
through
several "modes of
representation,"
according
to Susan Foster in
Reading Dancing,
each of
which,
"as it
signals worldly experience, implies
a stance toward the
world that is crucial to the dance's
meaning.
... In a dance
where the
trope
of
metaphor predominates,"
she
explains,
"the
dance functions as an
analogy
to the world .... The
choreographer's
task is to translate
worldly
events into move-
ment,
while the viewer's role is to find in the movement its
The harmonious
feeling
of the dance can be attributed,
according
to these theories, to the
symmetry
and balance of its
phrasing;
to the correlation between
stability, symmetry,
and
equilibrium,
or their inverse;
to the
spatial
and
dynamic
affinities;
and to the use of successive movement flow
through
the
body.
The
harmony
of formal
arrangement
is
further underscored
by
the intrinsic
significance
of the
grow-
ing
and
shrinking phrasing,
while the occasional "disharmo-
nies" of the
leaps
and falls serve to further our
appreciation
of
the overall harmonic tendencies.
Delsarte's theories about the different realms of movement
add a further dimension to the
interpretation
of Water
Study.
Delsarte divided the
body
and its
surrounding space
into zones
with
corresponding physical, emotional,
and
spiritual expres-
sion.
Generally,
the lower areas referred to the
physical plane
of
being
while the
upper
zone was
primarily spiritual.
The
upper body
and arms could
express
emotion or
spirituality
(44).
Water
Study begins
in the
physical zone,
but with
emotionally expressive
movements of the torso. It
progresses
steadily upward (see Rodiger's
chart of
levels), making
brief
forays
into the
spiritual
realm with
leaps
and
upward reaching
gestures,
and
finally subsiding again
in the
physical.
The fact
that most of the movement emanates from the center of the
body may
be a Delsartian clue to the emotional correlations-
as
opposed
to
spiritual
or
purely physical-that Humphrey
saw between the dance's movement and the human condition.
Metaphorical implications
of Water
Study may
also be
explored.
On one level the dance is
just
what the title
says-
a
study
of the action of
water,
translated into human move-
ment. Davis and Schmais offer a brief
interpretation
of the
action:
Low, calm swells of water first
appear. They gradu-
ally
increase in size and turbulence from
larger
swells
to
caps
to
clashing
currents to massive
breaking
waves.
There is a
"leveling
off' as the waves
spend
them-
selves in
long
rushes of current
(the
middle of the
dance),
then
they begin
to subside into
lighter
cas-
cades and scattered
peaks
of water
gradually ap-
proaching
shore. And
finally gentle laps
of water
wash
up against
the beach.
(45)
Three
types
of water movement are
suggested
in the
dance,
according
to
Siegel:
"the swell and draw of the
tide,
the
cumulative force and burst of the
waves,
and the
surging
sub-
surface flow of flat calm"
(46).
On another
level, however,
the work
refers,
as Jowitt
says,
to the
"analogy
between the human
being
and universal
processes" (47).
A dance's references to the world
beyond
itself can occur
through
several "modes of
representation,"
according
to Susan Foster in
Reading Dancing,
each of
which,
"as it
signals worldly experience, implies
a stance toward the
world that is crucial to the dance's
meaning.
... In a dance
where the
trope
of
metaphor predominates,"
she
explains,
"the
dance functions as an
analogy
to the world .... The
choreographer's
task is to translate
worldly
events into move-
ment,
while the viewer's role is to find in the movement its
The harmonious
feeling
of the dance can be attributed,
according
to these theories, to the
symmetry
and balance of its
phrasing;
to the correlation between
stability, symmetry,
and
equilibrium,
or their inverse;
to the
spatial
and
dynamic
affinities;
and to the use of successive movement flow
through
the
body.
The
harmony
of formal
arrangement
is
further underscored
by
the intrinsic
significance
of the
grow-
ing
and
shrinking phrasing,
while the occasional "disharmo-
nies" of the
leaps
and falls serve to further our
appreciation
of
the overall harmonic tendencies.
Delsarte's theories about the different realms of movement
add a further dimension to the
interpretation
of Water
Study.
Delsarte divided the
body
and its
surrounding space
into zones
with
corresponding physical, emotional,
and
spiritual expres-
sion.
Generally,
the lower areas referred to the
physical plane
of
being
while the
upper
zone was
primarily spiritual.
The
upper body
and arms could
express
emotion or
spirituality
(44).
Water
Study begins
in the
physical zone,
but with
emotionally expressive
movements of the torso. It
progresses
steadily upward (see Rodiger's
chart of
levels), making
brief
forays
into the
spiritual
realm with
leaps
and
upward reaching
gestures,
and
finally subsiding again
in the
physical.
The fact
that most of the movement emanates from the center of the
body may
be a Delsartian clue to the emotional correlations-
as
opposed
to
spiritual
or
purely physical-that Humphrey
saw between the dance's movement and the human condition.
Metaphorical implications
of Water
Study may
also be
explored.
On one level the dance is
just
what the title
says-
a
study
of the action of
water,
translated into human move-
ment. Davis and Schmais offer a brief
interpretation
of the
action:
Low, calm swells of water first
appear. They gradu-
ally
increase in size and turbulence from
larger
swells
to
caps
to
clashing
currents to massive
breaking
waves.
There is a
"leveling
off' as the waves
spend
them-
selves in
long
rushes of current
(the
middle of the
dance),
then
they begin
to subside into
lighter
cas-
cades and scattered
peaks
of water
gradually ap-
proaching
shore. And
finally gentle laps
of water
wash
up against
the beach.
(45)
Three
types
of water movement are
suggested
in the
dance,
according
to
Siegel:
"the swell and draw of the
tide,
the
cumulative force and burst of the
waves,
and the
surging
sub-
surface flow of flat calm"
(46).
On another
level, however,
the work
refers,
as Jowitt
says,
to the
"analogy
between the human
being
and universal
processes" (47).
A dance's references to the world
beyond
itself can occur
through
several "modes of
representation,"
according
to Susan Foster in
Reading Dancing,
each of
which,
"as it
signals worldly experience, implies
a stance toward the
world that is crucial to the dance's
meaning.
... In a dance
where the
trope
of
metaphor predominates,"
she
explains,
"the
dance functions as an
analogy
to the world .... The
choreographer's
task is to translate
worldly
events into move-
ment,
while the viewer's role is to find in the movement its
The harmonious
feeling
of the dance can be attributed,
according
to these theories, to the
symmetry
and balance of its
phrasing;
to the correlation between
stability, symmetry,
and
equilibrium,
or their inverse;
to the
spatial
and
dynamic
affinities;
and to the use of successive movement flow
through
the
body.
The
harmony
of formal
arrangement
is
further underscored
by
the intrinsic
significance
of the
grow-
ing
and
shrinking phrasing,
while the occasional "disharmo-
nies" of the
leaps
and falls serve to further our
appreciation
of
the overall harmonic tendencies.
Delsarte's theories about the different realms of movement
add a further dimension to the
interpretation
of Water
Study.
Delsarte divided the
body
and its
surrounding space
into zones
with
corresponding physical, emotional,
and
spiritual expres-
sion.
Generally,
the lower areas referred to the
physical plane
of
being
while the
upper
zone was
primarily spiritual.
The
upper body
and arms could
express
emotion or
spirituality
(44).
Water
Study begins
in the
physical zone,
but with
emotionally expressive
movements of the torso. It
progresses
steadily upward (see Rodiger's
chart of
levels), making
brief
forays
into the
spiritual
realm with
leaps
and
upward reaching
gestures,
and
finally subsiding again
in the
physical.
The fact
that most of the movement emanates from the center of the
body may
be a Delsartian clue to the emotional correlations-
as
opposed
to
spiritual
or
purely physical-that Humphrey
saw between the dance's movement and the human condition.
Metaphorical implications
of Water
Study may
also be
explored.
On one level the dance is
just
what the title
says-
a
study
of the action of
water,
translated into human move-
ment. Davis and Schmais offer a brief
interpretation
of the
action:
Low, calm swells of water first
appear. They gradu-
ally
increase in size and turbulence from
larger
swells
to
caps
to
clashing
currents to massive
breaking
waves.
There is a
"leveling
off' as the waves
spend
them-
selves in
long
rushes of current
(the
middle of the
dance),
then
they begin
to subside into
lighter
cas-
cades and scattered
peaks
of water
gradually ap-
proaching
shore. And
finally gentle laps
of water
wash
up against
the beach.
(45)
Three
types
of water movement are
suggested
in the
dance,
according
to
Siegel:
"the swell and draw of the
tide,
the
cumulative force and burst of the
waves,
and the
surging
sub-
surface flow of flat calm"
(46).
On another
level, however,
the work
refers,
as Jowitt
says,
to the
"analogy
between the human
being
and universal
processes" (47).
A dance's references to the world
beyond
itself can occur
through
several "modes of
representation,"
according
to Susan Foster in
Reading Dancing,
each of
which,
"as it
signals worldly experience, implies
a stance toward the
world that is crucial to the dance's
meaning.
... In a dance
where the
trope
of
metaphor predominates,"
she
explains,
"the
dance functions as an
analogy
to the world .... The
choreographer's
task is to translate
worldly
events into move-
ment,
while the viewer's role is to find in the movement its
The harmonious
feeling
of the dance can be attributed,
according
to these theories, to the
symmetry
and balance of its
phrasing;
to the correlation between
stability, symmetry,
and
equilibrium,
or their inverse;
to the
spatial
and
dynamic
affinities;
and to the use of successive movement flow
through
the
body.
The
harmony
of formal
arrangement
is
further underscored
by
the intrinsic
significance
of the
grow-
ing
and
shrinking phrasing,
while the occasional "disharmo-
nies" of the
leaps
and falls serve to further our
appreciation
of
the overall harmonic tendencies.
Delsarte's theories about the different realms of movement
add a further dimension to the
interpretation
of Water
Study.
Delsarte divided the
body
and its
surrounding space
into zones
with
corresponding physical, emotional,
and
spiritual expres-
sion.
Generally,
the lower areas referred to the
physical plane
of
being
while the
upper
zone was
primarily spiritual.
The
upper body
and arms could
express
emotion or
spirituality
(44).
Water
Study begins
in the
physical zone,
but with
emotionally expressive
movements of the torso. It
progresses
steadily upward (see Rodiger's
chart of
levels), making
brief
forays
into the
spiritual
realm with
leaps
and
upward reaching
gestures,
and
finally subsiding again
in the
physical.
The fact
that most of the movement emanates from the center of the
body may
be a Delsartian clue to the emotional correlations-
as
opposed
to
spiritual
or
purely physical-that Humphrey
saw between the dance's movement and the human condition.
Metaphorical implications
of Water
Study may
also be
explored.
On one level the dance is
just
what the title
says-
a
study
of the action of
water,
translated into human move-
ment. Davis and Schmais offer a brief
interpretation
of the
action:
Low, calm swells of water first
appear. They gradu-
ally
increase in size and turbulence from
larger
swells
to
caps
to
clashing
currents to massive
breaking
waves.
There is a
"leveling
off' as the waves
spend
them-
selves in
long
rushes of current
(the
middle of the
dance),
then
they begin
to subside into
lighter
cas-
cades and scattered
peaks
of water
gradually ap-
proaching
shore. And
finally gentle laps
of water
wash
up against
the beach.
(45)
Three
types
of water movement are
suggested
in the
dance,
according
to
Siegel:
"the swell and draw of the
tide,
the
cumulative force and burst of the
waves,
and the
surging
sub-
surface flow of flat calm"
(46).
On another
level, however,
the work
refers,
as Jowitt
says,
to the
"analogy
between the human
being
and universal
processes" (47).
A dance's references to the world
beyond
itself can occur
through
several "modes of
representation,"
according
to Susan Foster in
Reading Dancing,
each of
which,
"as it
signals worldly experience, implies
a stance toward the
world that is crucial to the dance's
meaning.
... In a dance
where the
trope
of
metaphor predominates,"
she
explains,
"the
dance functions as an
analogy
to the world .... The
choreographer's
task is to translate
worldly
events into move-
ment,
while the viewer's role is to find in the movement its
allegorical significance" (48).
Musician Louis
Horst, formerly
with Denishawn and in
allegorical significance" (48).
Musician Louis
Horst, formerly
with Denishawn and in
allegorical significance" (48).
Musician Louis
Horst, formerly
with Denishawn and in
allegorical significance" (48).
Musician Louis
Horst, formerly
with Denishawn and in
allegorical significance" (48).
Musician Louis
Horst, formerly
with Denishawn and in
allegorical significance" (48).
Musician Louis
Horst, formerly
with Denishawn and in
allegorical significance" (48).
Musician Louis
Horst, formerly
with Denishawn and in
allegorical significance" (48).
Musician Louis
Horst, formerly
with Denishawn and in
allegorical significance" (48).
Musician Louis
Horst, formerly
with Denishawn and in
allegorical significance" (48).
Musician Louis
Horst, formerly
with Denishawn and in
allegorical significance" (48).
Musician Louis
Horst, formerly
with Denishawn and in
Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
7 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
7 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
7 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
7 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
7 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
7 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
7 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
7 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
7 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
7 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
7
1928
working
with Martha Graham and
teaching
dance com-
position
at New York's
Neighborhood Playhouse,
used "real-
istic
gesture
or
posture...
as a
point
of
departure
on which to
construct a
poetic metaphor" (49).
In Water
Study,
the
metaphor
of water movement can be looked at as
relating
to
emotion as well as to the swell and ebb of
organic processes.
"Humphrey,"
notes
Siegel,
"told critic
Margaret Lloyd
that
she
began
'with human
feeling
... with
body
movement and
its momentum in relation to the
psyche
and to
gravity,
and as
it
developed
the movements took on the form and
tempo
of
moving
water"'
(50).
The sources of
Humphrey's
movement "were the
animating
life forces of the
body itself-breath,
tension and
relaxation,
balance and
imbalance,
stasis and
flow,"
according
to Marcia
Siegel. "By rebalancing
and
counterposing
these
forces,
the
dancer can create states of
great suspense, risk,
and calm.
Doris
thought
this was the
process
of life and also-intensi-
fied-the
process
of dance"
(51).
Still another element is added to the
interpretation
of the
dance if the historical context of the work is considered in
terms of how
prevalent
ideas
may
have influenced the use of
theatrical elements as well as the
choreography.
Most notice-
able, perhaps,
is the difference in both movement
vocabulary
and thematic material from that which had
preceded Humphrey'
s
work:
They
all look
very
different from the Denishawn/
Duncan work .... There are no traces of the
secondhand balleticism or the formless
expressivity
we associate with the earliest American dancers ....
[W]e
see Graham, Humphrey,
and Tamiris
setting
out
to visualize
clear, unexplored
ideas and
forms,
and
devising languages through
which those ideas could
be
conveyed.
What is
perhaps
most
striking
about
these dances is that
they
all
employ
the dancer
nonrepresentationally. (52)
Along
with a reaction to the dance world at the
time,
there
were other influences on these
early choreographers'
works.
Deborah Jowitt identifies social
forces,
ideas in the air which
concerned all
artists,
and which would have
guided
choreo-
graphic
choices. In
1968,
Jowitt wrote of Water
Study,
"Although
the dance is free and
simple,
the
stage
is
tightly,
often
symmetrically organized.
Those were the
days
when it
was
up
to art to affirm and enhance order and
rationality
in
nature"
(53).
Jowitt
gives
fuller consideration to the social forces under-
lying
the era in her book Time and the
Dancing Image. Placing
Humphrey's
Water
Study
in a
chapter
on
"Group Spirits,"
Jowitt notes the collectivism that
pervaded
the arts as dancers
and other artists considered the role of the individual as a
contributing
member of
society.
A concern of
many choreogra-
phers
in the late 1920s and
early
1930s "was to articulate the
impact
of the individual on
society
and vice versa"
(54).
Jowitt cites two letters
Humphrey
wrote in 1929 which en-
capsulate
the
pull
between individual and
group:
I want to visualize with it the visions and dreams that
1928
working
with Martha Graham and
teaching
dance com-
position
at New York's
Neighborhood Playhouse,
used "real-
istic
gesture
or
posture...
as a
point
of
departure
on which to
construct a
poetic metaphor" (49).
In Water
Study,
the
metaphor
of water movement can be looked at as
relating
to
emotion as well as to the swell and ebb of
organic processes.
"Humphrey,"
notes
Siegel,
"told critic
Margaret Lloyd
that
she
began
'with human
feeling
... with
body
movement and
its momentum in relation to the
psyche
and to
gravity,
and as
it
developed
the movements took on the form and
tempo
of
moving
water"'
(50).
The sources of
Humphrey's
movement "were the
animating
life forces of the
body itself-breath,
tension and
relaxation,
balance and
imbalance,
stasis and
flow,"
according
to Marcia
Siegel. "By rebalancing
and
counterposing
these
forces,
the
dancer can create states of
great suspense, risk,
and calm.
Doris
thought
this was the
process
of life and also-intensi-
fied-the
process
of dance"
(51).
Still another element is added to the
interpretation
of the
dance if the historical context of the work is considered in
terms of how
prevalent
ideas
may
have influenced the use of
theatrical elements as well as the
choreography.
Most notice-
able, perhaps,
is the difference in both movement
vocabulary
and thematic material from that which had
preceded Humphrey'
s
work:
They
all look
very
different from the Denishawn/
Duncan work .... There are no traces of the
secondhand balleticism or the formless
expressivity
we associate with the earliest American dancers ....
[W]e
see Graham, Humphrey,
and Tamiris
setting
out
to visualize
clear, unexplored
ideas and
forms,
and
devising languages through
which those ideas could
be
conveyed.
What is
perhaps
most
striking
about
these dances is that
they
all
employ
the dancer
nonrepresentationally. (52)
Along
with a reaction to the dance world at the
time,
there
were other influences on these
early choreographers'
works.
Deborah Jowitt identifies social
forces,
ideas in the air which
concerned all
artists,
and which would have
guided
choreo-
graphic
choices. In
1968,
Jowitt wrote of Water
Study,
"Although
the dance is free and
simple,
the
stage
is
tightly,
often
symmetrically organized.
Those were the
days
when it
was
up
to art to affirm and enhance order and
rationality
in
nature"
(53).
Jowitt
gives
fuller consideration to the social forces under-
lying
the era in her book Time and the
Dancing Image. Placing
Humphrey's
Water
Study
in a
chapter
on
"Group Spirits,"
Jowitt notes the collectivism that
pervaded
the arts as dancers
and other artists considered the role of the individual as a
contributing
member of
society.
A concern of
many choreogra-
phers
in the late 1920s and
early
1930s "was to articulate the
impact
of the individual on
society
and vice versa"
(54).
Jowitt cites two letters
Humphrey
wrote in 1929 which en-
capsulate
the
pull
between individual and
group:
I want to visualize with it the visions and dreams that
1928
working
with Martha Graham and
teaching
dance com-
position
at New York's
Neighborhood Playhouse,
used "real-
istic
gesture
or
posture...
as a
point
of
departure
on which to
construct a
poetic metaphor" (49).
In Water
Study,
the
metaphor
of water movement can be looked at as
relating
to
emotion as well as to the swell and ebb of
organic processes.
"Humphrey,"
notes
Siegel,
"told critic
Margaret Lloyd
that
she
began
'with human
feeling
... with
body
movement and
its momentum in relation to the
psyche
and to
gravity,
and as
it
developed
the movements took on the form and
tempo
of
moving
water"'
(50).
The sources of
Humphrey's
movement "were the
animating
life forces of the
body itself-breath,
tension and
relaxation,
balance and
imbalance,
stasis and
flow,"
according
to Marcia
Siegel. "By rebalancing
and
counterposing
these
forces,
the
dancer can create states of
great suspense, risk,
and calm.
Doris
thought
this was the
process
of life and also-intensi-
fied-the
process
of dance"
(51).
Still another element is added to the
interpretation
of the
dance if the historical context of the work is considered in
terms of how
prevalent
ideas
may
have influenced the use of
theatrical elements as well as the
choreography.
Most notice-
able, perhaps,
is the difference in both movement
vocabulary
and thematic material from that which had
preceded Humphrey'
s
work:
They
all look
very
different from the Denishawn/
Duncan work .... There are no traces of the
secondhand balleticism or the formless
expressivity
we associate with the earliest American dancers ....
[W]e
see Graham, Humphrey,
and Tamiris
setting
out
to visualize
clear, unexplored
ideas and
forms,
and
devising languages through
which those ideas could
be
conveyed.
What is
perhaps
most
striking
about
these dances is that
they
all
employ
the dancer
nonrepresentationally. (52)
Along
with a reaction to the dance world at the
time,
there
were other influences on these
early choreographers'
works.
Deborah Jowitt identifies social
forces,
ideas in the air which
concerned all
artists,
and which would have
guided
choreo-
graphic
choices. In
1968,
Jowitt wrote of Water
Study,
"Although
the dance is free and
simple,
the
stage
is
tightly,
often
symmetrically organized.
Those were the
days
when it
was
up
to art to affirm and enhance order and
rationality
in
nature"
(53).
Jowitt
gives
fuller consideration to the social forces under-
lying
the era in her book Time and the
Dancing Image. Placing
Humphrey's
Water
Study
in a
chapter
on
"Group Spirits,"
Jowitt notes the collectivism that
pervaded
the arts as dancers
and other artists considered the role of the individual as a
contributing
member of
society.
A concern of
many choreogra-
phers
in the late 1920s and
early
1930s "was to articulate the
impact
of the individual on
society
and vice versa"
(54).
Jowitt cites two letters
Humphrey
wrote in 1929 which en-
capsulate
the
pull
between individual and
group:
I want to visualize with it the visions and dreams that
1928
working
with Martha Graham and
teaching
dance com-
position
at New York's
Neighborhood Playhouse,
used "real-
istic
gesture
or
posture...
as a
point
of
departure
on which to
construct a
poetic metaphor" (49).
In Water
Study,
the
metaphor
of water movement can be looked at as
relating
to
emotion as well as to the swell and ebb of
organic processes.
"Humphrey,"
notes
Siegel,
"told critic
Margaret Lloyd
that
she
began
'with human
feeling
... with
body
movement and
its momentum in relation to the
psyche
and to
gravity,
and as
it
developed
the movements took on the form and
tempo
of
moving
water"'
(50).
The sources of
Humphrey's
movement "were the
animating
life forces of the
body itself-breath,
tension and
relaxation,
balance and
imbalance,
stasis and
flow,"
according
to Marcia
Siegel. "By rebalancing
and
counterposing
these
forces,
the
dancer can create states of
great suspense, risk,
and calm.
Doris
thought
this was the
process
of life and also-intensi-
fied-the
process
of dance"
(51).
Still another element is added to the
interpretation
of the
dance if the historical context of the work is considered in
terms of how
prevalent
ideas
may
have influenced the use of
theatrical elements as well as the
choreography.
Most notice-
able, perhaps,
is the difference in both movement
vocabulary
and thematic material from that which had
preceded Humphrey'
s
work:
They
all look
very
different from the Denishawn/
Duncan work .... There are no traces of the
secondhand balleticism or the formless
expressivity
we associate with the earliest American dancers ....
[W]e
see Graham, Humphrey,
and Tamiris
setting
out
to visualize
clear, unexplored
ideas and
forms,
and
devising languages through
which those ideas could
be
conveyed.
What is
perhaps
most
striking
about
these dances is that
they
all
employ
the dancer
nonrepresentationally. (52)
Along
with a reaction to the dance world at the
time,
there
were other influences on these
early choreographers'
works.
Deborah Jowitt identifies social
forces,
ideas in the air which
concerned all
artists,
and which would have
guided
choreo-
graphic
choices. In
1968,
Jowitt wrote of Water
Study,
"Although
the dance is free and
simple,
the
stage
is
tightly,
often
symmetrically organized.
Those were the
days
when it
was
up
to art to affirm and enhance order and
rationality
in
nature"
(53).
Jowitt
gives
fuller consideration to the social forces under-
lying
the era in her book Time and the
Dancing Image. Placing
Humphrey's
Water
Study
in a
chapter
on
"Group Spirits,"
Jowitt notes the collectivism that
pervaded
the arts as dancers
and other artists considered the role of the individual as a
contributing
member of
society.
A concern of
many choreogra-
phers
in the late 1920s and
early
1930s "was to articulate the
impact
of the individual on
society
and vice versa"
(54).
Jowitt cites two letters
Humphrey
wrote in 1929 which en-
capsulate
the
pull
between individual and
group:
I want to visualize with it the visions and dreams that
1928
working
with Martha Graham and
teaching
dance com-
position
at New York's
Neighborhood Playhouse,
used "real-
istic
gesture
or
posture...
as a
point
of
departure
on which to
construct a
poetic metaphor" (49).
In Water
Study,
the
metaphor
of water movement can be looked at as
relating
to
emotion as well as to the swell and ebb of
organic processes.
"Humphrey,"
notes
Siegel,
"told critic
Margaret Lloyd
that
she
began
'with human
feeling
... with
body
movement and
its momentum in relation to the
psyche
and to
gravity,
and as
it
developed
the movements took on the form and
tempo
of
moving
water"'
(50).
The sources of
Humphrey's
movement "were the
animating
life forces of the
body itself-breath,
tension and
relaxation,
balance and
imbalance,
stasis and
flow,"
according
to Marcia
Siegel. "By rebalancing
and
counterposing
these
forces,
the
dancer can create states of
great suspense, risk,
and calm.
Doris
thought
this was the
process
of life and also-intensi-
fied-the
process
of dance"
(51).
Still another element is added to the
interpretation
of the
dance if the historical context of the work is considered in
terms of how
prevalent
ideas
may
have influenced the use of
theatrical elements as well as the
choreography.
Most notice-
able, perhaps,
is the difference in both movement
vocabulary
and thematic material from that which had
preceded Humphrey'
s
work:
They
all look
very
different from the Denishawn/
Duncan work .... There are no traces of the
secondhand balleticism or the formless
expressivity
we associate with the earliest American dancers ....
[W]e
see Graham, Humphrey,
and Tamiris
setting
out
to visualize
clear, unexplored
ideas and
forms,
and
devising languages through
which those ideas could
be
conveyed.
What is
perhaps
most
striking
about
these dances is that
they
all
employ
the dancer
nonrepresentationally. (52)
Along
with a reaction to the dance world at the
time,
there
were other influences on these
early choreographers'
works.
Deborah Jowitt identifies social
forces,
ideas in the air which
concerned all
artists,
and which would have
guided
choreo-
graphic
choices. In
1968,
Jowitt wrote of Water
Study,
"Although
the dance is free and
simple,
the
stage
is
tightly,
often
symmetrically organized.
Those were the
days
when it
was
up
to art to affirm and enhance order and
rationality
in
nature"
(53).
Jowitt
gives
fuller consideration to the social forces under-
lying
the era in her book Time and the
Dancing Image. Placing
Humphrey's
Water
Study
in a
chapter
on
"Group Spirits,"
Jowitt notes the collectivism that
pervaded
the arts as dancers
and other artists considered the role of the individual as a
contributing
member of
society.
A concern of
many choreogra-
phers
in the late 1920s and
early
1930s "was to articulate the
impact
of the individual on
society
and vice versa"
(54).
Jowitt cites two letters
Humphrey
wrote in 1929 which en-
capsulate
the
pull
between individual and
group:
I want to visualize with it the visions and dreams that
1928
working
with Martha Graham and
teaching
dance com-
position
at New York's
Neighborhood Playhouse,
used "real-
istic
gesture
or
posture...
as a
point
of
departure
on which to
construct a
poetic metaphor" (49).
In Water
Study,
the
metaphor
of water movement can be looked at as
relating
to
emotion as well as to the swell and ebb of
organic processes.
"Humphrey,"
notes
Siegel,
"told critic
Margaret Lloyd
that
she
began
'with human
feeling
... with
body
movement and
its momentum in relation to the
psyche
and to
gravity,
and as
it
developed
the movements took on the form and
tempo
of
moving
water"'
(50).
The sources of
Humphrey's
movement "were the
animating
life forces of the
body itself-breath,
tension and
relaxation,
balance and
imbalance,
stasis and
flow,"
according
to Marcia
Siegel. "By rebalancing
and
counterposing
these
forces,
the
dancer can create states of
great suspense, risk,
and calm.
Doris
thought
this was the
process
of life and also-intensi-
fied-the
process
of dance"
(51).
Still another element is added to the
interpretation
of the
dance if the historical context of the work is considered in
terms of how
prevalent
ideas
may
have influenced the use of
theatrical elements as well as the
choreography.
Most notice-
able, perhaps,
is the difference in both movement
vocabulary
and thematic material from that which had
preceded Humphrey'
s
work:
They
all look
very
different from the Denishawn/
Duncan work .... There are no traces of the
secondhand balleticism or the formless
expressivity
we associate with the earliest American dancers ....
[W]e
see Graham, Humphrey,
and Tamiris
setting
out
to visualize
clear, unexplored
ideas and
forms,
and
devising languages through
which those ideas could
be
conveyed.
What is
perhaps
most
striking
about
these dances is that
they
all
employ
the dancer
nonrepresentationally. (52)
Along
with a reaction to the dance world at the
time,
there
were other influences on these
early choreographers'
works.
Deborah Jowitt identifies social
forces,
ideas in the air which
concerned all
artists,
and which would have
guided
choreo-
graphic
choices. In
1968,
Jowitt wrote of Water
Study,
"Although
the dance is free and
simple,
the
stage
is
tightly,
often
symmetrically organized.
Those were the
days
when it
was
up
to art to affirm and enhance order and
rationality
in
nature"
(53).
Jowitt
gives
fuller consideration to the social forces under-
lying
the era in her book Time and the
Dancing Image. Placing
Humphrey's
Water
Study
in a
chapter
on
"Group Spirits,"
Jowitt notes the collectivism that
pervaded
the arts as dancers
and other artists considered the role of the individual as a
contributing
member of
society.
A concern of
many choreogra-
phers
in the late 1920s and
early
1930s "was to articulate the
impact
of the individual on
society
and vice versa"
(54).
Jowitt cites two letters
Humphrey
wrote in 1929 which en-
capsulate
the
pull
between individual and
group:
I want to visualize with it the visions and dreams that
1928
working
with Martha Graham and
teaching
dance com-
position
at New York's
Neighborhood Playhouse,
used "real-
istic
gesture
or
posture...
as a
point
of
departure
on which to
construct a
poetic metaphor" (49).
In Water
Study,
the
metaphor
of water movement can be looked at as
relating
to
emotion as well as to the swell and ebb of
organic processes.
"Humphrey,"
notes
Siegel,
"told critic
Margaret Lloyd
that
she
began
'with human
feeling
... with
body
movement and
its momentum in relation to the
psyche
and to
gravity,
and as
it
developed
the movements took on the form and
tempo
of
moving
water"'
(50).
The sources of
Humphrey's
movement "were the
animating
life forces of the
body itself-breath,
tension and
relaxation,
balance and
imbalance,
stasis and
flow,"
according
to Marcia
Siegel. "By rebalancing
and
counterposing
these
forces,
the
dancer can create states of
great suspense, risk,
and calm.
Doris
thought
this was the
process
of life and also-intensi-
fied-the
process
of dance"
(51).
Still another element is added to the
interpretation
of the
dance if the historical context of the work is considered in
terms of how
prevalent
ideas
may
have influenced the use of
theatrical elements as well as the
choreography.
Most notice-
able, perhaps,
is the difference in both movement
vocabulary
and thematic material from that which had
preceded Humphrey'
s
work:
They
all look
very
different from the Denishawn/
Duncan work .... There are no traces of the
secondhand balleticism or the formless
expressivity
we associate with the earliest American dancers ....
[W]e
see Graham, Humphrey,
and Tamiris
setting
out
to visualize
clear, unexplored
ideas and
forms,
and
devising languages through
which those ideas could
be
conveyed.
What is
perhaps
most
striking
about
these dances is that
they
all
employ
the dancer
nonrepresentationally. (52)
Along
with a reaction to the dance world at the
time,
there
were other influences on these
early choreographers'
works.
Deborah Jowitt identifies social
forces,
ideas in the air which
concerned all
artists,
and which would have
guided
choreo-
graphic
choices. In
1968,
Jowitt wrote of Water
Study,
"Although
the dance is free and
simple,
the
stage
is
tightly,
often
symmetrically organized.
Those were the
days
when it
was
up
to art to affirm and enhance order and
rationality
in
nature"
(53).
Jowitt
gives
fuller consideration to the social forces under-
lying
the era in her book Time and the
Dancing Image. Placing
Humphrey's
Water
Study
in a
chapter
on
"Group Spirits,"
Jowitt notes the collectivism that
pervaded
the arts as dancers
and other artists considered the role of the individual as a
contributing
member of
society.
A concern of
many choreogra-
phers
in the late 1920s and
early
1930s "was to articulate the
impact
of the individual on
society
and vice versa"
(54).
Jowitt cites two letters
Humphrey
wrote in 1929 which en-
capsulate
the
pull
between individual and
group:
I want to visualize with it the visions and dreams that
1928
working
with Martha Graham and
teaching
dance com-
position
at New York's
Neighborhood Playhouse,
used "real-
istic
gesture
or
posture...
as a
point
of
departure
on which to
construct a
poetic metaphor" (49).
In Water
Study,
the
metaphor
of water movement can be looked at as
relating
to
emotion as well as to the swell and ebb of
organic processes.
"Humphrey,"
notes
Siegel,
"told critic
Margaret Lloyd
that
she
began
'with human
feeling
... with
body
movement and
its momentum in relation to the
psyche
and to
gravity,
and as
it
developed
the movements took on the form and
tempo
of
moving
water"'
(50).
The sources of
Humphrey's
movement "were the
animating
life forces of the
body itself-breath,
tension and
relaxation,
balance and
imbalance,
stasis and
flow,"
according
to Marcia
Siegel. "By rebalancing
and
counterposing
these
forces,
the
dancer can create states of
great suspense, risk,
and calm.
Doris
thought
this was the
process
of life and also-intensi-
fied-the
process
of dance"
(51).
Still another element is added to the
interpretation
of the
dance if the historical context of the work is considered in
terms of how
prevalent
ideas
may
have influenced the use of
theatrical elements as well as the
choreography.
Most notice-
able, perhaps,
is the difference in both movement
vocabulary
and thematic material from that which had
preceded Humphrey'
s
work:
They
all look
very
different from the Denishawn/
Duncan work .... There are no traces of the
secondhand balleticism or the formless
expressivity
we associate with the earliest American dancers ....
[W]e
see Graham, Humphrey,
and Tamiris
setting
out
to visualize
clear, unexplored
ideas and
forms,
and
devising languages through
which those ideas could
be
conveyed.
What is
perhaps
most
striking
about
these dances is that
they
all
employ
the dancer
nonrepresentationally. (52)
Along
with a reaction to the dance world at the
time,
there
were other influences on these
early choreographers'
works.
Deborah Jowitt identifies social
forces,
ideas in the air which
concerned all
artists,
and which would have
guided
choreo-
graphic
choices. In
1968,
Jowitt wrote of Water
Study,
"Although
the dance is free and
simple,
the
stage
is
tightly,
often
symmetrically organized.
Those were the
days
when it
was
up
to art to affirm and enhance order and
rationality
in
nature"
(53).
Jowitt
gives
fuller consideration to the social forces under-
lying
the era in her book Time and the
Dancing Image. Placing
Humphrey's
Water
Study
in a
chapter
on
"Group Spirits,"
Jowitt notes the collectivism that
pervaded
the arts as dancers
and other artists considered the role of the individual as a
contributing
member of
society.
A concern of
many choreogra-
phers
in the late 1920s and
early
1930s "was to articulate the
impact
of the individual on
society
and vice versa"
(54).
Jowitt cites two letters
Humphrey
wrote in 1929 which en-
capsulate
the
pull
between individual and
group:
I want to visualize with it the visions and dreams that
1928
working
with Martha Graham and
teaching
dance com-
position
at New York's
Neighborhood Playhouse,
used "real-
istic
gesture
or
posture...
as a
point
of
departure
on which to
construct a
poetic metaphor" (49).
In Water
Study,
the
metaphor
of water movement can be looked at as
relating
to
emotion as well as to the swell and ebb of
organic processes.
"Humphrey,"
notes
Siegel,
"told critic
Margaret Lloyd
that
she
began
'with human
feeling
... with
body
movement and
its momentum in relation to the
psyche
and to
gravity,
and as
it
developed
the movements took on the form and
tempo
of
moving
water"'
(50).
The sources of
Humphrey's
movement "were the
animating
life forces of the
body itself-breath,
tension and
relaxation,
balance and
imbalance,
stasis and
flow,"
according
to Marcia
Siegel. "By rebalancing
and
counterposing
these
forces,
the
dancer can create states of
great suspense, risk,
and calm.
Doris
thought
this was the
process
of life and also-intensi-
fied-the
process
of dance"
(51).
Still another element is added to the
interpretation
of the
dance if the historical context of the work is considered in
terms of how
prevalent
ideas
may
have influenced the use of
theatrical elements as well as the
choreography.
Most notice-
able, perhaps,
is the difference in both movement
vocabulary
and thematic material from that which had
preceded Humphrey'
s
work:
They
all look
very
different from the Denishawn/
Duncan work .... There are no traces of the
secondhand balleticism or the formless
expressivity
we associate with the earliest American dancers ....
[W]e
see Graham, Humphrey,
and Tamiris
setting
out
to visualize
clear, unexplored
ideas and
forms,
and
devising languages through
which those ideas could
be
conveyed.
What is
perhaps
most
striking
about
these dances is that
they
all
employ
the dancer
nonrepresentationally. (52)
Along
with a reaction to the dance world at the
time,
there
were other influences on these
early choreographers'
works.
Deborah Jowitt identifies social
forces,
ideas in the air which
concerned all
artists,
and which would have
guided
choreo-
graphic
choices. In
1968,
Jowitt wrote of Water
Study,
"Although
the dance is free and
simple,
the
stage
is
tightly,
often
symmetrically organized.
Those were the
days
when it
was
up
to art to affirm and enhance order and
rationality
in
nature"
(53).
Jowitt
gives
fuller consideration to the social forces under-
lying
the era in her book Time and the
Dancing Image. Placing
Humphrey's
Water
Study
in a
chapter
on
"Group Spirits,"
Jowitt notes the collectivism that
pervaded
the arts as dancers
and other artists considered the role of the individual as a
contributing
member of
society.
A concern of
many choreogra-
phers
in the late 1920s and
early
1930s "was to articulate the
impact
of the individual on
society
and vice versa"
(54).
Jowitt cites two letters
Humphrey
wrote in 1929 which en-
capsulate
the
pull
between individual and
group:
I want to visualize with it the visions and dreams that
1928
working
with Martha Graham and
teaching
dance com-
position
at New York's
Neighborhood Playhouse,
used "real-
istic
gesture
or
posture...
as a
point
of
departure
on which to
construct a
poetic metaphor" (49).
In Water
Study,
the
metaphor
of water movement can be looked at as
relating
to
emotion as well as to the swell and ebb of
organic processes.
"Humphrey,"
notes
Siegel,
"told critic
Margaret Lloyd
that
she
began
'with human
feeling
... with
body
movement and
its momentum in relation to the
psyche
and to
gravity,
and as
it
developed
the movements took on the form and
tempo
of
moving
water"'
(50).
The sources of
Humphrey's
movement "were the
animating
life forces of the
body itself-breath,
tension and
relaxation,
balance and
imbalance,
stasis and
flow,"
according
to Marcia
Siegel. "By rebalancing
and
counterposing
these
forces,
the
dancer can create states of
great suspense, risk,
and calm.
Doris
thought
this was the
process
of life and also-intensi-
fied-the
process
of dance"
(51).
Still another element is added to the
interpretation
of the
dance if the historical context of the work is considered in
terms of how
prevalent
ideas
may
have influenced the use of
theatrical elements as well as the
choreography.
Most notice-
able, perhaps,
is the difference in both movement
vocabulary
and thematic material from that which had
preceded Humphrey'
s
work:
They
all look
very
different from the Denishawn/
Duncan work .... There are no traces of the
secondhand balleticism or the formless
expressivity
we associate with the earliest American dancers ....
[W]e
see Graham, Humphrey,
and Tamiris
setting
out
to visualize
clear, unexplored
ideas and
forms,
and
devising languages through
which those ideas could
be
conveyed.
What is
perhaps
most
striking
about
these dances is that
they
all
employ
the dancer
nonrepresentationally. (52)
Along
with a reaction to the dance world at the
time,
there
were other influences on these
early choreographers'
works.
Deborah Jowitt identifies social
forces,
ideas in the air which
concerned all
artists,
and which would have
guided
choreo-
graphic
choices. In
1968,
Jowitt wrote of Water
Study,
"Although
the dance is free and
simple,
the
stage
is
tightly,
often
symmetrically organized.
Those were the
days
when it
was
up
to art to affirm and enhance order and
rationality
in
nature"
(53).
Jowitt
gives
fuller consideration to the social forces under-
lying
the era in her book Time and the
Dancing Image. Placing
Humphrey's
Water
Study
in a
chapter
on
"Group Spirits,"
Jowitt notes the collectivism that
pervaded
the arts as dancers
and other artists considered the role of the individual as a
contributing
member of
society.
A concern of
many choreogra-
phers
in the late 1920s and
early
1930s "was to articulate the
impact
of the individual on
society
and vice versa"
(54).
Jowitt cites two letters
Humphrey
wrote in 1929 which en-
capsulate
the
pull
between individual and
group:
I want to visualize with it the visions and dreams that
1928
working
with Martha Graham and
teaching
dance com-
position
at New York's
Neighborhood Playhouse,
used "real-
istic
gesture
or
posture...
as a
point
of
departure
on which to
construct a
poetic metaphor" (49).
In Water
Study,
the
metaphor
of water movement can be looked at as
relating
to
emotion as well as to the swell and ebb of
organic processes.
"Humphrey,"
notes
Siegel,
"told critic
Margaret Lloyd
that
she
began
'with human
feeling
... with
body
movement and
its momentum in relation to the
psyche
and to
gravity,
and as
it
developed
the movements took on the form and
tempo
of
moving
water"'
(50).
The sources of
Humphrey's
movement "were the
animating
life forces of the
body itself-breath,
tension and
relaxation,
balance and
imbalance,
stasis and
flow,"
according
to Marcia
Siegel. "By rebalancing
and
counterposing
these
forces,
the
dancer can create states of
great suspense, risk,
and calm.
Doris
thought
this was the
process
of life and also-intensi-
fied-the
process
of dance"
(51).
Still another element is added to the
interpretation
of the
dance if the historical context of the work is considered in
terms of how
prevalent
ideas
may
have influenced the use of
theatrical elements as well as the
choreography.
Most notice-
able, perhaps,
is the difference in both movement
vocabulary
and thematic material from that which had
preceded Humphrey'
s
work:
They
all look
very
different from the Denishawn/
Duncan work .... There are no traces of the
secondhand balleticism or the formless
expressivity
we associate with the earliest American dancers ....
[W]e
see Graham, Humphrey,
and Tamiris
setting
out
to visualize
clear, unexplored
ideas and
forms,
and
devising languages through
which those ideas could
be
conveyed.
What is
perhaps
most
striking
about
these dances is that
they
all
employ
the dancer
nonrepresentationally. (52)
Along
with a reaction to the dance world at the
time,
there
were other influences on these
early choreographers'
works.
Deborah Jowitt identifies social
forces,
ideas in the air which
concerned all
artists,
and which would have
guided
choreo-
graphic
choices. In
1968,
Jowitt wrote of Water
Study,
"Although
the dance is free and
simple,
the
stage
is
tightly,
often
symmetrically organized.
Those were the
days
when it
was
up
to art to affirm and enhance order and
rationality
in
nature"
(53).
Jowitt
gives
fuller consideration to the social forces under-
lying
the era in her book Time and the
Dancing Image. Placing
Humphrey's
Water
Study
in a
chapter
on
"Group Spirits,"
Jowitt notes the collectivism that
pervaded
the arts as dancers
and other artists considered the role of the individual as a
contributing
member of
society.
A concern of
many choreogra-
phers
in the late 1920s and
early
1930s "was to articulate the
impact
of the individual on
society
and vice versa"
(54).
Jowitt cites two letters
Humphrey
wrote in 1929 which en-
capsulate
the
pull
between individual and
group:
I want to visualize with it the visions and dreams that
make
up
the entire
impetus
and desire of
my
life. The make
up
the entire
impetus
and desire of
my
life. The make
up
the entire
impetus
and desire of
my
life. The make
up
the entire
impetus
and desire of
my
life. The make
up
the entire
impetus
and desire of
my
life. The make
up
the entire
impetus
and desire of
my
life. The make
up
the entire
impetus
and desire of
my
life. The make
up
the entire
impetus
and desire of
my
life. The make
up
the entire
impetus
and desire of
my
life. The make
up
the entire
impetus
and desire of
my
life. The make
up
the entire
impetus
and desire of
my
life. The
group
is
my medium, just
as marble is the
sculptor's
material.
I
try
to
encourage
them to be individuals-to move
and think
regardless
of me or
anyone
else-and then
in rehearsals it is
necessary
to contradict all that and
make them
acutely
aware of each
other,
so that
they
may
move in a common
rhythm. (55)
Although Humphrey
and Charles Weidman used men in
many
of their dances, Water
Study
is
performed by
women
only.
Jowitt comments on the role
gender played
in the
predominantly
female modern dance ensemble:
Maybe
these
choreographers
hadn't been able to find
men with fervor to match their women's.
Maybe they
didn't want them.
They
understood women and
women's bodies
because,
presumably, they
under-
stood themselves.
They
didn't need men
either,
since
courtship
was a theme the moderns
thought
had been
worked to death
by
ballet
choreographers.
The
strong
women stood for
Everyman. (56)
There are several views as to
why settings
and
costuming
were held to a minimum.
Humphrey's son, Charles Wood-
ford,
in an
open
letter to the Dance Notation Bureau on what
would have been
Humphrey's
ninetieth
birthday, wrote,
"Due
to economic
necessity,
all costumes were
originally
of the
simplest nature,
sets were minimal and
collapsible
because of
touring, backdrops infrequent,
and
lighting primitive by
con-
temporary
standards"
(57). Jowitt, however,
suggests
that the
modern dancers did
notjust
make a virtue of
necessity,
but that
ideological
factors were at work. "Theories about
form,
about
abstraction,
about what constituted a
contemporary style,"
Jowitt
writes,
"made an uncluttered look desirable . . .":
Modern Dance
dispensed
with locale. The
jagged
thrusts of
dancing,
the rush and swirl of the
group,
the
tensions that shot between forces created a
landscape
shaped entirely by
movement and the intent behind it
....
Bold, astutely
chosen
gestures
linked the modern
dancers with
large impulses
like
vindictiveness,
de-
sire, celebration, protectiveness;
and what character-
ization there was
emerged through
the
shapes
and
rhythms
these
impulses imparted
to individual and
group. (58)
The late 1920s and
particularly
the 1930s
(which
Water
Study predated)
were
periods
of
political, social, economic,
and artistic ferment. The modern dancers were
part
of their
times, trying
to create a new role for dance that would be
capable
of
speaking forcefully
to the new ideals:
It was the so-called
pioneers
... who
forged
the new
image
of the dancer: a man or woman whose ideals
soar,
but whose feet are
planted firmly
on the common
soil;
one who
displays
a
physical daring
that is related
group
is
my medium, just
as marble is the
sculptor's
material.
I
try
to
encourage
them to be individuals-to move
and think
regardless
of me or
anyone
else-and then
in rehearsals it is
necessary
to contradict all that and
make them
acutely
aware of each
other,
so that
they
may
move in a common
rhythm. (55)
Although Humphrey
and Charles Weidman used men in
many
of their dances, Water
Study
is
performed by
women
only.
Jowitt comments on the role
gender played
in the
predominantly
female modern dance ensemble:
Maybe
these
choreographers
hadn't been able to find
men with fervor to match their women's.
Maybe they
didn't want them.
They
understood women and
women's bodies
because,
presumably, they
under-
stood themselves.
They
didn't need men
either,
since
courtship
was a theme the moderns
thought
had been
worked to death
by
ballet
choreographers.
The
strong
women stood for
Everyman. (56)
There are several views as to
why settings
and
costuming
were held to a minimum.
Humphrey's son, Charles Wood-
ford,
in an
open
letter to the Dance Notation Bureau on what
would have been
Humphrey's
ninetieth
birthday, wrote,
"Due
to economic
necessity,
all costumes were
originally
of the
simplest nature,
sets were minimal and
collapsible
because of
touring, backdrops infrequent,
and
lighting primitive by
con-
temporary
standards"
(57). Jowitt, however,
suggests
that the
modern dancers did
notjust
make a virtue of
necessity,
but that
ideological
factors were at work. "Theories about
form,
about
abstraction,
about what constituted a
contemporary style,"
Jowitt
writes,
"made an uncluttered look desirable . . .":
Modern Dance
dispensed
with locale. The
jagged
thrusts of
dancing,
the rush and swirl of the
group,
the
tensions that shot between forces created a
landscape
shaped entirely by
movement and the intent behind it
....
Bold, astutely
chosen
gestures
linked the modern
dancers with
large impulses
like
vindictiveness,
de-
sire, celebration, protectiveness;
and what character-
ization there was
emerged through
the
shapes
and
rhythms
these
impulses imparted
to individual and
group. (58)
The late 1920s and
particularly
the 1930s
(which
Water
Study predated)
were
periods
of
political, social, economic,
and artistic ferment. The modern dancers were
part
of their
times, trying
to create a new role for dance that would be
capable
of
speaking forcefully
to the new ideals:
It was the so-called
pioneers
... who
forged
the new
image
of the dancer: a man or woman whose ideals
soar,
but whose feet are
planted firmly
on the common
soil;
one who
displays
a
physical daring
that is related
group
is
my medium, just
as marble is the
sculptor's
material.
I
try
to
encourage
them to be individuals-to move
and think
regardless
of me or
anyone
else-and then
in rehearsals it is
necessary
to contradict all that and
make them
acutely
aware of each
other,
so that
they
may
move in a common
rhythm. (55)
Although Humphrey
and Charles Weidman used men in
many
of their dances, Water
Study
is
performed by
women
only.
Jowitt comments on the role
gender played
in the
predominantly
female modern dance ensemble:
Maybe
these
choreographers
hadn't been able to find
men with fervor to match their women's.
Maybe they
didn't want them.
They
understood women and
women's bodies
because,
presumably, they
under-
stood themselves.
They
didn't need men
either,
since
courtship
was a theme the moderns
thought
had been
worked to death
by
ballet
choreographers.
The
strong
women stood for
Everyman. (56)
There are several views as to
why settings
and
costuming
were held to a minimum.
Humphrey's son, Charles Wood-
ford,
in an
open
letter to the Dance Notation Bureau on what
would have been
Humphrey's
ninetieth
birthday, wrote,
"Due
to economic
necessity,
all costumes were
originally
of the
simplest nature,
sets were minimal and
collapsible
because of
touring, backdrops infrequent,
and
lighting primitive by
con-
temporary
standards"
(57). Jowitt, however,
suggests
that the
modern dancers did
notjust
make a virtue of
necessity,
but that
ideological
factors were at work. "Theories about
form,
about
abstraction,
about what constituted a
contemporary style,"
Jowitt
writes,
"made an uncluttered look desirable . . .":
Modern Dance
dispensed
with locale. The
jagged
thrusts of
dancing,
the rush and swirl of the
group,
the
tensions that shot between forces created a
landscape
shaped entirely by
movement and the intent behind it
....
Bold, astutely
chosen
gestures
linked the modern
dancers with
large impulses
like
vindictiveness,
de-
sire, celebration, protectiveness;
and what character-
ization there was
emerged through
the
shapes
and
rhythms
these
impulses imparted
to individual and
group. (58)
The late 1920s and
particularly
the 1930s
(which
Water
Study predated)
were
periods
of
political, social, economic,
and artistic ferment. The modern dancers were
part
of their
times, trying
to create a new role for dance that would be
capable
of
speaking forcefully
to the new ideals:
It was the so-called
pioneers
... who
forged
the new
image
of the dancer: a man or woman whose ideals
soar,
but whose feet are
planted firmly
on the common
soil;
one who
displays
a
physical daring
that is related
group
is
my medium, just
as marble is the
sculptor's
material.
I
try
to
encourage
them to be individuals-to move
and think
regardless
of me or
anyone
else-and then
in rehearsals it is
necessary
to contradict all that and
make them
acutely
aware of each
other,
so that
they
may
move in a common
rhythm. (55)
Although Humphrey
and Charles Weidman used men in
many
of their dances, Water
Study
is
performed by
women
only.
Jowitt comments on the role
gender played
in the
predominantly
female modern dance ensemble:
Maybe
these
choreographers
hadn't been able to find
men with fervor to match their women's.
Maybe they
didn't want them.
They
understood women and
women's bodies
because,
presumably, they
under-
stood themselves.
They
didn't need men
either,
since
courtship
was a theme the moderns
thought
had been
worked to death
by
ballet
choreographers.
The
strong
women stood for
Everyman. (56)
There are several views as to
why settings
and
costuming
were held to a minimum.
Humphrey's son, Charles Wood-
ford,
in an
open
letter to the Dance Notation Bureau on what
would have been
Humphrey's
ninetieth
birthday, wrote,
"Due
to economic
necessity,
all costumes were
originally
of the
simplest nature,
sets were minimal and
collapsible
because of
touring, backdrops infrequent,
and
lighting primitive by
con-
temporary
standards"
(57). Jowitt, however,
suggests
that the
modern dancers did
notjust
make a virtue of
necessity,
but that
ideological
factors were at work. "Theories about
form,
about
abstraction,
about what constituted a
contemporary style,"
Jowitt
writes,
"made an uncluttered look desirable . . .":
Modern Dance
dispensed
with locale. The
jagged
thrusts of
dancing,
the rush and swirl of the
group,
the
tensions that shot between forces created a
landscape
shaped entirely by
movement and the intent behind it
....
Bold, astutely
chosen
gestures
linked the modern
dancers with
large impulses
like
vindictiveness,
de-
sire, celebration, protectiveness;
and what character-
ization there was
emerged through
the
shapes
and
rhythms
these
impulses imparted
to individual and
group. (58)
The late 1920s and
particularly
the 1930s
(which
Water
Study predated)
were
periods
of
political, social, economic,
and artistic ferment. The modern dancers were
part
of their
times, trying
to create a new role for dance that would be
capable
of
speaking forcefully
to the new ideals:
It was the so-called
pioneers
... who
forged
the new
image
of the dancer: a man or woman whose ideals
soar,
but whose feet are
planted firmly
on the common
soil;
one who
displays
a
physical daring
that is related
group
is
my medium, just
as marble is the
sculptor's
material.
I
try
to
encourage
them to be individuals-to move
and think
regardless
of me or
anyone
else-and then
in rehearsals it is
necessary
to contradict all that and
make them
acutely
aware of each
other,
so that
they
may
move in a common
rhythm. (55)
Although Humphrey
and Charles Weidman used men in
many
of their dances, Water
Study
is
performed by
women
only.
Jowitt comments on the role
gender played
in the
predominantly
female modern dance ensemble:
Maybe
these
choreographers
hadn't been able to find
men with fervor to match their women's.
Maybe they
didn't want them.
They
understood women and
women's bodies
because,
presumably, they
under-
stood themselves.
They
didn't need men
either,
since
courtship
was a theme the moderns
thought
had been
worked to death
by
ballet
choreographers.
The
strong
women stood for
Everyman. (56)
There are several views as to
why settings
and
costuming
were held to a minimum.
Humphrey's son, Charles Wood-
ford,
in an
open
letter to the Dance Notation Bureau on what
would have been
Humphrey's
ninetieth
birthday, wrote,
"Due
to economic
necessity,
all costumes were
originally
of the
simplest nature,
sets were minimal and
collapsible
because of
touring, backdrops infrequent,
and
lighting primitive by
con-
temporary
standards"
(57). Jowitt, however,
suggests
that the
modern dancers did
notjust
make a virtue of
necessity,
but that
ideological
factors were at work. "Theories about
form,
about
abstraction,
about what constituted a
contemporary style,"
Jowitt
writes,
"made an uncluttered look desirable . . .":
Modern Dance
dispensed
with locale. The
jagged
thrusts of
dancing,
the rush and swirl of the
group,
the
tensions that shot between forces created a
landscape
shaped entirely by
movement and the intent behind it
....
Bold, astutely
chosen
gestures
linked the modern
dancers with
large impulses
like
vindictiveness,
de-
sire, celebration, protectiveness;
and what character-
ization there was
emerged through
the
shapes
and
rhythms
these
impulses imparted
to individual and
group. (58)
The late 1920s and
particularly
the 1930s
(which
Water
Study predated)
were
periods
of
political, social, economic,
and artistic ferment. The modern dancers were
part
of their
times, trying
to create a new role for dance that would be
capable
of
speaking forcefully
to the new ideals:
It was the so-called
pioneers
... who
forged
the new
image
of the dancer: a man or woman whose ideals
soar,
but whose feet are
planted firmly
on the common
soil;
one who
displays
a
physical daring
that is related
group
is
my medium, just
as marble is the
sculptor's
material.
I
try
to
encourage
them to be individuals-to move
and think
regardless
of me or
anyone
else-and then
in rehearsals it is
necessary
to contradict all that and
make them
acutely
aware of each
other,
so that
they
may
move in a common
rhythm. (55)
Although Humphrey
and Charles Weidman used men in
many
of their dances, Water
Study
is
performed by
women
only.
Jowitt comments on the role
gender played
in the
predominantly
female modern dance ensemble:
Maybe
these
choreographers
hadn't been able to find
men with fervor to match their women's.
Maybe they
didn't want them.
They
understood women and
women's bodies
because,
presumably, they
under-
stood themselves.
They
didn't need men
either,
since
courtship
was a theme the moderns
thought
had been
worked to death
by
ballet
choreographers.
The
strong
women stood for
Everyman. (56)
There are several views as to
why settings
and
costuming
were held to a minimum.
Humphrey's son, Charles Wood-
ford,
in an
open
letter to the Dance Notation Bureau on what
would have been
Humphrey's
ninetieth
birthday, wrote,
"Due
to economic
necessity,
all costumes were
originally
of the
simplest nature,
sets were minimal and
collapsible
because of
touring, backdrops infrequent,
and
lighting primitive by
con-
temporary
standards"
(57). Jowitt, however,
suggests
that the
modern dancers did
notjust
make a virtue of
necessity,
but that
ideological
factors were at work. "Theories about
form,
about
abstraction,
about what constituted a
contemporary style,"
Jowitt
writes,
"made an uncluttered look desirable . . .":
Modern Dance
dispensed
with locale. The
jagged
thrusts of
dancing,
the rush and swirl of the
group,
the
tensions that shot between forces created a
landscape
shaped entirely by
movement and the intent behind it
....
Bold, astutely
chosen
gestures
linked the modern
dancers with
large impulses
like
vindictiveness,
de-
sire, celebration, protectiveness;
and what character-
ization there was
emerged through
the
shapes
and
rhythms
these
impulses imparted
to individual and
group. (58)
The late 1920s and
particularly
the 1930s
(which
Water
Study predated)
were
periods
of
political, social, economic,
and artistic ferment. The modern dancers were
part
of their
times, trying
to create a new role for dance that would be
capable
of
speaking forcefully
to the new ideals:
It was the so-called
pioneers
... who
forged
the new
image
of the dancer: a man or woman whose ideals
soar,
but whose feet are
planted firmly
on the common
soil;
one who
displays
a
physical daring
that is related
group
is
my medium, just
as marble is the
sculptor's
material.
I
try
to
encourage
them to be individuals-to move
and think
regardless
of me or
anyone
else-and then
in rehearsals it is
necessary
to contradict all that and
make them
acutely
aware of each
other,
so that
they
may
move in a common
rhythm. (55)
Although Humphrey
and Charles Weidman used men in
many
of their dances, Water
Study
is
performed by
women
only.
Jowitt comments on the role
gender played
in the
predominantly
female modern dance ensemble:
Maybe
these
choreographers
hadn't been able to find
men with fervor to match their women's.
Maybe they
didn't want them.
They
understood women and
women's bodies
because,
presumably, they
under-
stood themselves.
They
didn't need men
either,
since
courtship
was a theme the moderns
thought
had been
worked to death
by
ballet
choreographers.
The
strong
women stood for
Everyman. (56)
There are several views as to
why settings
and
costuming
were held to a minimum.
Humphrey's son, Charles Wood-
ford,
in an
open
letter to the Dance Notation Bureau on what
would have been
Humphrey's
ninetieth
birthday, wrote,
"Due
to economic
necessity,
all costumes were
originally
of the
simplest nature,
sets were minimal and
collapsible
because of
touring, backdrops infrequent,
and
lighting primitive by
con-
temporary
standards"
(57). Jowitt, however,
suggests
that the
modern dancers did
notjust
make a virtue of
necessity,
but that
ideological
factors were at work. "Theories about
form,
about
abstraction,
about what constituted a
contemporary style,"
Jowitt
writes,
"made an uncluttered look desirable . . .":
Modern Dance
dispensed
with locale. The
jagged
thrusts of
dancing,
the rush and swirl of the
group,
the
tensions that shot between forces created a
landscape
shaped entirely by
movement and the intent behind it
....
Bold, astutely
chosen
gestures
linked the modern
dancers with
large impulses
like
vindictiveness,
de-
sire, celebration, protectiveness;
and what character-
ization there was
emerged through
the
shapes
and
rhythms
these
impulses imparted
to individual and
group. (58)
The late 1920s and
particularly
the 1930s
(which
Water
Study predated)
were
periods
of
political, social, economic,
and artistic ferment. The modern dancers were
part
of their
times, trying
to create a new role for dance that would be
capable
of
speaking forcefully
to the new ideals:
It was the so-called
pioneers
... who
forged
the new
image
of the dancer: a man or woman whose ideals
soar,
but whose feet are
planted firmly
on the common
soil;
one who
displays
a
physical daring
that is related
group
is
my medium, just
as marble is the
sculptor's
material.
I
try
to
encourage
them to be individuals-to move
and think
regardless
of me or
anyone
else-and then
in rehearsals it is
necessary
to contradict all that and
make them
acutely
aware of each
other,
so that
they
may
move in a common
rhythm. (55)
Although Humphrey
and Charles Weidman used men in
many
of their dances, Water
Study
is
performed by
women
only.
Jowitt comments on the role
gender played
in the
predominantly
female modern dance ensemble:
Maybe
these
choreographers
hadn't been able to find
men with fervor to match their women's.
Maybe they
didn't want them.
They
understood women and
women's bodies
because,
presumably, they
under-
stood themselves.
They
didn't need men
either,
since
courtship
was a theme the moderns
thought
had been
worked to death
by
ballet
choreographers.
The
strong
women stood for
Everyman. (56)
There are several views as to
why settings
and
costuming
were held to a minimum.
Humphrey's son, Charles Wood-
ford,
in an
open
letter to the Dance Notation Bureau on what
would have been
Humphrey's
ninetieth
birthday, wrote,
"Due
to economic
necessity,
all costumes were
originally
of the
simplest nature,
sets were minimal and
collapsible
because of
touring, backdrops infrequent,
and
lighting primitive by
con-
temporary
standards"
(57). Jowitt, however,
suggests
that the
modern dancers did
notjust
make a virtue of
necessity,
but that
ideological
factors were at work. "Theories about
form,
about
abstraction,
about what constituted a
contemporary style,"
Jowitt
writes,
"made an uncluttered look desirable . . .":
Modern Dance
dispensed
with locale. The
jagged
thrusts of
dancing,
the rush and swirl of the
group,
the
tensions that shot between forces created a
landscape
shaped entirely by
movement and the intent behind it
....
Bold, astutely
chosen
gestures
linked the modern
dancers with
large impulses
like
vindictiveness,
de-
sire, celebration, protectiveness;
and what character-
ization there was
emerged through
the
shapes
and
rhythms
these
impulses imparted
to individual and
group. (58)
The late 1920s and
particularly
the 1930s
(which
Water
Study predated)
were
periods
of
political, social, economic,
and artistic ferment. The modern dancers were
part
of their
times, trying
to create a new role for dance that would be
capable
of
speaking forcefully
to the new ideals:
It was the so-called
pioneers
... who
forged
the new
image
of the dancer: a man or woman whose ideals
soar,
but whose feet are
planted firmly
on the common
soil;
one who
displays
a
physical daring
that is related
group
is
my medium, just
as marble is the
sculptor's
material.
I
try
to
encourage
them to be individuals-to move
and think
regardless
of me or
anyone
else-and then
in rehearsals it is
necessary
to contradict all that and
make them
acutely
aware of each
other,
so that
they
may
move in a common
rhythm. (55)
Although Humphrey
and Charles Weidman used men in
many
of their dances, Water
Study
is
performed by
women
only.
Jowitt comments on the role
gender played
in the
predominantly
female modern dance ensemble:
Maybe
these
choreographers
hadn't been able to find
men with fervor to match their women's.
Maybe they
didn't want them.
They
understood women and
women's bodies
because,
presumably, they
under-
stood themselves.
They
didn't need men
either,
since
courtship
was a theme the moderns
thought
had been
worked to death
by
ballet
choreographers.
The
strong
women stood for
Everyman. (56)
There are several views as to
why settings
and
costuming
were held to a minimum.
Humphrey's son, Charles Wood-
ford,
in an
open
letter to the Dance Notation Bureau on what
would have been
Humphrey's
ninetieth
birthday, wrote,
"Due
to economic
necessity,
all costumes were
originally
of the
simplest nature,
sets were minimal and
collapsible
because of
touring, backdrops infrequent,
and
lighting primitive by
con-
temporary
standards"
(57). Jowitt, however,
suggests
that the
modern dancers did
notjust
make a virtue of
necessity,
but that
ideological
factors were at work. "Theories about
form,
about
abstraction,
about what constituted a
contemporary style,"
Jowitt
writes,
"made an uncluttered look desirable . . .":
Modern Dance
dispensed
with locale. The
jagged
thrusts of
dancing,
the rush and swirl of the
group,
the
tensions that shot between forces created a
landscape
shaped entirely by
movement and the intent behind it
....
Bold, astutely
chosen
gestures
linked the modern
dancers with
large impulses
like
vindictiveness,
de-
sire, celebration, protectiveness;
and what character-
ization there was
emerged through
the
shapes
and
rhythms
these
impulses imparted
to individual and
group. (58)
The late 1920s and
particularly
the 1930s
(which
Water
Study predated)
were
periods
of
political, social, economic,
and artistic ferment. The modern dancers were
part
of their
times, trying
to create a new role for dance that would be
capable
of
speaking forcefully
to the new ideals:
It was the so-called
pioneers
... who
forged
the new
image
of the dancer: a man or woman whose ideals
soar,
but whose feet are
planted firmly
on the common
soil;
one who
displays
a
physical daring
that is related
group
is
my medium, just
as marble is the
sculptor's
material.
I
try
to
encourage
them to be individuals-to move
and think
regardless
of me or
anyone
else-and then
in rehearsals it is
necessary
to contradict all that and
make them
acutely
aware of each
other,
so that
they
may
move in a common
rhythm. (55)
Although Humphrey
and Charles Weidman used men in
many
of their dances, Water
Study
is
performed by
women
only.
Jowitt comments on the role
gender played
in the
predominantly
female modern dance ensemble:
Maybe
these
choreographers
hadn't been able to find
men with fervor to match their women's.
Maybe they
didn't want them.
They
understood women and
women's bodies
because,
presumably, they
under-
stood themselves.
They
didn't need men
either,
since
courtship
was a theme the moderns
thought
had been
worked to death
by
ballet
choreographers.
The
strong
women stood for
Everyman. (56)
There are several views as to
why settings
and
costuming
were held to a minimum.
Humphrey's son, Charles Wood-
ford,
in an
open
letter to the Dance Notation Bureau on what
would have been
Humphrey's
ninetieth
birthday, wrote,
"Due
to economic
necessity,
all costumes were
originally
of the
simplest nature,
sets were minimal and
collapsible
because of
touring, backdrops infrequent,
and
lighting primitive by
con-
temporary
standards"
(57). Jowitt, however,
suggests
that the
modern dancers did
notjust
make a virtue of
necessity,
but that
ideological
factors were at work. "Theories about
form,
about
abstraction,
about what constituted a
contemporary style,"
Jowitt
writes,
"made an uncluttered look desirable . . .":
Modern Dance
dispensed
with locale. The
jagged
thrusts of
dancing,
the rush and swirl of the
group,
the
tensions that shot between forces created a
landscape
shaped entirely by
movement and the intent behind it
....
Bold, astutely
chosen
gestures
linked the modern
dancers with
large impulses
like
vindictiveness,
de-
sire, celebration, protectiveness;
and what character-
ization there was
emerged through
the
shapes
and
rhythms
these
impulses imparted
to individual and
group. (58)
The late 1920s and
particularly
the 1930s
(which
Water
Study predated)
were
periods
of
political, social, economic,
and artistic ferment. The modern dancers were
part
of their
times, trying
to create a new role for dance that would be
capable
of
speaking forcefully
to the new ideals:
It was the so-called
pioneers
... who
forged
the new
image
of the dancer: a man or woman whose ideals
soar,
but whose feet are
planted firmly
on the common
soil;
one who
displays
a
physical daring
that is related
group
is
my medium, just
as marble is the
sculptor's
material.
I
try
to
encourage
them to be individuals-to move
and think
regardless
of me or
anyone
else-and then
in rehearsals it is
necessary
to contradict all that and
make them
acutely
aware of each
other,
so that
they
may
move in a common
rhythm. (55)
Although Humphrey
and Charles Weidman used men in
many
of their dances, Water
Study
is
performed by
women
only.
Jowitt comments on the role
gender played
in the
predominantly
female modern dance ensemble:
Maybe
these
choreographers
hadn't been able to find
men with fervor to match their women's.
Maybe they
didn't want them.
They
understood women and
women's bodies
because,
presumably, they
under-
stood themselves.
They
didn't need men
either,
since
courtship
was a theme the moderns
thought
had been
worked to death
by
ballet
choreographers.
The
strong
women stood for
Everyman. (56)
There are several views as to
why settings
and
costuming
were held to a minimum.
Humphrey's son, Charles Wood-
ford,
in an
open
letter to the Dance Notation Bureau on what
would have been
Humphrey's
ninetieth
birthday, wrote,
"Due
to economic
necessity,
all costumes were
originally
of the
simplest nature,
sets were minimal and
collapsible
because of
touring, backdrops infrequent,
and
lighting primitive by
con-
temporary
standards"
(57). Jowitt, however,
suggests
that the
modern dancers did
notjust
make a virtue of
necessity,
but that
ideological
factors were at work. "Theories about
form,
about
abstraction,
about what constituted a
contemporary style,"
Jowitt
writes,
"made an uncluttered look desirable . . .":
Modern Dance
dispensed
with locale. The
jagged
thrusts of
dancing,
the rush and swirl of the
group,
the
tensions that shot between forces created a
landscape
shaped entirely by
movement and the intent behind it
....
Bold, astutely
chosen
gestures
linked the modern
dancers with
large impulses
like
vindictiveness,
de-
sire, celebration, protectiveness;
and what character-
ization there was
emerged through
the
shapes
and
rhythms
these
impulses imparted
to individual and
group. (58)
The late 1920s and
particularly
the 1930s
(which
Water
Study predated)
were
periods
of
political, social, economic,
and artistic ferment. The modern dancers were
part
of their
times, trying
to create a new role for dance that would be
capable
of
speaking forcefully
to the new ideals:
It was the so-called
pioneers
... who
forged
the new
image
of the dancer: a man or woman whose ideals
soar,
but whose feet are
planted firmly
on the common
soil;
one who
displays
a
physical daring
that is related
to human
struggle,
rather than to
superhuman
virtuos-
ity;
one
capable
of a
lyricism
that is neither
feeble,
nor
to human
struggle,
rather than to
superhuman
virtuos-
ity;
one
capable
of a
lyricism
that is neither
feeble,
nor
to human
struggle,
rather than to
superhuman
virtuos-
ity;
one
capable
of a
lyricism
that is neither
feeble,
nor
to human
struggle,
rather than to
superhuman
virtuos-
ity;
one
capable
of a
lyricism
that is neither
feeble,
nor
to human
struggle,
rather than to
superhuman
virtuos-
ity;
one
capable
of a
lyricism
that is neither
feeble,
nor
to human
struggle,
rather than to
superhuman
virtuos-
ity;
one
capable
of a
lyricism
that is neither
feeble,
nor
to human
struggle,
rather than to
superhuman
virtuos-
ity;
one
capable
of a
lyricism
that is neither
feeble,
nor
to human
struggle,
rather than to
superhuman
virtuos-
ity;
one
capable
of a
lyricism
that is neither
feeble,
nor
to human
struggle,
rather than to
superhuman
virtuos-
ity;
one
capable
of a
lyricism
that is neither
feeble,
nor
to human
struggle,
rather than to
superhuman
virtuos-
ity;
one
capable
of a
lyricism
that is neither
feeble,
nor
to human
struggle,
rather than to
superhuman
virtuos-
ity;
one
capable
of a
lyricism
that is neither
feeble,
nor
8 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
8 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
8 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
8 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
8 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
8 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
8 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
8 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
8 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
8 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
8 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
decorative,
nor sentimental.
(59) decorative,
nor sentimental.
(59) decorative,
nor sentimental.
(59) decorative,
nor sentimental.
(59) decorative,
nor sentimental.
(59) decorative,
nor sentimental.
(59) decorative,
nor sentimental.
(59) decorative,
nor sentimental.
(59) decorative,
nor sentimental.
(59) decorative,
nor sentimental.
(59) decorative,
nor sentimental.
(59)
The
message
of Water
Study
widens out-like
ripples
in a
pond,
to borrow a water
image-encompassing
the formal
structure of its
choreography,
the
metaphor
which relates a
vision of the
world,
and the
style
of
presentation
which
reflects the
social, political
and economic times. Davis and
Schmais's and
Rodiger's analyses go
to the core of the
dance,
the formal
ordering
of its movement elements.
Siegel
widens
the
sphere
to include not
only
the
choreography,
but also
Water
Study's place
in the dance world and in the life of its
creator. Jowitt deals with a
larger
context
still,
the ideals and
social mores with which artists were
attempting
to come to
terms in a
particularly
unsettled
period
of American life.
Each of these
analyses approaches
the
interpretation
of
meaning
in a
slightly
different, yet complimentary way;
and
because
they
all deal with the same
work,
it is
easy
to see the
connections and
divergences
in the
methodologies
as well as
in the
meanings they generate.
There are
many ways
to view
a
dance,
and
many
different levels on which a dance can be
understood.
By examining
the
paradigms
that underlie some
of the different
approaches,
it is
possible
to see how each
functions in the
process
of
analyzing meaning
and determin-
ing
the
significance
of a dance.
While
viewing
a
videotape
of the dance
again
after com-
pleting
this
study,
I was
struck,
as all the observers and
analysts
mentioned here have been, by
its
organic
wholeness
(60).
The dancers are
human, individuals, yet
the whole
seems to be one
breathing, pulsing
mass that takes on a life of
The
message
of Water
Study
widens out-like
ripples
in a
pond,
to borrow a water
image-encompassing
the formal
structure of its
choreography,
the
metaphor
which relates a
vision of the
world,
and the
style
of
presentation
which
reflects the
social, political
and economic times. Davis and
Schmais's and
Rodiger's analyses go
to the core of the
dance,
the formal
ordering
of its movement elements.
Siegel
widens
the
sphere
to include not
only
the
choreography,
but also
Water
Study's place
in the dance world and in the life of its
creator. Jowitt deals with a
larger
context
still,
the ideals and
social mores with which artists were
attempting
to come to
terms in a
particularly
unsettled
period
of American life.
Each of these
analyses approaches
the
interpretation
of
meaning
in a
slightly
different, yet complimentary way;
and
because
they
all deal with the same
work,
it is
easy
to see the
connections and
divergences
in the
methodologies
as well as
in the
meanings they generate.
There are
many ways
to view
a
dance,
and
many
different levels on which a dance can be
understood.
By examining
the
paradigms
that underlie some
of the different
approaches,
it is
possible
to see how each
functions in the
process
of
analyzing meaning
and determin-
ing
the
significance
of a dance.
While
viewing
a
videotape
of the dance
again
after com-
pleting
this
study,
I was
struck,
as all the observers and
analysts
mentioned here have been, by
its
organic
wholeness
(60).
The dancers are
human, individuals, yet
the whole
seems to be one
breathing, pulsing
mass that takes on a life of
The
message
of Water
Study
widens out-like
ripples
in a
pond,
to borrow a water
image-encompassing
the formal
structure of its
choreography,
the
metaphor
which relates a
vision of the
world,
and the
style
of
presentation
which
reflects the
social, political
and economic times. Davis and
Schmais's and
Rodiger's analyses go
to the core of the
dance,
the formal
ordering
of its movement elements.
Siegel
widens
the
sphere
to include not
only
the
choreography,
but also
Water
Study's place
in the dance world and in the life of its
creator. Jowitt deals with a
larger
context
still,
the ideals and
social mores with which artists were
attempting
to come to
terms in a
particularly
unsettled
period
of American life.
Each of these
analyses approaches
the
interpretation
of
meaning
in a
slightly
different, yet complimentary way;
and
because
they
all deal with the same
work,
it is
easy
to see the
connections and
divergences
in the
methodologies
as well as
in the
meanings they generate.
There are
many ways
to view
a
dance,
and
many
different levels on which a dance can be
understood.
By examining
the
paradigms
that underlie some
of the different
approaches,
it is
possible
to see how each
functions in the
process
of
analyzing meaning
and determin-
ing
the
significance
of a dance.
While
viewing
a
videotape
of the dance
again
after com-
pleting
this
study,
I was
struck,
as all the observers and
analysts
mentioned here have been, by
its
organic
wholeness
(60).
The dancers are
human, individuals, yet
the whole
seems to be one
breathing, pulsing
mass that takes on a life of
The
message
of Water
Study
widens out-like
ripples
in a
pond,
to borrow a water
image-encompassing
the formal
structure of its
choreography,
the
metaphor
which relates a
vision of the
world,
and the
style
of
presentation
which
reflects the
social, political
and economic times. Davis and
Schmais's and
Rodiger's analyses go
to the core of the
dance,
the formal
ordering
of its movement elements.
Siegel
widens
the
sphere
to include not
only
the
choreography,
but also
Water
Study's place
in the dance world and in the life of its
creator. Jowitt deals with a
larger
context
still,
the ideals and
social mores with which artists were
attempting
to come to
terms in a
particularly
unsettled
period
of American life.
Each of these
analyses approaches
the
interpretation
of
meaning
in a
slightly
different, yet complimentary way;
and
because
they
all deal with the same
work,
it is
easy
to see the
connections and
divergences
in the
methodologies
as well as
in the
meanings they generate.
There are
many ways
to view
a
dance,
and
many
different levels on which a dance can be
understood.
By examining
the
paradigms
that underlie some
of the different
approaches,
it is
possible
to see how each
functions in the
process
of
analyzing meaning
and determin-
ing
the
significance
of a dance.
While
viewing
a
videotape
of the dance
again
after com-
pleting
this
study,
I was
struck,
as all the observers and
analysts
mentioned here have been, by
its
organic
wholeness
(60).
The dancers are
human, individuals, yet
the whole
seems to be one
breathing, pulsing
mass that takes on a life of
The
message
of Water
Study
widens out-like
ripples
in a
pond,
to borrow a water
image-encompassing
the formal
structure of its
choreography,
the
metaphor
which relates a
vision of the
world,
and the
style
of
presentation
which
reflects the
social, political
and economic times. Davis and
Schmais's and
Rodiger's analyses go
to the core of the
dance,
the formal
ordering
of its movement elements.
Siegel
widens
the
sphere
to include not
only
the
choreography,
but also
Water
Study's place
in the dance world and in the life of its
creator. Jowitt deals with a
larger
context
still,
the ideals and
social mores with which artists were
attempting
to come to
terms in a
particularly
unsettled
period
of American life.
Each of these
analyses approaches
the
interpretation
of
meaning
in a
slightly
different, yet complimentary way;
and
because
they
all deal with the same
work,
it is
easy
to see the
connections and
divergences
in the
methodologies
as well as
in the
meanings they generate.
There are
many ways
to view
a
dance,
and
many
different levels on which a dance can be
understood.
By examining
the
paradigms
that underlie some
of the different
approaches,
it is
possible
to see how each
functions in the
process
of
analyzing meaning
and determin-
ing
the
significance
of a dance.
While
viewing
a
videotape
of the dance
again
after com-
pleting
this
study,
I was
struck,
as all the observers and
analysts
mentioned here have been, by
its
organic
wholeness
(60).
The dancers are
human, individuals, yet
the whole
seems to be one
breathing, pulsing
mass that takes on a life of
The
message
of Water
Study
widens out-like
ripples
in a
pond,
to borrow a water
image-encompassing
the formal
structure of its
choreography,
the
metaphor
which relates a
vision of the
world,
and the
style
of
presentation
which
reflects the
social, political
and economic times. Davis and
Schmais's and
Rodiger's analyses go
to the core of the
dance,
the formal
ordering
of its movement elements.
Siegel
widens
the
sphere
to include not
only
the
choreography,
but also
Water
Study's place
in the dance world and in the life of its
creator. Jowitt deals with a
larger
context
still,
the ideals and
social mores with which artists were
attempting
to come to
terms in a
particularly
unsettled
period
of American life.
Each of these
analyses approaches
the
interpretation
of
meaning
in a
slightly
different, yet complimentary way;
and
because
they
all deal with the same
work,
it is
easy
to see the
connections and
divergences
in the
methodologies
as well as
in the
meanings they generate.
There are
many ways
to view
a
dance,
and
many
different levels on which a dance can be
understood.
By examining
the
paradigms
that underlie some
of the different
approaches,
it is
possible
to see how each
functions in the
process
of
analyzing meaning
and determin-
ing
the
significance
of a dance.
While
viewing
a
videotape
of the dance
again
after com-
pleting
this
study,
I was
struck,
as all the observers and
analysts
mentioned here have been, by
its
organic
wholeness
(60).
The dancers are
human, individuals, yet
the whole
seems to be one
breathing, pulsing
mass that takes on a life of
The
message
of Water
Study
widens out-like
ripples
in a
pond,
to borrow a water
image-encompassing
the formal
structure of its
choreography,
the
metaphor
which relates a
vision of the
world,
and the
style
of
presentation
which
reflects the
social, political
and economic times. Davis and
Schmais's and
Rodiger's analyses go
to the core of the
dance,
the formal
ordering
of its movement elements.
Siegel
widens
the
sphere
to include not
only
the
choreography,
but also
Water
Study's place
in the dance world and in the life of its
creator. Jowitt deals with a
larger
context
still,
the ideals and
social mores with which artists were
attempting
to come to
terms in a
particularly
unsettled
period
of American life.
Each of these
analyses approaches
the
interpretation
of
meaning
in a
slightly
different, yet complimentary way;
and
because
they
all deal with the same
work,
it is
easy
to see the
connections and
divergences
in the
methodologies
as well as
in the
meanings they generate.
There are
many ways
to view
a
dance,
and
many
different levels on which a dance can be
understood.
By examining
the
paradigms
that underlie some
of the different
approaches,
it is
possible
to see how each
functions in the
process
of
analyzing meaning
and determin-
ing
the
significance
of a dance.
While
viewing
a
videotape
of the dance
again
after com-
pleting
this
study,
I was
struck,
as all the observers and
analysts
mentioned here have been, by
its
organic
wholeness
(60).
The dancers are
human, individuals, yet
the whole
seems to be one
breathing, pulsing
mass that takes on a life of
The
message
of Water
Study
widens out-like
ripples
in a
pond,
to borrow a water
image-encompassing
the formal
structure of its
choreography,
the
metaphor
which relates a
vision of the
world,
and the
style
of
presentation
which
reflects the
social, political
and economic times. Davis and
Schmais's and
Rodiger's analyses go
to the core of the
dance,
the formal
ordering
of its movement elements.
Siegel
widens
the
sphere
to include not
only
the
choreography,
but also
Water
Study's place
in the dance world and in the life of its
creator. Jowitt deals with a
larger
context
still,
the ideals and
social mores with which artists were
attempting
to come to
terms in a
particularly
unsettled
period
of American life.
Each of these
analyses approaches
the
interpretation
of
meaning
in a
slightly
different, yet complimentary way;
and
because
they
all deal with the same
work,
it is
easy
to see the
connections and
divergences
in the
methodologies
as well as
in the
meanings they generate.
There are
many ways
to view
a
dance,
and
many
different levels on which a dance can be
understood.
By examining
the
paradigms
that underlie some
of the different
approaches,
it is
possible
to see how each
functions in the
process
of
analyzing meaning
and determin-
ing
the
significance
of a dance.
While
viewing
a
videotape
of the dance
again
after com-
pleting
this
study,
I was
struck,
as all the observers and
analysts
mentioned here have been, by
its
organic
wholeness
(60).
The dancers are
human, individuals, yet
the whole
seems to be one
breathing, pulsing
mass that takes on a life of
The
message
of Water
Study
widens out-like
ripples
in a
pond,
to borrow a water
image-encompassing
the formal
structure of its
choreography,
the
metaphor
which relates a
vision of the
world,
and the
style
of
presentation
which
reflects the
social, political
and economic times. Davis and
Schmais's and
Rodiger's analyses go
to the core of the
dance,
the formal
ordering
of its movement elements.
Siegel
widens
the
sphere
to include not
only
the
choreography,
but also
Water
Study's place
in the dance world and in the life of its
creator. Jowitt deals with a
larger
context
still,
the ideals and
social mores with which artists were
attempting
to come to
terms in a
particularly
unsettled
period
of American life.
Each of these
analyses approaches
the
interpretation
of
meaning
in a
slightly
different, yet complimentary way;
and
because
they
all deal with the same
work,
it is
easy
to see the
connections and
divergences
in the
methodologies
as well as
in the
meanings they generate.
There are
many ways
to view
a
dance,
and
many
different levels on which a dance can be
understood.
By examining
the
paradigms
that underlie some
of the different
approaches,
it is
possible
to see how each
functions in the
process
of
analyzing meaning
and determin-
ing
the
significance
of a dance.
While
viewing
a
videotape
of the dance
again
after com-
pleting
this
study,
I was
struck,
as all the observers and
analysts
mentioned here have been, by
its
organic
wholeness
(60).
The dancers are
human, individuals, yet
the whole
seems to be one
breathing, pulsing
mass that takes on a life of
The
message
of Water
Study
widens out-like
ripples
in a
pond,
to borrow a water
image-encompassing
the formal
structure of its
choreography,
the
metaphor
which relates a
vision of the
world,
and the
style
of
presentation
which
reflects the
social, political
and economic times. Davis and
Schmais's and
Rodiger's analyses go
to the core of the
dance,
the formal
ordering
of its movement elements.
Siegel
widens
the
sphere
to include not
only
the
choreography,
but also
Water
Study's place
in the dance world and in the life of its
creator. Jowitt deals with a
larger
context
still,
the ideals and
social mores with which artists were
attempting
to come to
terms in a
particularly
unsettled
period
of American life.
Each of these
analyses approaches
the
interpretation
of
meaning
in a
slightly
different, yet complimentary way;
and
because
they
all deal with the same
work,
it is
easy
to see the
connections and
divergences
in the
methodologies
as well as
in the
meanings they generate.
There are
many ways
to view
a
dance,
and
many
different levels on which a dance can be
understood.
By examining
the
paradigms
that underlie some
of the different
approaches,
it is
possible
to see how each
functions in the
process
of
analyzing meaning
and determin-
ing
the
significance
of a dance.
While
viewing
a
videotape
of the dance
again
after com-
pleting
this
study,
I was
struck,
as all the observers and
analysts
mentioned here have been, by
its
organic
wholeness
(60).
The dancers are
human, individuals, yet
the whole
seems to be one
breathing, pulsing
mass that takes on a life of
The
message
of Water
Study
widens out-like
ripples
in a
pond,
to borrow a water
image-encompassing
the formal
structure of its
choreography,
the
metaphor
which relates a
vision of the
world,
and the
style
of
presentation
which
reflects the
social, political
and economic times. Davis and
Schmais's and
Rodiger's analyses go
to the core of the
dance,
the formal
ordering
of its movement elements.
Siegel
widens
the
sphere
to include not
only
the
choreography,
but also
Water
Study's place
in the dance world and in the life of its
creator. Jowitt deals with a
larger
context
still,
the ideals and
social mores with which artists were
attempting
to come to
terms in a
particularly
unsettled
period
of American life.
Each of these
analyses approaches
the
interpretation
of
meaning
in a
slightly
different, yet complimentary way;
and
because
they
all deal with the same
work,
it is
easy
to see the
connections and
divergences
in the
methodologies
as well as
in the
meanings they generate.
There are
many ways
to view
a
dance,
and
many
different levels on which a dance can be
understood.
By examining
the
paradigms
that underlie some
of the different
approaches,
it is
possible
to see how each
functions in the
process
of
analyzing meaning
and determin-
ing
the
significance
of a dance.
While
viewing
a
videotape
of the dance
again
after com-
pleting
this
study,
I was
struck,
as all the observers and
analysts
mentioned here have been, by
its
organic
wholeness
(60).
The dancers are
human, individuals, yet
the whole
seems to be one
breathing, pulsing
mass that takes on a life of
MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company
in Doris
Humphrey's
1928 Water
Study (courtesy of photographer,
Ann
Bradley,
and MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company)
MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company
in Doris
Humphrey's
1928 Water
Study (courtesy of photographer,
Ann
Bradley,
and MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company)
MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company
in Doris
Humphrey's
1928 Water
Study (courtesy of photographer,
Ann
Bradley,
and MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company)
MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company
in Doris
Humphrey's
1928 Water
Study (courtesy of photographer,
Ann
Bradley,
and MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company)
MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company
in Doris
Humphrey's
1928 Water
Study (courtesy of photographer,
Ann
Bradley,
and MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company)
MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company
in Doris
Humphrey's
1928 Water
Study (courtesy of photographer,
Ann
Bradley,
and MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company)
MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company
in Doris
Humphrey's
1928 Water
Study (courtesy of photographer,
Ann
Bradley,
and MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company)
MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company
in Doris
Humphrey's
1928 Water
Study (courtesy of photographer,
Ann
Bradley,
and MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company)
MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company
in Doris
Humphrey's
1928 Water
Study (courtesy of photographer,
Ann
Bradley,
and MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company)
MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company
in Doris
Humphrey's
1928 Water
Study (courtesy of photographer,
Ann
Bradley,
and MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company)
MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company
in Doris
Humphrey's
1928 Water
Study (courtesy of photographer,
Ann
Bradley,
and MOMENTA
Performing
Arts
Company)
its own. Water Study's
harmony
is
something
that
appeals
to
the
senses,
to some
deep, pre-verbal place.
Its
choreographic
elegance gives
a sense of
peace
and order. While it
may
not
be
necessary
to know how or
why
the dance has this effect,
I
find it
satisfying
to
contemplate
its structure and the various
resonances which
may
not be
immediately apparent
while
viewing
the
dance,
but which contribute to its total
impact.
its own. Water Study's
harmony
is
something
that
appeals
to
the
senses,
to some
deep, pre-verbal place.
Its
choreographic
elegance gives
a sense of
peace
and order. While it
may
not
be
necessary
to know how or
why
the dance has this effect,
I
find it
satisfying
to
contemplate
its structure and the various
resonances which
may
not be
immediately apparent
while
viewing
the
dance,
but which contribute to its total
impact.
its own. Water Study's
harmony
is
something
that
appeals
to
the
senses,
to some
deep, pre-verbal place.
Its
choreographic
elegance gives
a sense of
peace
and order. While it
may
not
be
necessary
to know how or
why
the dance has this effect,
I
find it
satisfying
to
contemplate
its structure and the various
resonances which
may
not be
immediately apparent
while
viewing
the
dance,
but which contribute to its total
impact.
its own. Water Study's
harmony
is
something
that
appeals
to
the
senses,
to some
deep, pre-verbal place.
Its
choreographic
elegance gives
a sense of
peace
and order. While it
may
not
be
necessary
to know how or
why
the dance has this effect,
I
find it
satisfying
to
contemplate
its structure and the various
resonances which
may
not be
immediately apparent
while
viewing
the
dance,
but which contribute to its total
impact.
its own. Water Study's
harmony
is
something
that
appeals
to
the
senses,
to some
deep, pre-verbal place.
Its
choreographic
elegance gives
a sense of
peace
and order. While it
may
not
be
necessary
to know how or
why
the dance has this effect,
I
find it
satisfying
to
contemplate
its structure and the various
resonances which
may
not be
immediately apparent
while
viewing
the
dance,
but which contribute to its total
impact.
its own. Water Study's
harmony
is
something
that
appeals
to
the
senses,
to some
deep, pre-verbal place.
Its
choreographic
elegance gives
a sense of
peace
and order. While it
may
not
be
necessary
to know how or
why
the dance has this effect,
I
find it
satisfying
to
contemplate
its structure and the various
resonances which
may
not be
immediately apparent
while
viewing
the
dance,
but which contribute to its total
impact.
its own. Water Study's
harmony
is
something
that
appeals
to
the
senses,
to some
deep, pre-verbal place.
Its
choreographic
elegance gives
a sense of
peace
and order. While it
may
not
be
necessary
to know how or
why
the dance has this effect,
I
find it
satisfying
to
contemplate
its structure and the various
resonances which
may
not be
immediately apparent
while
viewing
the
dance,
but which contribute to its total
impact.
its own. Water Study's
harmony
is
something
that
appeals
to
the
senses,
to some
deep, pre-verbal place.
Its
choreographic
elegance gives
a sense of
peace
and order. While it
may
not
be
necessary
to know how or
why
the dance has this effect,
I
find it
satisfying
to
contemplate
its structure and the various
resonances which
may
not be
immediately apparent
while
viewing
the
dance,
but which contribute to its total
impact.
its own. Water Study's
harmony
is
something
that
appeals
to
the
senses,
to some
deep, pre-verbal place.
Its
choreographic
elegance gives
a sense of
peace
and order. While it
may
not
be
necessary
to know how or
why
the dance has this effect,
I
find it
satisfying
to
contemplate
its structure and the various
resonances which
may
not be
immediately apparent
while
viewing
the
dance,
but which contribute to its total
impact.
its own. Water Study's
harmony
is
something
that
appeals
to
the
senses,
to some
deep, pre-verbal place.
Its
choreographic
elegance gives
a sense of
peace
and order. While it
may
not
be
necessary
to know how or
why
the dance has this effect,
I
find it
satisfying
to
contemplate
its structure and the various
resonances which
may
not be
immediately apparent
while
viewing
the
dance,
but which contribute to its total
impact.
its own. Water Study's
harmony
is
something
that
appeals
to
the
senses,
to some
deep, pre-verbal place.
Its
choreographic
elegance gives
a sense of
peace
and order. While it
may
not
be
necessary
to know how or
why
the dance has this effect,
I
find it
satisfying
to
contemplate
its structure and the various
resonances which
may
not be
immediately apparent
while
viewing
the
dance,
but which contribute to its total
impact.
NOTES NOTES NOTES NOTES NOTES NOTES NOTES NOTES NOTES NOTES NOTES
1. Marcia B.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change: Images of
American Dance
(Berkeley: University
of California
Press,
1985), p.
27.
2. "We believe the
original
costumes were flesh colored,"
states a fact sheet on
staging
information from the Dance
Notation Bureau,
"but
many productions
have used colors of
blue-green
or
gray."
3.
Siegel, p.
29.
1. Marcia B.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change: Images of
American Dance
(Berkeley: University
of California
Press,
1985), p.
27.
2. "We believe the
original
costumes were flesh colored,"
states a fact sheet on
staging
information from the Dance
Notation Bureau,
"but
many productions
have used colors of
blue-green
or
gray."
3.
Siegel, p.
29.
1. Marcia B.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change: Images of
American Dance
(Berkeley: University
of California
Press,
1985), p.
27.
2. "We believe the
original
costumes were flesh colored,"
states a fact sheet on
staging
information from the Dance
Notation Bureau,
"but
many productions
have used colors of
blue-green
or
gray."
3.
Siegel, p.
29.
1. Marcia B.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change: Images of
American Dance
(Berkeley: University
of California
Press,
1985), p.
27.
2. "We believe the
original
costumes were flesh colored,"
states a fact sheet on
staging
information from the Dance
Notation Bureau,
"but
many productions
have used colors of
blue-green
or
gray."
3.
Siegel, p.
29.
1. Marcia B.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change: Images of
American Dance
(Berkeley: University
of California
Press,
1985), p.
27.
2. "We believe the
original
costumes were flesh colored,"
states a fact sheet on
staging
information from the Dance
Notation Bureau,
"but
many productions
have used colors of
blue-green
or
gray."
3.
Siegel, p.
29.
1. Marcia B.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change: Images of
American Dance
(Berkeley: University
of California
Press,
1985), p.
27.
2. "We believe the
original
costumes were flesh colored,"
states a fact sheet on
staging
information from the Dance
Notation Bureau,
"but
many productions
have used colors of
blue-green
or
gray."
3.
Siegel, p.
29.
1. Marcia B.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change: Images of
American Dance
(Berkeley: University
of California
Press,
1985), p.
27.
2. "We believe the
original
costumes were flesh colored,"
states a fact sheet on
staging
information from the Dance
Notation Bureau,
"but
many productions
have used colors of
blue-green
or
gray."
3.
Siegel, p.
29.
1. Marcia B.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change: Images of
American Dance
(Berkeley: University
of California
Press,
1985), p.
27.
2. "We believe the
original
costumes were flesh colored,"
states a fact sheet on
staging
information from the Dance
Notation Bureau,
"but
many productions
have used colors of
blue-green
or
gray."
3.
Siegel, p.
29.
1. Marcia B.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change: Images of
American Dance
(Berkeley: University
of California
Press,
1985), p.
27.
2. "We believe the
original
costumes were flesh colored,"
states a fact sheet on
staging
information from the Dance
Notation Bureau,
"but
many productions
have used colors of
blue-green
or
gray."
3.
Siegel, p.
29.
1. Marcia B.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change: Images of
American Dance
(Berkeley: University
of California
Press,
1985), p.
27.
2. "We believe the
original
costumes were flesh colored,"
states a fact sheet on
staging
information from the Dance
Notation Bureau,
"but
many productions
have used colors of
blue-green
or
gray."
3.
Siegel, p.
29.
1. Marcia B.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change: Images of
American Dance
(Berkeley: University
of California
Press,
1985), p.
27.
2. "We believe the
original
costumes were flesh colored,"
states a fact sheet on
staging
information from the Dance
Notation Bureau,
"but
many productions
have used colors of
blue-green
or
gray."
3.
Siegel, p.
29.
9.
Rodiger, p.
22.
10.
Siegel explains
the
paradigms underpinning
her historical
categorizations
in the introduction to The
Shapes of Change,
but not the methods of
analysis
that inform her
descriptions.
11.
Irmgard
Bartenieff, "Effort/Shape
in
Teaching
Ethnic
Dance,"
New Dimensions in Dance Research:
Anthropology
and Dance-The American Indian
(CORD
Research Annual
VI, 1972), p.
176.
9.
Rodiger, p.
22.
10.
Siegel explains
the
paradigms underpinning
her historical
categorizations
in the introduction to The
Shapes of Change,
but not the methods of
analysis
that inform her
descriptions.
11.
Irmgard
Bartenieff, "Effort/Shape
in
Teaching
Ethnic
Dance,"
New Dimensions in Dance Research:
Anthropology
and Dance-The American Indian
(CORD
Research Annual
VI, 1972), p.
176.
9.
Rodiger, p.
22.
10.
Siegel explains
the
paradigms underpinning
her historical
categorizations
in the introduction to The
Shapes of Change,
but not the methods of
analysis
that inform her
descriptions.
11.
Irmgard
Bartenieff, "Effort/Shape
in
Teaching
Ethnic
Dance,"
New Dimensions in Dance Research:
Anthropology
and Dance-The American Indian
(CORD
Research Annual
VI, 1972), p.
176.
9.
Rodiger, p.
22.
10.
Siegel explains
the
paradigms underpinning
her historical
categorizations
in the introduction to The
Shapes of Change,
but not the methods of
analysis
that inform her
descriptions.
11.
Irmgard
Bartenieff, "Effort/Shape
in
Teaching
Ethnic
Dance,"
New Dimensions in Dance Research:
Anthropology
and Dance-The American Indian
(CORD
Research Annual
VI, 1972), p.
176.
9.
Rodiger, p.
22.
10.
Siegel explains
the
paradigms underpinning
her historical
categorizations
in the introduction to The
Shapes of Change,
but not the methods of
analysis
that inform her
descriptions.
11.
Irmgard
Bartenieff, "Effort/Shape
in
Teaching
Ethnic
Dance,"
New Dimensions in Dance Research:
Anthropology
and Dance-The American Indian
(CORD
Research Annual
VI, 1972), p.
176.
9.
Rodiger, p.
22.
10.
Siegel explains
the
paradigms underpinning
her historical
categorizations
in the introduction to The
Shapes of Change,
but not the methods of
analysis
that inform her
descriptions.
11.
Irmgard
Bartenieff, "Effort/Shape
in
Teaching
Ethnic
Dance,"
New Dimensions in Dance Research:
Anthropology
and Dance-The American Indian
(CORD
Research Annual
VI, 1972), p.
176.
9.
Rodiger, p.
22.
10.
Siegel explains
the
paradigms underpinning
her historical
categorizations
in the introduction to The
Shapes of Change,
but not the methods of
analysis
that inform her
descriptions.
11.
Irmgard
Bartenieff, "Effort/Shape
in
Teaching
Ethnic
Dance,"
New Dimensions in Dance Research:
Anthropology
and Dance-The American Indian
(CORD
Research Annual
VI, 1972), p.
176.
9.
Rodiger, p.
22.
10.
Siegel explains
the
paradigms underpinning
her historical
categorizations
in the introduction to The
Shapes of Change,
but not the methods of
analysis
that inform her
descriptions.
11.
Irmgard
Bartenieff, "Effort/Shape
in
Teaching
Ethnic
Dance,"
New Dimensions in Dance Research:
Anthropology
and Dance-The American Indian
(CORD
Research Annual
VI, 1972), p.
176.
9.
Rodiger, p.
22.
10.
Siegel explains
the
paradigms underpinning
her historical
categorizations
in the introduction to The
Shapes of Change,
but not the methods of
analysis
that inform her
descriptions.
11.
Irmgard
Bartenieff, "Effort/Shape
in
Teaching
Ethnic
Dance,"
New Dimensions in Dance Research:
Anthropology
and Dance-The American Indian
(CORD
Research Annual
VI, 1972), p.
176.
9.
Rodiger, p.
22.
10.
Siegel explains
the
paradigms underpinning
her historical
categorizations
in the introduction to The
Shapes of Change,
but not the methods of
analysis
that inform her
descriptions.
11.
Irmgard
Bartenieff, "Effort/Shape
in
Teaching
Ethnic
Dance,"
New Dimensions in Dance Research:
Anthropology
and Dance-The American Indian
(CORD
Research Annual
VI, 1972), p.
176.
9.
Rodiger, p.
22.
10.
Siegel explains
the
paradigms underpinning
her historical
categorizations
in the introduction to The
Shapes of Change,
but not the methods of
analysis
that inform her
descriptions.
11.
Irmgard
Bartenieff, "Effort/Shape
in
Teaching
Ethnic
Dance,"
New Dimensions in Dance Research:
Anthropology
and Dance-The American Indian
(CORD
Research Annual
VI, 1972), p.
176.
4. Deborah
Jowitt,
Time and the
Dancing Image (New
York:
William Morrow, 1988), p.
196.
5. Martha Ann Davis and Claire Schmais,
"An
Analysis
of the
Style
and
Composition
of 'Water
Study,"'
Research in Dance:
Problems and Possibilities
(CORD
Dance Research Annual I,
1967), p.
105.
6. Ann L.
Rodiger,
"Dance
Graph Analysis,"
Dance Notation
Journal
(Vol. I,
no.
2,
Fall
1983), p.
21.
7.
Siegel, p.
xv.
8. Davis and
Schmais, p.
105.
4. Deborah
Jowitt,
Time and the
Dancing Image (New
York:
William Morrow, 1988), p.
196.
5. Martha Ann Davis and Claire Schmais,
"An
Analysis
of the
Style
and
Composition
of 'Water
Study,"'
Research in Dance:
Problems and Possibilities
(CORD
Dance Research Annual I,
1967), p.
105.
6. Ann L.
Rodiger,
"Dance
Graph Analysis,"
Dance Notation
Journal
(Vol. I,
no.
2,
Fall
1983), p.
21.
7.
Siegel, p.
xv.
8. Davis and
Schmais, p.
105.
4. Deborah
Jowitt,
Time and the
Dancing Image (New
York:
William Morrow, 1988), p.
196.
5. Martha Ann Davis and Claire Schmais,
"An
Analysis
of the
Style
and
Composition
of 'Water
Study,"'
Research in Dance:
Problems and Possibilities
(CORD
Dance Research Annual I,
1967), p.
105.
6. Ann L.
Rodiger,
"Dance
Graph Analysis,"
Dance Notation
Journal
(Vol. I,
no.
2,
Fall
1983), p.
21.
7.
Siegel, p.
xv.
8. Davis and
Schmais, p.
105.
4. Deborah
Jowitt,
Time and the
Dancing Image (New
York:
William Morrow, 1988), p.
196.
5. Martha Ann Davis and Claire Schmais,
"An
Analysis
of the
Style
and
Composition
of 'Water
Study,"'
Research in Dance:
Problems and Possibilities
(CORD
Dance Research Annual I,
1967), p.
105.
6. Ann L.
Rodiger,
"Dance
Graph Analysis,"
Dance Notation
Journal
(Vol. I,
no.
2,
Fall
1983), p.
21.
7.
Siegel, p.
xv.
8. Davis and
Schmais, p.
105.
4. Deborah
Jowitt,
Time and the
Dancing Image (New
York:
William Morrow, 1988), p.
196.
5. Martha Ann Davis and Claire Schmais,
"An
Analysis
of the
Style
and
Composition
of 'Water
Study,"'
Research in Dance:
Problems and Possibilities
(CORD
Dance Research Annual I,
1967), p.
105.
6. Ann L.
Rodiger,
"Dance
Graph Analysis,"
Dance Notation
Journal
(Vol. I,
no.
2,
Fall
1983), p.
21.
7.
Siegel, p.
xv.
8. Davis and
Schmais, p.
105.
4. Deborah
Jowitt,
Time and the
Dancing Image (New
York:
William Morrow, 1988), p.
196.
5. Martha Ann Davis and Claire Schmais,
"An
Analysis
of the
Style
and
Composition
of 'Water
Study,"'
Research in Dance:
Problems and Possibilities
(CORD
Dance Research Annual I,
1967), p.
105.
6. Ann L.
Rodiger,
"Dance
Graph Analysis,"
Dance Notation
Journal
(Vol. I,
no.
2,
Fall
1983), p.
21.
7.
Siegel, p.
xv.
8. Davis and
Schmais, p.
105.
4. Deborah
Jowitt,
Time and the
Dancing Image (New
York:
William Morrow, 1988), p.
196.
5. Martha Ann Davis and Claire Schmais,
"An
Analysis
of the
Style
and
Composition
of 'Water
Study,"'
Research in Dance:
Problems and Possibilities
(CORD
Dance Research Annual I,
1967), p.
105.
6. Ann L.
Rodiger,
"Dance
Graph Analysis,"
Dance Notation
Journal
(Vol. I,
no.
2,
Fall
1983), p.
21.
7.
Siegel, p.
xv.
8. Davis and
Schmais, p.
105.
4. Deborah
Jowitt,
Time and the
Dancing Image (New
York:
William Morrow, 1988), p.
196.
5. Martha Ann Davis and Claire Schmais,
"An
Analysis
of the
Style
and
Composition
of 'Water
Study,"'
Research in Dance:
Problems and Possibilities
(CORD
Dance Research Annual I,
1967), p.
105.
6. Ann L.
Rodiger,
"Dance
Graph Analysis,"
Dance Notation
Journal
(Vol. I,
no.
2,
Fall
1983), p.
21.
7.
Siegel, p.
xv.
8. Davis and
Schmais, p.
105.
4. Deborah
Jowitt,
Time and the
Dancing Image (New
York:
William Morrow, 1988), p.
196.
5. Martha Ann Davis and Claire Schmais,
"An
Analysis
of the
Style
and
Composition
of 'Water
Study,"'
Research in Dance:
Problems and Possibilities
(CORD
Dance Research Annual I,
1967), p.
105.
6. Ann L.
Rodiger,
"Dance
Graph Analysis,"
Dance Notation
Journal
(Vol. I,
no.
2,
Fall
1983), p.
21.
7.
Siegel, p.
xv.
8. Davis and
Schmais, p.
105.
4. Deborah
Jowitt,
Time and the
Dancing Image (New
York:
William Morrow, 1988), p.
196.
5. Martha Ann Davis and Claire Schmais,
"An
Analysis
of the
Style
and
Composition
of 'Water
Study,"'
Research in Dance:
Problems and Possibilities
(CORD
Dance Research Annual I,
1967), p.
105.
6. Ann L.
Rodiger,
"Dance
Graph Analysis,"
Dance Notation
Journal
(Vol. I,
no.
2,
Fall
1983), p.
21.
7.
Siegel, p.
xv.
8. Davis and
Schmais, p.
105.
4. Deborah
Jowitt,
Time and the
Dancing Image (New
York:
William Morrow, 1988), p.
196.
5. Martha Ann Davis and Claire Schmais,
"An
Analysis
of the
Style
and
Composition
of 'Water
Study,"'
Research in Dance:
Problems and Possibilities
(CORD
Dance Research Annual I,
1967), p.
105.
6. Ann L.
Rodiger,
"Dance
Graph Analysis,"
Dance Notation
Journal
(Vol. I,
no.
2,
Fall
1983), p.
21.
7.
Siegel, p.
xv.
8. Davis and
Schmais, p.
105.
12.
Rodiger, p.
23.
13. Davis and Schmais, p.
105.
14.
Rodiger, p.
23.
15.
Ibid., p.
24.
16.
Ibid., p.
28.
17.
Ibid., p.
26.
18. Davis and Schmais, p.
106.
12.
Rodiger, p.
23.
13. Davis and Schmais, p.
105.
14.
Rodiger, p.
23.
15.
Ibid., p.
24.
16.
Ibid., p.
28.
17.
Ibid., p.
26.
18. Davis and Schmais, p.
106.
12.
Rodiger, p.
23.
13. Davis and Schmais, p.
105.
14.
Rodiger, p.
23.
15.
Ibid., p.
24.
16.
Ibid., p.
28.
17.
Ibid., p.
26.
18. Davis and Schmais, p.
106.
12.
Rodiger, p.
23.
13. Davis and Schmais, p.
105.
14.
Rodiger, p.
23.
15.
Ibid., p.
24.
16.
Ibid., p.
28.
17.
Ibid., p.
26.
18. Davis and Schmais, p.
106.
12.
Rodiger, p.
23.
13. Davis and Schmais, p.
105.
14.
Rodiger, p.
23.
15.
Ibid., p.
24.
16.
Ibid., p.
28.
17.
Ibid., p.
26.
18. Davis and Schmais, p.
106.
12.
Rodiger, p.
23.
13. Davis and Schmais, p.
105.
14.
Rodiger, p.
23.
15.
Ibid., p.
24.
16.
Ibid., p.
28.
17.
Ibid., p.
26.
18. Davis and Schmais, p.
106.
12.
Rodiger, p.
23.
13. Davis and Schmais, p.
105.
14.
Rodiger, p.
23.
15.
Ibid., p.
24.
16.
Ibid., p.
28.
17.
Ibid., p.
26.
18. Davis and Schmais, p.
106.
12.
Rodiger, p.
23.
13. Davis and Schmais, p.
105.
14.
Rodiger, p.
23.
15.
Ibid., p.
24.
16.
Ibid., p.
28.
17.
Ibid., p.
26.
18. Davis and Schmais, p.
106.
12.
Rodiger, p.
23.
13. Davis and Schmais, p.
105.
14.
Rodiger, p.
23.
15.
Ibid., p.
24.
16.
Ibid., p.
28.
17.
Ibid., p.
26.
18. Davis and Schmais, p.
106.
12.
Rodiger, p.
23.
13. Davis and Schmais, p.
105.
14.
Rodiger, p.
23.
15.
Ibid., p.
24.
16.
Ibid., p.
28.
17.
Ibid., p.
26.
18. Davis and Schmais, p.
106.
12.
Rodiger, p.
23.
13. Davis and Schmais, p.
105.
14.
Rodiger, p.
23.
15.
Ibid., p.
24.
16.
Ibid., p.
28.
17.
Ibid., p.
26.
18. Davis and Schmais, p.
106.
Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
9 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
9 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
9 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
9 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
9 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
9 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
9 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
9 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
9 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
9 Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
9
19.
Ibid., p.
107. 19.
Ibid., p.
107. 19.
Ibid., p.
107. 19.
Ibid., p.
107. 19.
Ibid., p.
107. 19.
Ibid., p.
107. 19.
Ibid., p.
107. 19.
Ibid., p.
107. 19.
Ibid., p.
107. 19.
Ibid., p.
107. 19.
Ibid., p.
107.
20.
Ibid., p.
111.
21. I
agree
with
Rodiger
that the
pattern
is not
exactly
symmetrical.
If the
spiral
to the floor is taken as the main
climax of the
dance,
then the resolution
happens
in a briefer
time
span
than the
buildup. Support
for this view can be found
in
Humphrey's
words: "nature moves in succession . . .
usually
in an
unfolding
succession to a
climax,
and a more
sudden succession to cessation or death"
(quoted
in Marcia
B.
Siegel, Days
on Earth: The Dance
of
Doris
Humphrey
[New
Haven: Yale
University Press, 1987], p. 86).
20.
Ibid., p.
111.
21. I
agree
with
Rodiger
that the
pattern
is not
exactly
symmetrical.
If the
spiral
to the floor is taken as the main
climax of the
dance,
then the resolution
happens
in a briefer
time
span
than the
buildup. Support
for this view can be found
in
Humphrey's
words: "nature moves in succession . . .
usually
in an
unfolding
succession to a
climax,
and a more
sudden succession to cessation or death"
(quoted
in Marcia
B.
Siegel, Days
on Earth: The Dance
of
Doris
Humphrey
[New
Haven: Yale
University Press, 1987], p. 86).
20.
Ibid., p.
111.
21. I
agree
with
Rodiger
that the
pattern
is not
exactly
symmetrical.
If the
spiral
to the floor is taken as the main
climax of the
dance,
then the resolution
happens
in a briefer
time
span
than the
buildup. Support
for this view can be found
in
Humphrey's
words: "nature moves in succession . . .
usually
in an
unfolding
succession to a
climax,
and a more
sudden succession to cessation or death"
(quoted
in Marcia
B.
Siegel, Days
on Earth: The Dance
of
Doris
Humphrey
[New
Haven: Yale
University Press, 1987], p. 86).
20.
Ibid., p.
111.
21. I
agree
with
Rodiger
that the
pattern
is not
exactly
symmetrical.
If the
spiral
to the floor is taken as the main
climax of the
dance,
then the resolution
happens
in a briefer
time
span
than the
buildup. Support
for this view can be found
in
Humphrey's
words: "nature moves in succession . . .
usually
in an
unfolding
succession to a
climax,
and a more
sudden succession to cessation or death"
(quoted
in Marcia
B.
Siegel, Days
on Earth: The Dance
of
Doris
Humphrey
[New
Haven: Yale
University Press, 1987], p. 86).
20.
Ibid., p.
111.
21. I
agree
with
Rodiger
that the
pattern
is not
exactly
symmetrical.
If the
spiral
to the floor is taken as the main
climax of the
dance,
then the resolution
happens
in a briefer
time
span
than the
buildup. Support
for this view can be found
in
Humphrey's
words: "nature moves in succession . . .
usually
in an
unfolding
succession to a
climax,
and a more
sudden succession to cessation or death"
(quoted
in Marcia
B.
Siegel, Days
on Earth: The Dance
of
Doris
Humphrey
[New
Haven: Yale
University Press, 1987], p. 86).
20.
Ibid., p.
111.
21. I
agree
with
Rodiger
that the
pattern
is not
exactly
symmetrical.
If the
spiral
to the floor is taken as the main
climax of the
dance,
then the resolution
happens
in a briefer
time
span
than the
buildup. Support
for this view can be found
in
Humphrey's
words: "nature moves in succession . . .
usually
in an
unfolding
succession to a
climax,
and a more
sudden succession to cessation or death"
(quoted
in Marcia
B.
Siegel, Days
on Earth: The Dance
of
Doris
Humphrey
[New
Haven: Yale
University Press, 1987], p. 86).
20.
Ibid., p.
111.
21. I
agree
with
Rodiger
that the
pattern
is not
exactly
symmetrical.
If the
spiral
to the floor is taken as the main
climax of the
dance,
then the resolution
happens
in a briefer
time
span
than the
buildup. Support
for this view can be found
in
Humphrey's
words: "nature moves in succession . . .
usually
in an
unfolding
succession to a
climax,
and a more
sudden succession to cessation or death"
(quoted
in Marcia
B.
Siegel, Days
on Earth: The Dance
of
Doris
Humphrey
[New
Haven: Yale
University Press, 1987], p. 86).
20.
Ibid., p.
111.
21. I
agree
with
Rodiger
that the
pattern
is not
exactly
symmetrical.
If the
spiral
to the floor is taken as the main
climax of the
dance,
then the resolution
happens
in a briefer
time
span
than the
buildup. Support
for this view can be found
in
Humphrey's
words: "nature moves in succession . . .
usually
in an
unfolding
succession to a
climax,
and a more
sudden succession to cessation or death"
(quoted
in Marcia
B.
Siegel, Days
on Earth: The Dance
of
Doris
Humphrey
[New
Haven: Yale
University Press, 1987], p. 86).
20.
Ibid., p.
111.
21. I
agree
with
Rodiger
that the
pattern
is not
exactly
symmetrical.
If the
spiral
to the floor is taken as the main
climax of the
dance,
then the resolution
happens
in a briefer
time
span
than the
buildup. Support
for this view can be found
in
Humphrey's
words: "nature moves in succession . . .
usually
in an
unfolding
succession to a
climax,
and a more
sudden succession to cessation or death"
(quoted
in Marcia
B.
Siegel, Days
on Earth: The Dance
of
Doris
Humphrey
[New
Haven: Yale
University Press, 1987], p. 86).
20.
Ibid., p.
111.
21. I
agree
with
Rodiger
that the
pattern
is not
exactly
symmetrical.
If the
spiral
to the floor is taken as the main
climax of the
dance,
then the resolution
happens
in a briefer
time
span
than the
buildup. Support
for this view can be found
in
Humphrey's
words: "nature moves in succession . . .
usually
in an
unfolding
succession to a
climax,
and a more
sudden succession to cessation or death"
(quoted
in Marcia
B.
Siegel, Days
on Earth: The Dance
of
Doris
Humphrey
[New
Haven: Yale
University Press, 1987], p. 86).
20.
Ibid., p.
111.
21. I
agree
with
Rodiger
that the
pattern
is not
exactly
symmetrical.
If the
spiral
to the floor is taken as the main
climax of the
dance,
then the resolution
happens
in a briefer
time
span
than the
buildup. Support
for this view can be found
in
Humphrey's
words: "nature moves in succession . . .
usually
in an
unfolding
succession to a
climax,
and a more
sudden succession to cessation or death"
(quoted
in Marcia
B.
Siegel, Days
on Earth: The Dance
of
Doris
Humphrey
[New
Haven: Yale
University Press, 1987], p. 86).
22. Davis and
Schmais, pp.
111-112.
23.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
87.
24.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
32.
25. Clifford
Geertz,
"Thick
Description:
Toward an
Interpre-
tive
Theory
of
Culture,"
The
Interpretation of
Cultures
(New
York: Basic
Books, 1973), pp.
3-30.
26. The notated score Davis and Schmais
probably
used was
the Ruth Currier
version,
reconstructed in 1966. In
addition,
Claire Schmais had
performed
in a reconstruction of the work.
The introduction to the
published
score of Water
Study
states:
"Ruth Currier directed the revival of Water
Study aided
by
notes made in Labanotation
by
Barbara
Hoenig, by Sally
Fan
Hanger
who danced in the 1954 revival
by
Miss
Humphrey
at
Connecticut
College
School of
Dance,
and from her own
memory
as she assisted Miss
Humphrey
with the
repertory
class that summer. . . . Since the 1966
notation,
another
complete
revival was mounted
by
Ernestine
Stodelle,
and is in
the
process
of notation in 1978" (Doris
Humphrey:
The
Collected Works, Vol. I
[New
York: Dance Notation Bureau
Press, 1978], p. 5). Siegel
saw a reconstruction
by
Stodelle.
The two versions
vary principally
in the arm movements for
the final
diagonal
cross and the
placement
of the
spiral.
27.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
29.
28. Ibid.
22. Davis and
Schmais, pp.
111-112.
23.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
87.
24.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
32.
25. Clifford
Geertz,
"Thick
Description:
Toward an
Interpre-
tive
Theory
of
Culture,"
The
Interpretation of
Cultures
(New
York: Basic
Books, 1973), pp.
3-30.
26. The notated score Davis and Schmais
probably
used was
the Ruth Currier
version,
reconstructed in 1966. In
addition,
Claire Schmais had
performed
in a reconstruction of the work.
The introduction to the
published
score of Water
Study
states:
"Ruth Currier directed the revival of Water
Study aided
by
notes made in Labanotation
by
Barbara
Hoenig, by Sally
Fan
Hanger
who danced in the 1954 revival
by
Miss
Humphrey
at
Connecticut
College
School of
Dance,
and from her own
memory
as she assisted Miss
Humphrey
with the
repertory
class that summer. . . . Since the 1966
notation,
another
complete
revival was mounted
by
Ernestine
Stodelle,
and is in
the
process
of notation in 1978" (Doris
Humphrey:
The
Collected Works, Vol. I
[New
York: Dance Notation Bureau
Press, 1978], p. 5). Siegel
saw a reconstruction
by
Stodelle.
The two versions
vary principally
in the arm movements for
the final
diagonal
cross and the
placement
of the
spiral.
27.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
29.
28. Ibid.
22. Davis and
Schmais, pp.
111-112.
23.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
87.
24.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
32.
25. Clifford
Geertz,
"Thick
Description:
Toward an
Interpre-
tive
Theory
of
Culture,"
The
Interpretation of
Cultures
(New
York: Basic
Books, 1973), pp.
3-30.
26. The notated score Davis and Schmais
probably
used was
the Ruth Currier
version,
reconstructed in 1966. In
addition,
Claire Schmais had
performed
in a reconstruction of the work.
The introduction to the
published
score of Water
Study
states:
"Ruth Currier directed the revival of Water
Study aided
by
notes made in Labanotation
by
Barbara
Hoenig, by Sally
Fan
Hanger
who danced in the 1954 revival
by
Miss
Humphrey
at
Connecticut
College
School of
Dance,
and from her own
memory
as she assisted Miss
Humphrey
with the
repertory
class that summer. . . . Since the 1966
notation,
another
complete
revival was mounted
by
Ernestine
Stodelle,
and is in
the
process
of notation in 1978" (Doris
Humphrey:
The
Collected Works, Vol. I
[New
York: Dance Notation Bureau
Press, 1978], p. 5). Siegel
saw a reconstruction
by
Stodelle.
The two versions
vary principally
in the arm movements for
the final
diagonal
cross and the
placement
of the
spiral.
27.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
29.
28. Ibid.
22. Davis and
Schmais, pp.
111-112.
23.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
87.
24.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
32.
25. Clifford
Geertz,
"Thick
Description:
Toward an
Interpre-
tive
Theory
of
Culture,"
The
Interpretation of
Cultures
(New
York: Basic
Books, 1973), pp.
3-30.
26. The notated score Davis and Schmais
probably
used was
the Ruth Currier
version,
reconstructed in 1966. In
addition,
Claire Schmais had
performed
in a reconstruction of the work.
The introduction to the
published
score of Water
Study
states:
"Ruth Currier directed the revival of Water
Study aided
by
notes made in Labanotation
by
Barbara
Hoenig, by Sally
Fan
Hanger
who danced in the 1954 revival
by
Miss
Humphrey
at
Connecticut
College
School of
Dance,
and from her own
memory
as she assisted Miss
Humphrey
with the
repertory
class that summer. . . . Since the 1966
notation,
another
complete
revival was mounted
by
Ernestine
Stodelle,
and is in
the
process
of notation in 1978" (Doris
Humphrey:
The
Collected Works, Vol. I
[New
York: Dance Notation Bureau
Press, 1978], p. 5). Siegel
saw a reconstruction
by
Stodelle.
The two versions
vary principally
in the arm movements for
the final
diagonal
cross and the
placement
of the
spiral.
27.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
29.
28. Ibid.
22. Davis and
Schmais, pp.
111-112.
23.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
87.
24.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
32.
25. Clifford
Geertz,
"Thick
Description:
Toward an
Interpre-
tive
Theory
of
Culture,"
The
Interpretation of
Cultures
(New
York: Basic
Books, 1973), pp.
3-30.
26. The notated score Davis and Schmais
probably
used was
the Ruth Currier
version,
reconstructed in 1966. In
addition,
Claire Schmais had
performed
in a reconstruction of the work.
The introduction to the
published
score of Water
Study
states:
"Ruth Currier directed the revival of Water
Study aided
by
notes made in Labanotation
by
Barbara
Hoenig, by Sally
Fan
Hanger
who danced in the 1954 revival
by
Miss
Humphrey
at
Connecticut
College
School of
Dance,
and from her own
memory
as she assisted Miss
Humphrey
with the
repertory
class that summer. . . . Since the 1966
notation,
another
complete
revival was mounted
by
Ernestine
Stodelle,
and is in
the
process
of notation in 1978" (Doris
Humphrey:
The
Collected Works, Vol. I
[New
York: Dance Notation Bureau
Press, 1978], p. 5). Siegel
saw a reconstruction
by
Stodelle.
The two versions
vary principally
in the arm movements for
the final
diagonal
cross and the
placement
of the
spiral.
27.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
29.
28. Ibid.
22. Davis and
Schmais, pp.
111-112.
23.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
87.
24.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
32.
25. Clifford
Geertz,
"Thick
Description:
Toward an
Interpre-
tive
Theory
of
Culture,"
The
Interpretation of
Cultures
(New
York: Basic
Books, 1973), pp.
3-30.
26. The notated score Davis and Schmais
probably
used was
the Ruth Currier
version,
reconstructed in 1966. In
addition,
Claire Schmais had
performed
in a reconstruction of the work.
The introduction to the
published
score of Water
Study
states:
"Ruth Currier directed the revival of Water
Study aided
by
notes made in Labanotation
by
Barbara
Hoenig, by Sally
Fan
Hanger
who danced in the 1954 revival
by
Miss
Humphrey
at
Connecticut
College
School of
Dance,
and from her own
memory
as she assisted Miss
Humphrey
with the
repertory
class that summer. . . . Since the 1966
notation,
another
complete
revival was mounted
by
Ernestine
Stodelle,
and is in
the
process
of notation in 1978" (Doris
Humphrey:
The
Collected Works, Vol. I
[New
York: Dance Notation Bureau
Press, 1978], p. 5). Siegel
saw a reconstruction
by
Stodelle.
The two versions
vary principally
in the arm movements for
the final
diagonal
cross and the
placement
of the
spiral.
27.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
29.
28. Ibid.
22. Davis and
Schmais, pp.
111-112.
23.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
87.
24.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
32.
25. Clifford
Geertz,
"Thick
Description:
Toward an
Interpre-
tive
Theory
of
Culture,"
The
Interpretation of
Cultures
(New
York: Basic
Books, 1973), pp.
3-30.
26. The notated score Davis and Schmais
probably
used was
the Ruth Currier
version,
reconstructed in 1966. In
addition,
Claire Schmais had
performed
in a reconstruction of the work.
The introduction to the
published
score of Water
Study
states:
"Ruth Currier directed the revival of Water
Study aided
by
notes made in Labanotation
by
Barbara
Hoenig, by Sally
Fan
Hanger
who danced in the 1954 revival
by
Miss
Humphrey
at
Connecticut
College
School of
Dance,
and from her own
memory
as she assisted Miss
Humphrey
with the
repertory
class that summer. . . . Since the 1966
notation,
another
complete
revival was mounted
by
Ernestine
Stodelle,
and is in
the
process
of notation in 1978" (Doris
Humphrey:
The
Collected Works, Vol. I
[New
York: Dance Notation Bureau
Press, 1978], p. 5). Siegel
saw a reconstruction
by
Stodelle.
The two versions
vary principally
in the arm movements for
the final
diagonal
cross and the
placement
of the
spiral.
27.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
29.
28. Ibid.
22. Davis and
Schmais, pp.
111-112.
23.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
87.
24.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
32.
25. Clifford
Geertz,
"Thick
Description:
Toward an
Interpre-
tive
Theory
of
Culture,"
The
Interpretation of
Cultures
(New
York: Basic
Books, 1973), pp.
3-30.
26. The notated score Davis and Schmais
probably
used was
the Ruth Currier
version,
reconstructed in 1966. In
addition,
Claire Schmais had
performed
in a reconstruction of the work.
The introduction to the
published
score of Water
Study
states:
"Ruth Currier directed the revival of Water
Study aided
by
notes made in Labanotation
by
Barbara
Hoenig, by Sally
Fan
Hanger
who danced in the 1954 revival
by
Miss
Humphrey
at
Connecticut
College
School of
Dance,
and from her own
memory
as she assisted Miss
Humphrey
with the
repertory
class that summer. . . . Since the 1966
notation,
another
complete
revival was mounted
by
Ernestine
Stodelle,
and is in
the
process
of notation in 1978" (Doris
Humphrey:
The
Collected Works, Vol. I
[New
York: Dance Notation Bureau
Press, 1978], p. 5). Siegel
saw a reconstruction
by
Stodelle.
The two versions
vary principally
in the arm movements for
the final
diagonal
cross and the
placement
of the
spiral.
27.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
29.
28. Ibid.
22. Davis and
Schmais, pp.
111-112.
23.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
87.
24.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
32.
25. Clifford
Geertz,
"Thick
Description:
Toward an
Interpre-
tive
Theory
of
Culture,"
The
Interpretation of
Cultures
(New
York: Basic
Books, 1973), pp.
3-30.
26. The notated score Davis and Schmais
probably
used was
the Ruth Currier
version,
reconstructed in 1966. In
addition,
Claire Schmais had
performed
in a reconstruction of the work.
The introduction to the
published
score of Water
Study
states:
"Ruth Currier directed the revival of Water
Study aided
by
notes made in Labanotation
by
Barbara
Hoenig, by Sally
Fan
Hanger
who danced in the 1954 revival
by
Miss
Humphrey
at
Connecticut
College
School of
Dance,
and from her own
memory
as she assisted Miss
Humphrey
with the
repertory
class that summer. . . . Since the 1966
notation,
another
complete
revival was mounted
by
Ernestine
Stodelle,
and is in
the
process
of notation in 1978" (Doris
Humphrey:
The
Collected Works, Vol. I
[New
York: Dance Notation Bureau
Press, 1978], p. 5). Siegel
saw a reconstruction
by
Stodelle.
The two versions
vary principally
in the arm movements for
the final
diagonal
cross and the
placement
of the
spiral.
27.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
29.
28. Ibid.
22. Davis and
Schmais, pp.
111-112.
23.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
87.
24.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
32.
25. Clifford
Geertz,
"Thick
Description:
Toward an
Interpre-
tive
Theory
of
Culture,"
The
Interpretation of
Cultures
(New
York: Basic
Books, 1973), pp.
3-30.
26. The notated score Davis and Schmais
probably
used was
the Ruth Currier
version,
reconstructed in 1966. In
addition,
Claire Schmais had
performed
in a reconstruction of the work.
The introduction to the
published
score of Water
Study
states:
"Ruth Currier directed the revival of Water
Study aided
by
notes made in Labanotation
by
Barbara
Hoenig, by Sally
Fan
Hanger
who danced in the 1954 revival
by
Miss
Humphrey
at
Connecticut
College
School of
Dance,
and from her own
memory
as she assisted Miss
Humphrey
with the
repertory
class that summer. . . . Since the 1966
notation,
another
complete
revival was mounted
by
Ernestine
Stodelle,
and is in
the
process
of notation in 1978" (Doris
Humphrey:
The
Collected Works, Vol. I
[New
York: Dance Notation Bureau
Press, 1978], p. 5). Siegel
saw a reconstruction
by
Stodelle.
The two versions
vary principally
in the arm movements for
the final
diagonal
cross and the
placement
of the
spiral.
27.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
29.
28. Ibid.
22. Davis and
Schmais, pp.
111-112.
23.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
87.
24.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
32.
25. Clifford
Geertz,
"Thick
Description:
Toward an
Interpre-
tive
Theory
of
Culture,"
The
Interpretation of
Cultures
(New
York: Basic
Books, 1973), pp.
3-30.
26. The notated score Davis and Schmais
probably
used was
the Ruth Currier
version,
reconstructed in 1966. In
addition,
Claire Schmais had
performed
in a reconstruction of the work.
The introduction to the
published
score of Water
Study
states:
"Ruth Currier directed the revival of Water
Study aided
by
notes made in Labanotation
by
Barbara
Hoenig, by Sally
Fan
Hanger
who danced in the 1954 revival
by
Miss
Humphrey
at
Connecticut
College
School of
Dance,
and from her own
memory
as she assisted Miss
Humphrey
with the
repertory
class that summer. . . . Since the 1966
notation,
another
complete
revival was mounted
by
Ernestine
Stodelle,
and is in
the
process
of notation in 1978" (Doris
Humphrey:
The
Collected Works, Vol. I
[New
York: Dance Notation Bureau
Press, 1978], p. 5). Siegel
saw a reconstruction
by
Stodelle.
The two versions
vary principally
in the arm movements for
the final
diagonal
cross and the
placement
of the
spiral.
27.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
29.
28. Ibid.
29.
Ibid., p.
30. 29.
Ibid., p.
30. 29.
Ibid., p.
30. 29.
Ibid., p.
30. 29.
Ibid., p.
30. 29.
Ibid., p.
30. 29.
Ibid., p.
30. 29.
Ibid., p.
30. 29.
Ibid., p.
30. 29.
Ibid., p.
30. 29.
Ibid., p.
30.
30. Ibid. 30. Ibid. 30. Ibid. 30. Ibid. 30. Ibid. 30. Ibid. 30. Ibid. 30. Ibid. 30. Ibid. 30. Ibid. 30. Ibid.
31. "Water
Study,"
Doris
Humphrey:
The Collected
Works,
Vol. I
(New
York: Dance Notation Bureau
Press, 1978), p.
4.
32.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
31.
33.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
87.
34.
Ibid., p.
88.
35. Ibid.
31. "Water
Study,"
Doris
Humphrey:
The Collected
Works,
Vol. I
(New
York: Dance Notation Bureau
Press, 1978), p.
4.
32.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
31.
33.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
87.
34.
Ibid., p.
88.
35. Ibid.
31. "Water
Study,"
Doris
Humphrey:
The Collected
Works,
Vol. I
(New
York: Dance Notation Bureau
Press, 1978), p.
4.
32.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
31.
33.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
87.
34.
Ibid., p.
88.
35. Ibid.
31. "Water
Study,"
Doris
Humphrey:
The Collected
Works,
Vol. I
(New
York: Dance Notation Bureau
Press, 1978), p.
4.
32.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
31.
33.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
87.
34.
Ibid., p.
88.
35. Ibid.
31. "Water
Study,"
Doris
Humphrey:
The Collected
Works,
Vol. I
(New
York: Dance Notation Bureau
Press, 1978), p.
4.
32.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
31.
33.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
87.
34.
Ibid., p.
88.
35. Ibid.
31. "Water
Study,"
Doris
Humphrey:
The Collected
Works,
Vol. I
(New
York: Dance Notation Bureau
Press, 1978), p.
4.
32.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
31.
33.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
87.
34.
Ibid., p.
88.
35. Ibid.
31. "Water
Study,"
Doris
Humphrey:
The Collected
Works,
Vol. I
(New
York: Dance Notation Bureau
Press, 1978), p.
4.
32.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
31.
33.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
87.
34.
Ibid., p.
88.
35. Ibid.
31. "Water
Study,"
Doris
Humphrey:
The Collected
Works,
Vol. I
(New
York: Dance Notation Bureau
Press, 1978), p.
4.
32.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
31.
33.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
87.
34.
Ibid., p.
88.
35. Ibid.
31. "Water
Study,"
Doris
Humphrey:
The Collected
Works,
Vol. I
(New
York: Dance Notation Bureau
Press, 1978), p.
4.
32.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
31.
33.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
87.
34.
Ibid., p.
88.
35. Ibid.
31. "Water
Study,"
Doris
Humphrey:
The Collected
Works,
Vol. I
(New
York: Dance Notation Bureau
Press, 1978), p.
4.
32.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
31.
33.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
87.
34.
Ibid., p.
88.
35. Ibid.
31. "Water
Study,"
Doris
Humphrey:
The Collected
Works,
Vol. I
(New
York: Dance Notation Bureau
Press, 1978), p.
4.
32.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
31.
33.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
87.
34.
Ibid., p.
88.
35. Ibid.
37. Rudolf von
Laban, Choreographie, (Jena: Eugen Diedrichs,
1926), p. 15; quoted
in Vera
Maletic, Body-Space-Expres-
sion: The
Development of Rudolf
Laban's Movement and
Dance
Concepts (New
York: Mouton de
Gruyter, 1987), p.
53.
38. Maletic, p.
65.
39. Ibid.
40. Davis and
Schmais, p.
107.
37. Rudolf von
Laban, Choreographie, (Jena: Eugen Diedrichs,
1926), p. 15; quoted
in Vera
Maletic, Body-Space-Expres-
sion: The
Development of Rudolf
Laban's Movement and
Dance
Concepts (New
York: Mouton de
Gruyter, 1987), p.
53.
38. Maletic, p.
65.
39. Ibid.
40. Davis and
Schmais, p.
107.
37. Rudolf von
Laban, Choreographie, (Jena: Eugen Diedrichs,
1926), p. 15; quoted
in Vera
Maletic, Body-Space-Expres-
sion: The
Development of Rudolf
Laban's Movement and
Dance
Concepts (New
York: Mouton de
Gruyter, 1987), p.
53.
38. Maletic, p.
65.
39. Ibid.
40. Davis and
Schmais, p.
107.
37. Rudolf von
Laban, Choreographie, (Jena: Eugen Diedrichs,
1926), p. 15; quoted
in Vera
Maletic, Body-Space-Expres-
sion: The
Development of Rudolf
Laban's Movement and
Dance
Concepts (New
York: Mouton de
Gruyter, 1987), p.
53.
38. Maletic, p.
65.
39. Ibid.
40. Davis and
Schmais, p.
107.
37. Rudolf von
Laban, Choreographie, (Jena: Eugen Diedrichs,
1926), p. 15; quoted
in Vera
Maletic, Body-Space-Expres-
sion: The
Development of Rudolf
Laban's Movement and
Dance
Concepts (New
York: Mouton de
Gruyter, 1987), p.
53.
38. Maletic, p.
65.
39. Ibid.
40. Davis and
Schmais, p.
107.
37. Rudolf von
Laban, Choreographie, (Jena: Eugen Diedrichs,
1926), p. 15; quoted
in Vera
Maletic, Body-Space-Expres-
sion: The
Development of Rudolf
Laban's Movement and
Dance
Concepts (New
York: Mouton de
Gruyter, 1987), p.
53.
38. Maletic, p.
65.
39. Ibid.
40. Davis and
Schmais, p.
107.
37. Rudolf von
Laban, Choreographie, (Jena: Eugen Diedrichs,
1926), p. 15; quoted
in Vera
Maletic, Body-Space-Expres-
sion: The
Development of Rudolf
Laban's Movement and
Dance
Concepts (New
York: Mouton de
Gruyter, 1987), p.
53.
38. Maletic, p.
65.
39. Ibid.
40. Davis and
Schmais, p.
107.
37. Rudolf von
Laban, Choreographie, (Jena: Eugen Diedrichs,
1926), p. 15; quoted
in Vera
Maletic, Body-Space-Expres-
sion: The
Development of Rudolf
Laban's Movement and
Dance
Concepts (New
York: Mouton de
Gruyter, 1987), p.
53.
38. Maletic, p.
65.
39. Ibid.
40. Davis and
Schmais, p.
107.
37. Rudolf von
Laban, Choreographie, (Jena: Eugen Diedrichs,
1926), p. 15; quoted
in Vera
Maletic, Body-Space-Expres-
sion: The
Development of Rudolf
Laban's Movement and
Dance
Concepts (New
York: Mouton de
Gruyter, 1987), p.
53.
38. Maletic, p.
65.
39. Ibid.
40. Davis and
Schmais, p.
107.
37. Rudolf von
Laban, Choreographie, (Jena: Eugen Diedrichs,
1926), p. 15; quoted
in Vera
Maletic, Body-Space-Expres-
sion: The
Development of Rudolf
Laban's Movement and
Dance
Concepts (New
York: Mouton de
Gruyter, 1987), p.
53.
38. Maletic, p.
65.
39. Ibid.
40. Davis and
Schmais, p.
107.
37. Rudolf von
Laban, Choreographie, (Jena: Eugen Diedrichs,
1926), p. 15; quoted
in Vera
Maletic, Body-Space-Expres-
sion: The
Development of Rudolf
Laban's Movement and
Dance
Concepts (New
York: Mouton de
Gruyter, 1987), p.
53.
38. Maletic, p.
65.
39. Ibid.
40. Davis and
Schmais, p.
107.
41. Davis now refers to this as the
symptomatic potential
of
movement,
in which certain movement
patterns
are
symptoms
of states and so have a direct
(not external) relationship
to
those states
(Davis, personal communication, 1988).
42. Martha
Davis,
Towards
Understanding
the Intrinsic in
Body
Movement
(New
York: Arno
Press, 1975), pp.
81-82.
Davis cites
Kestenberg
et
al., "Development
of the
Young
Child as
Expressed Through Bodily Movement," Journal
of
the American
Psychoanalytic
Association
(Vol. 19, 1971), p.
747; and Wilhelm
Reich, Character
Analysis (New
York:
Farrar,
Straus & Giroux
(The Noonday Press, 1949), p.
358.
43.
Maletic, p.
73.
44. See Ted
Shawn, Every
Little Movement
(New
York:
Dance
Horizons, 1974)
and Genevieve
Stebbins,
The Delsarte
System of Expression (New
York: Dance
Horizons, 1977).
45. Davis and
Schmais, p.
112.
46.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
87.
47. Jowitt,
p.
196.
48. Susan
Leigh Foster, Reading Dancing:
Bodies and Sub-
jects
in
Contemporary
American Dance
(Berkeley:
Univer-
sity
of California
Press, 1986), pp.
65, 235.
49.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
28.
41. Davis now refers to this as the
symptomatic potential
of
movement,
in which certain movement
patterns
are
symptoms
of states and so have a direct
(not external) relationship
to
those states
(Davis, personal communication, 1988).
42. Martha
Davis,
Towards
Understanding
the Intrinsic in
Body
Movement
(New
York: Arno
Press, 1975), pp.
81-82.
Davis cites
Kestenberg
et
al., "Development
of the
Young
Child as
Expressed Through Bodily Movement," Journal
of
the American
Psychoanalytic
Association
(Vol. 19, 1971), p.
747; and Wilhelm
Reich, Character
Analysis (New
York:
Farrar,
Straus & Giroux
(The Noonday Press, 1949), p.
358.
43.
Maletic, p.
73.
44. See Ted
Shawn, Every
Little Movement
(New
York:
Dance
Horizons, 1974)
and Genevieve
Stebbins,
The Delsarte
System of Expression (New
York: Dance
Horizons, 1977).
45. Davis and
Schmais, p.
112.
46.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
87.
47. Jowitt,
p.
196.
48. Susan
Leigh Foster, Reading Dancing:
Bodies and Sub-
jects
in
Contemporary
American Dance
(Berkeley:
Univer-
sity
of California
Press, 1986), pp.
65, 235.
49.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
28.
41. Davis now refers to this as the
symptomatic potential
of
movement,
in which certain movement
patterns
are
symptoms
of states and so have a direct
(not external) relationship
to
those states
(Davis, personal communication, 1988).
42. Martha
Davis,
Towards
Understanding
the Intrinsic in
Body
Movement
(New
York: Arno
Press, 1975), pp.
81-82.
Davis cites
Kestenberg
et
al., "Development
of the
Young
Child as
Expressed Through Bodily Movement," Journal
of
the American
Psychoanalytic
Association
(Vol. 19, 1971), p.
747; and Wilhelm
Reich, Character
Analysis (New
York:
Farrar,
Straus & Giroux
(The Noonday Press, 1949), p.
358.
43.
Maletic, p.
73.
44. See Ted
Shawn, Every
Little Movement
(New
York:
Dance
Horizons, 1974)
and Genevieve
Stebbins,
The Delsarte
System of Expression (New
York: Dance
Horizons, 1977).
45. Davis and
Schmais, p.
112.
46.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
87.
47. Jowitt,
p.
196.
48. Susan
Leigh Foster, Reading Dancing:
Bodies and Sub-
jects
in
Contemporary
American Dance
(Berkeley:
Univer-
sity
of California
Press, 1986), pp.
65, 235.
49.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
28.
41. Davis now refers to this as the
symptomatic potential
of
movement,
in which certain movement
patterns
are
symptoms
of states and so have a direct
(not external) relationship
to
those states
(Davis, personal communication, 1988).
42. Martha
Davis,
Towards
Understanding
the Intrinsic in
Body
Movement
(New
York: Arno
Press, 1975), pp.
81-82.
Davis cites
Kestenberg
et
al., "Development
of the
Young
Child as
Expressed Through Bodily Movement," Journal
of
the American
Psychoanalytic
Association
(Vol. 19, 1971), p.
747; and Wilhelm
Reich, Character
Analysis (New
York:
Farrar,
Straus & Giroux
(The Noonday Press, 1949), p.
358.
43.
Maletic, p.
73.
44. See Ted
Shawn, Every
Little Movement
(New
York:
Dance
Horizons, 1974)
and Genevieve
Stebbins,
The Delsarte
System of Expression (New
York: Dance
Horizons, 1977).
45. Davis and
Schmais, p.
112.
46.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
87.
47. Jowitt,
p.
196.
48. Susan
Leigh Foster, Reading Dancing:
Bodies and Sub-
jects
in
Contemporary
American Dance
(Berkeley:
Univer-
sity
of California
Press, 1986), pp.
65, 235.
49.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
28.
41. Davis now refers to this as the
symptomatic potential
of
movement,
in which certain movement
patterns
are
symptoms
of states and so have a direct
(not external) relationship
to
those states
(Davis, personal communication, 1988).
42. Martha
Davis,
Towards
Understanding
the Intrinsic in
Body
Movement
(New
York: Arno
Press, 1975), pp.
81-82.
Davis cites
Kestenberg
et
al., "Development
of the
Young
Child as
Expressed Through Bodily Movement," Journal
of
the American
Psychoanalytic
Association
(Vol. 19, 1971), p.
747; and Wilhelm
Reich, Character
Analysis (New
York:
Farrar,
Straus & Giroux
(The Noonday Press, 1949), p.
358.
43.
Maletic, p.
73.
44. See Ted
Shawn, Every
Little Movement
(New
York:
Dance
Horizons, 1974)
and Genevieve
Stebbins,
The Delsarte
System of Expression (New
York: Dance
Horizons, 1977).
45. Davis and
Schmais, p.
112.
46.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
87.
47. Jowitt,
p.
196.
48. Susan
Leigh Foster, Reading Dancing:
Bodies and Sub-
jects
in
Contemporary
American Dance
(Berkeley:
Univer-
sity
of California
Press, 1986), pp.
65, 235.
49.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
28.
41. Davis now refers to this as the
symptomatic potential
of
movement,
in which certain movement
patterns
are
symptoms
of states and so have a direct
(not external) relationship
to
those states
(Davis, personal communication, 1988).
42. Martha
Davis,
Towards
Understanding
the Intrinsic in
Body
Movement
(New
York: Arno
Press, 1975), pp.
81-82.
Davis cites
Kestenberg
et
al., "Development
of the
Young
Child as
Expressed Through Bodily Movement," Journal
of
the American
Psychoanalytic
Association
(Vol. 19, 1971), p.
747; and Wilhelm
Reich, Character
Analysis (New
York:
Farrar,
Straus & Giroux
(The Noonday Press, 1949), p.
358.
43.
Maletic, p.
73.
44. See Ted
Shawn, Every
Little Movement
(New
York:
Dance
Horizons, 1974)
and Genevieve
Stebbins,
The Delsarte
System of Expression (New
York: Dance
Horizons, 1977).
45. Davis and
Schmais, p.
112.
46.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
87.
47. Jowitt,
p.
196.
48. Susan
Leigh Foster, Reading Dancing:
Bodies and Sub-
jects
in
Contemporary
American Dance
(Berkeley:
Univer-
sity
of California
Press, 1986), pp.
65, 235.
49.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
28.
41. Davis now refers to this as the
symptomatic potential
of
movement,
in which certain movement
patterns
are
symptoms
of states and so have a direct
(not external) relationship
to
those states
(Davis, personal communication, 1988).
42. Martha
Davis,
Towards
Understanding
the Intrinsic in
Body
Movement
(New
York: Arno
Press, 1975), pp.
81-82.
Davis cites
Kestenberg
et
al., "Development
of the
Young
Child as
Expressed Through Bodily Movement," Journal
of
the American
Psychoanalytic
Association
(Vol. 19, 1971), p.
747; and Wilhelm
Reich, Character
Analysis (New
York:
Farrar,
Straus & Giroux
(The Noonday Press, 1949), p.
358.
43.
Maletic, p.
73.
44. See Ted
Shawn, Every
Little Movement
(New
York:
Dance
Horizons, 1974)
and Genevieve
Stebbins,
The Delsarte
System of Expression (New
York: Dance
Horizons, 1977).
45. Davis and
Schmais, p.
112.
46.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
87.
47. Jowitt,
p.
196.
48. Susan
Leigh Foster, Reading Dancing:
Bodies and Sub-
jects
in
Contemporary
American Dance
(Berkeley:
Univer-
sity
of California
Press, 1986), pp.
65, 235.
49.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
28.
41. Davis now refers to this as the
symptomatic potential
of
movement,
in which certain movement
patterns
are
symptoms
of states and so have a direct
(not external) relationship
to
those states
(Davis, personal communication, 1988).
42. Martha
Davis,
Towards
Understanding
the Intrinsic in
Body
Movement
(New
York: Arno
Press, 1975), pp.
81-82.
Davis cites
Kestenberg
et
al., "Development
of the
Young
Child as
Expressed Through Bodily Movement," Journal
of
the American
Psychoanalytic
Association
(Vol. 19, 1971), p.
747; and Wilhelm
Reich, Character
Analysis (New
York:
Farrar,
Straus & Giroux
(The Noonday Press, 1949), p.
358.
43.
Maletic, p.
73.
44. See Ted
Shawn, Every
Little Movement
(New
York:
Dance
Horizons, 1974)
and Genevieve
Stebbins,
The Delsarte
System of Expression (New
York: Dance
Horizons, 1977).
45. Davis and
Schmais, p.
112.
46.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
87.
47. Jowitt,
p.
196.
48. Susan
Leigh Foster, Reading Dancing:
Bodies and Sub-
jects
in
Contemporary
American Dance
(Berkeley:
Univer-
sity
of California
Press, 1986), pp.
65, 235.
49.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
28.
41. Davis now refers to this as the
symptomatic potential
of
movement,
in which certain movement
patterns
are
symptoms
of states and so have a direct
(not external) relationship
to
those states
(Davis, personal communication, 1988).
42. Martha
Davis,
Towards
Understanding
the Intrinsic in
Body
Movement
(New
York: Arno
Press, 1975), pp.
81-82.
Davis cites
Kestenberg
et
al., "Development
of the
Young
Child as
Expressed Through Bodily Movement," Journal
of
the American
Psychoanalytic
Association
(Vol. 19, 1971), p.
747; and Wilhelm
Reich, Character
Analysis (New
York:
Farrar,
Straus & Giroux
(The Noonday Press, 1949), p.
358.
43.
Maletic, p.
73.
44. See Ted
Shawn, Every
Little Movement
(New
York:
Dance
Horizons, 1974)
and Genevieve
Stebbins,
The Delsarte
System of Expression (New
York: Dance
Horizons, 1977).
45. Davis and
Schmais, p.
112.
46.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
87.
47. Jowitt,
p.
196.
48. Susan
Leigh Foster, Reading Dancing:
Bodies and Sub-
jects
in
Contemporary
American Dance
(Berkeley:
Univer-
sity
of California
Press, 1986), pp.
65, 235.
49.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
28.
41. Davis now refers to this as the
symptomatic potential
of
movement,
in which certain movement
patterns
are
symptoms
of states and so have a direct
(not external) relationship
to
those states
(Davis, personal communication, 1988).
42. Martha
Davis,
Towards
Understanding
the Intrinsic in
Body
Movement
(New
York: Arno
Press, 1975), pp.
81-82.
Davis cites
Kestenberg
et
al., "Development
of the
Young
Child as
Expressed Through Bodily Movement," Journal
of
the American
Psychoanalytic
Association
(Vol. 19, 1971), p.
747; and Wilhelm
Reich, Character
Analysis (New
York:
Farrar,
Straus & Giroux
(The Noonday Press, 1949), p.
358.
43.
Maletic, p.
73.
44. See Ted
Shawn, Every
Little Movement
(New
York:
Dance
Horizons, 1974)
and Genevieve
Stebbins,
The Delsarte
System of Expression (New
York: Dance
Horizons, 1977).
45. Davis and
Schmais, p.
112.
46.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
87.
47. Jowitt,
p.
196.
48. Susan
Leigh Foster, Reading Dancing:
Bodies and Sub-
jects
in
Contemporary
American Dance
(Berkeley:
Univer-
sity
of California
Press, 1986), pp.
65, 235.
49.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
28.
41. Davis now refers to this as the
symptomatic potential
of
movement,
in which certain movement
patterns
are
symptoms
of states and so have a direct
(not external) relationship
to
those states
(Davis, personal communication, 1988).
42. Martha
Davis,
Towards
Understanding
the Intrinsic in
Body
Movement
(New
York: Arno
Press, 1975), pp.
81-82.
Davis cites
Kestenberg
et
al., "Development
of the
Young
Child as
Expressed Through Bodily Movement," Journal
of
the American
Psychoanalytic
Association
(Vol. 19, 1971), p.
747; and Wilhelm
Reich, Character
Analysis (New
York:
Farrar,
Straus & Giroux
(The Noonday Press, 1949), p.
358.
43.
Maletic, p.
73.
44. See Ted
Shawn, Every
Little Movement
(New
York:
Dance
Horizons, 1974)
and Genevieve
Stebbins,
The Delsarte
System of Expression (New
York: Dance
Horizons, 1977).
45. Davis and
Schmais, p.
112.
46.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
87.
47. Jowitt,
p.
196.
48. Susan
Leigh Foster, Reading Dancing:
Bodies and Sub-
jects
in
Contemporary
American Dance
(Berkeley:
Univer-
sity
of California
Press, 1986), pp.
65, 235.
49.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
28.
50.
Ibid., p.
29. 50.
Ibid., p.
29. 50.
Ibid., p.
29. 50.
Ibid., p.
29. 50.
Ibid., p.
29. 50.
Ibid., p.
29. 50.
Ibid., p.
29. 50.
Ibid., p.
29. 50.
Ibid., p.
29. 50.
Ibid., p.
29. 50.
Ibid., p.
29.
51.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
86. 51.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
86. 51.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
86. 51.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
86. 51.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
86. 51.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
86. 51.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
86. 51.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
86. 51.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
86. 51.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
86. 51.
Siegel, Days
on
Earth, p.
86.
52.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
23.
53. Deborah
Jowitt,
"New
Faces,
Old
Pros," Village
Voice
(April 4, 1968), p.
29.
54.
Jowitt,
Time and the
Dancing Image, p.
180.
55.
Ibid., p.
184.
56.
Ibid., p.
191.
52.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
23.
53. Deborah
Jowitt,
"New
Faces,
Old
Pros," Village
Voice
(April 4, 1968), p.
29.
54.
Jowitt,
Time and the
Dancing Image, p.
180.
55.
Ibid., p.
184.
56.
Ibid., p.
191.
52.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
23.
53. Deborah
Jowitt,
"New
Faces,
Old
Pros," Village
Voice
(April 4, 1968), p.
29.
54.
Jowitt,
Time and the
Dancing Image, p.
180.
55.
Ibid., p.
184.
56.
Ibid., p.
191.
52.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
23.
53. Deborah
Jowitt,
"New
Faces,
Old
Pros," Village
Voice
(April 4, 1968), p.
29.
54.
Jowitt,
Time and the
Dancing Image, p.
180.
55.
Ibid., p.
184.
56.
Ibid., p.
191.
52.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
23.
53. Deborah
Jowitt,
"New
Faces,
Old
Pros," Village
Voice
(April 4, 1968), p.
29.
54.
Jowitt,
Time and the
Dancing Image, p.
180.
55.
Ibid., p.
184.
56.
Ibid., p.
191.
52.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
23.
53. Deborah
Jowitt,
"New
Faces,
Old
Pros," Village
Voice
(April 4, 1968), p.
29.
54.
Jowitt,
Time and the
Dancing Image, p.
180.
55.
Ibid., p.
184.
56.
Ibid., p.
191.
52.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
23.
53. Deborah
Jowitt,
"New
Faces,
Old
Pros," Village
Voice
(April 4, 1968), p.
29.
54.
Jowitt,
Time and the
Dancing Image, p.
180.
55.
Ibid., p.
184.
56.
Ibid., p.
191.
52.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
23.
53. Deborah
Jowitt,
"New
Faces,
Old
Pros," Village
Voice
(April 4, 1968), p.
29.
54.
Jowitt,
Time and the
Dancing Image, p.
180.
55.
Ibid., p.
184.
56.
Ibid., p.
191.
52.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
23.
53. Deborah
Jowitt,
"New
Faces,
Old
Pros," Village
Voice
(April 4, 1968), p.
29.
54.
Jowitt,
Time and the
Dancing Image, p.
180.
55.
Ibid., p.
184.
56.
Ibid., p.
191.
52.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
23.
53. Deborah
Jowitt,
"New
Faces,
Old
Pros," Village
Voice
(April 4, 1968), p.
29.
54.
Jowitt,
Time and the
Dancing Image, p.
180.
55.
Ibid., p.
184.
56.
Ibid., p.
191.
52.
Siegel,
The
Shapes of Change, p.
23.
53. Deborah
Jowitt,
"New
Faces,
Old
Pros," Village
Voice
(April 4, 1968), p.
29.
54.
Jowitt,
Time and the
Dancing Image, p.
180.
55.
Ibid., p.
184.
56.
Ibid., p.
191.
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36.
Ibid.,
p.
89. 36.
Ibid.,
p.
89. 36.
Ibid.,
p.
89. 36.
Ibid.,
p.
89. 36.
Ibid.,
p.
89. 36.
Ibid.,
p.
89. 36.
Ibid.,
p.
89. 36.
Ibid.,
p.
89. 36.
Ibid.,
p.
89. 36.
Ibid.,
p.
89. 36.
Ibid.,
p.
89.
57. Charles H.
Woodford, "Open
Letter to Reconstructors of
the Works of Doris
Humphrey
on her 90th
Birthday."Dance
Notation Bureau
Library,
New
York,
c. 1985.
58.
Jowitt,
Time and the
Dancing Image, p.
193.
57. Charles H.
Woodford, "Open
Letter to Reconstructors of
the Works of Doris
Humphrey
on her 90th
Birthday."Dance
Notation Bureau
Library,
New
York,
c. 1985.
58.
Jowitt,
Time and the
Dancing Image, p.
193.
57. Charles H.
Woodford, "Open
Letter to Reconstructors of
the Works of Doris
Humphrey
on her 90th
Birthday."Dance
Notation Bureau
Library,
New
York,
c. 1985.
58.
Jowitt,
Time and the
Dancing Image, p.
193.
57. Charles H.
Woodford, "Open
Letter to Reconstructors of
the Works of Doris
Humphrey
on her 90th
Birthday."Dance
Notation Bureau
Library,
New
York,
c. 1985.
58.
Jowitt,
Time and the
Dancing Image, p.
193.
57. Charles H.
Woodford, "Open
Letter to Reconstructors of
the Works of Doris
Humphrey
on her 90th
Birthday."Dance
Notation Bureau
Library,
New
York,
c. 1985.
58.
Jowitt,
Time and the
Dancing Image, p.
193.
57. Charles H.
Woodford, "Open
Letter to Reconstructors of
the Works of Doris
Humphrey
on her 90th
Birthday."Dance
Notation Bureau
Library,
New
York,
c. 1985.
58.
Jowitt,
Time and the
Dancing Image, p.
193.
57. Charles H.
Woodford, "Open
Letter to Reconstructors of
the Works of Doris
Humphrey
on her 90th
Birthday."Dance
Notation Bureau
Library,
New
York,
c. 1985.
58.
Jowitt,
Time and the
Dancing Image, p.
193.
57. Charles H.
Woodford, "Open
Letter to Reconstructors of
the Works of Doris
Humphrey
on her 90th
Birthday."Dance
Notation Bureau
Library,
New
York,
c. 1985.
58.
Jowitt,
Time and the
Dancing Image, p.
193.
57. Charles H.
Woodford, "Open
Letter to Reconstructors of
the Works of Doris
Humphrey
on her 90th
Birthday."Dance
Notation Bureau
Library,
New
York,
c. 1985.
58.
Jowitt,
Time and the
Dancing Image, p.
193.
57. Charles H.
Woodford, "Open
Letter to Reconstructors of
the Works of Doris
Humphrey
on her 90th
Birthday."Dance
Notation Bureau
Library,
New
York,
c. 1985.
58.
Jowitt,
Time and the
Dancing Image, p.
193.
57. Charles H.
Woodford, "Open
Letter to Reconstructors of
the Works of Doris
Humphrey
on her 90th
Birthday."Dance
Notation Bureau
Library,
New
York,
c. 1985.
58.
Jowitt,
Time and the
Dancing Image, p.
193.
60. I watched a
videotape
of a film from the Dance Notation
Bureau. While the DNB librarian was unable to
identify
the
date of the
film, notator Leslie Rotman said it was the Ruth
Currier version of the dance. As it was an older
film, it
may
have been the version filmed in 1966.
60. I watched a
videotape
of a film from the Dance Notation
Bureau. While the DNB librarian was unable to
identify
the
date of the
film, notator Leslie Rotman said it was the Ruth
Currier version of the dance. As it was an older
film, it
may
have been the version filmed in 1966.
60. I watched a
videotape
of a film from the Dance Notation
Bureau. While the DNB librarian was unable to
identify
the
date of the
film, notator Leslie Rotman said it was the Ruth
Currier version of the dance. As it was an older
film, it
may
have been the version filmed in 1966.
60. I watched a
videotape
of a film from the Dance Notation
Bureau. While the DNB librarian was unable to
identify
the
date of the
film, notator Leslie Rotman said it was the Ruth
Currier version of the dance. As it was an older
film, it
may
have been the version filmed in 1966.
60. I watched a
videotape
of a film from the Dance Notation
Bureau. While the DNB librarian was unable to
identify
the
date of the
film, notator Leslie Rotman said it was the Ruth
Currier version of the dance. As it was an older
film, it
may
have been the version filmed in 1966.
60. I watched a
videotape
of a film from the Dance Notation
Bureau. While the DNB librarian was unable to
identify
the
date of the
film, notator Leslie Rotman said it was the Ruth
Currier version of the dance. As it was an older
film, it
may
have been the version filmed in 1966.
60. I watched a
videotape
of a film from the Dance Notation
Bureau. While the DNB librarian was unable to
identify
the
date of the
film, notator Leslie Rotman said it was the Ruth
Currier version of the dance. As it was an older
film, it
may
have been the version filmed in 1966.
60. I watched a
videotape
of a film from the Dance Notation
Bureau. While the DNB librarian was unable to
identify
the
date of the
film, notator Leslie Rotman said it was the Ruth
Currier version of the dance. As it was an older
film, it
may
have been the version filmed in 1966.
60. I watched a
videotape
of a film from the Dance Notation
Bureau. While the DNB librarian was unable to
identify
the
date of the
film, notator Leslie Rotman said it was the Ruth
Currier version of the dance. As it was an older
film, it
may
have been the version filmed in 1966.
60. I watched a
videotape
of a film from the Dance Notation
Bureau. While the DNB librarian was unable to
identify
the
date of the
film, notator Leslie Rotman said it was the Ruth
Currier version of the dance. As it was an older
film, it
may
have been the version filmed in 1966.
60. I watched a
videotape
of a film from the Dance Notation
Bureau. While the DNB librarian was unable to
identify
the
date of the
film, notator Leslie Rotman said it was the Ruth
Currier version of the dance. As it was an older
film, it
may
have been the version filmed in 1966.
59.
Ibid., p.
197. 59.
Ibid., p.
197. 59.
Ibid., p.
197. 59.
Ibid., p.
197. 59.
Ibid., p.
197. 59.
Ibid., p.
197. 59.
Ibid., p.
197. 59.
Ibid., p.
197. 59.
Ibid., p.
197. 59.
Ibid., p.
197. 59.
Ibid., p.
197.
Dance Research Journal 24/1
(Spring 1992)
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