DANC 2000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Concert Dance, Martha Graham
Document Summary
Purpose: to investigate the politics of labels ascribed to different types of dancing. Context: in a scholarly anthology; trying to offer historical perspective and nuance terms. Subject: wide temporal/ geographical scope, but with a heavy emphasis on modern american dance contexts. Draws on a mix of scholarly, artistic, and anecdotal sources. Claims: ideological histories of the terms choreography and choreographer reinforce the dominance of western models of dance making, thus marginalizing non-western, social, and other dance forms not based on the single-author system. Trying to rethink choreography out of the box. Predominantly created to notate western court and concert dance forms. Created to assist in the spread of particular dances. Created widespread understanding of dance as necessarily confined to the patterns/movements inscribed in these notations. Choreography a staged presentation of movement resulting from the creative process of originating a dance. Tried to control dissemination of her work/vision, even after death. Well known as sole choreographer of all her works.
