Garry Stewart, current Artistic Director of the Australian Dance Theatre (ADT) is an innovator as he presents new ideas and expresses originality through his work. His risk-taking, experimental and creative approach has earned him the reputation as one of the most innovative and successful Contemporary choreographers in Australia. This is evident through his use of technology, collaborations with experts in a variety of fields and unique movement style.
Stewart started his dance studies in 1983. He completed most of his training at the Australian Ballet School and the Sydney City Ballet Academy. Stewart discovered an interest in choreography in the early stages of his dance career. He worked as an independent freelance choreographer throughout
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In Proximity (2012), floor work is the main component of the piece. It is used to show patterns and shapes on the floor. Partner work is a major part in all of Stewart’s work. It is used to show the connection between the dancers and to make interesting pictures and shapes with the dancer’s bodies. In some of Stewart’s work tumbling is a significant part of the piece. Tumbling can make his dance works more interesting to watch and shows the skill level in which the dancers are at. In Stewart’s piece Age of Unbeauty (2002), as well as having a contemporary basis for the dance, martial arts is also included. This is an unusual element incorporated into the piece making it entertaining for the audience to watch. The use of martial arts shows the battle between the dancer and their thoughts. Stewart’s work is known to be creative and innovative with how he fuses different styles of dance and other sports into his …show more content…
Proximity is based around human physiology and is presented through different forms of technology. For this piece, Stewart investigated neurobiological theories and somatic basis of a person’s perception. This influenced the piece to have a basis theory of ‘an investigation on the neurological body maps, nerve endings and different views on the world’. The piece incorporates real-time, re-projection and video manipulation. He collaborated with Thomas Pachoud, a multimedia engineer and visual artist for live performance and interactivity pioneer to achieve this production style. Stewarts forward thinking and technological integration in dance is the main characteristic that defines Stewart and the ADT. The simplistic costuming, collaboration and video effects are all contributing factors of Stewart’s display of ‘innovation’ in creating
The Alvin Ailey Dance Theater was created after a famous performance, led by Alvin Ailey and a group of African-American dancers in March 1958, dramatically changed how individuals viewed American dance. The theater’s goal was to celebrate the African-American culture and preserve the legacy of modern dance, which has since, been achieved through performances, “for an estimated 25 million people at theaters in 28 states and 71 countries on six continents[...] (by) more than 235 works by over 90 choreographers,” (Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater). Alvin Ailey, born in Texas, grew up knowing that his experiences living in the South would have some influence on his works later on his life. In Los Angeles, Ailey began to dance when he discovered the beauty of dance by the performances of Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and the Katherine Dunham Dance Company. Soon after, his friend persuaded Ailey to join a class in one of the first racially-integrated dance studios which existed in the United States, led by Leston Horton.
When you are dancing, there are many things you can channel; emotions, memories, people, experiences, stories, the list goes on and on. These properties can be portrayed through movements, facial expressions, and music. Dancing can also portray conflict; such as the conflict between Ponyboy Curtis and Darry Curtis in S.E. Hinton’s beloved novel, The Outsiders. In our dance piece, titled, Hard to See, both the music and movements work in harmony to illustrate Darry and Ponyboy’s maturing relationship.
Tanja Liedtke passed away in 2007, after being hit by a truck. In May, a mere 3 months before her death she was appointed Artistic Director of the Sydney Dance Company. Liedtke is said to have created a ‘fresh innovative language for dance in Australia and beyond’, her constant intent to keep modern dance modern was one of the factors that led to her being appointed one of the youngest Artistic Directors. She managed to provide Australian contemporary dance with a fresh outlook on dance, and choreographed ‘rich, powerful and compelling art’. Her death has impacted the contemporary dance industry as they have lost a powerful voice, but her work and innovative ideas will be remembered and will remain as an influence for many generations of dancers
Thesis: Australia’s perception of dance is determined by societies cultural values which also influence individual values Hook: Dancing in Australia has until recent times been seen as a famine sport with male participation being frowned upon. By breaking down Figueroa’s frame work we are able to see how the influences in society affects ‘dancers’ in their sport. History of dance: Australian dance has been influences including the traditions and history of dance as an art form, as well as the different cultures and trends in society. Australian dance is an important part of Indigenous Australians' cultural traditions.
In his article titled “The Science and Magic of Lindy Hop,” Andy Connelly, a swing dance instructor from the University of York, draws connections between the force of tension in social dancing and Newton’s Laws of Motion. Newton’s First Law of Motion states that “an object remains at rest, or in uniform motion in a straight line, unless it is compelled to change by an externally imposed force.” A swing out, an 8-count move, pictured in Figure ____, is an example of Newton’s First law of motion. After counts 7 and 8, the follow (pink) is standing apart from the lead (blue), waiting for the lead’s tension of pulling the follow in on counts 1 and 2. This is the “change by an external force” caused by the lead taking a rock step as shown in Figure _____ that brings the follow into a closed position, pictured on counts 3 and 4, to the lead.
The dance is a portrayal of the Earth, “the one the Modern had first fled - the archaic horror of the past - and what they had face today” (Latour 2). Latour is signifying that human are constantly changing the functions of Earth in a dreadful way. The past was what caused humans to change and the advancement in science. Nonetheless, the results of the activities is worst and fear becomes perpetual. What has been done cannot be undone, it is already too late to fix the mistakes according to Latour.
In her article, Embodying Difference, Jane Desmond argues that dance offers important insights into the ways moving bodies articulate cultural meanings and social identities. In other words, she explains the importance of studying the body’s movement as a way of understanding culture and society. She has two main arguments. First, she argues for the importance of the continually changing relational constitutions of cultural forms. Desmond further explains that the key to shedding light on the unequal distribution of power and goods that shape social relations are the concepts of cultural resistance, appropriation, and cultural imperialism (49).
A dance film, on the other hand, employs dance as a main character with a more pivotal role in the transformation of the protagonist. Thus, in Shall We Dansu?, because it is an active force in the narrative with human-like characteristics, such as being shrouded in shame, ballroom dance becomes an initiator of intimacy. In Salsa and DanceSport, McMains explains Mexican-American Giselle Fernandez’s need for a creation of an alter ego despite already being
Most notoriously, Fosse invented the “jazz hand” and some of his signature movements include turned-in knees, rolled shoulders, and sideways shuffles. Attention to detail played a prominent role in his choreography and his dance technique; each movement he created was supported by a remarkable amount of detail. A movement as miniscule as a head nod—which was often used— and other diminutive gestures required extreme conscientiousness: a factor behind why his choreography challenged even the most advanced of dancers. Small details made Bob Fosse’s choreography so distinct in essence. The theatrical essence he has as he stood on stage during silent moments, such as the way he walked or simply held his teacup, utilized his attention to detail, illuminated the stage, and made him stand out among his
“What is going on in these pictures in my mind?” (Didion 2). Joan Didion’s “Why I Write” provides an explanation to her perspective om writing and why she writes. Later on, she states that she writes as a way to discover the meaning behind what she is seeing. During this past semester as we wrote about dance, a heavy focus was on description and interpretation rather than contextualization and evaluation.
There is a disjuncture between the performance and the text being performed in theatre that does not exist in dance. “Furthermore, the presence also explains how different text of plays should be performed on stage. For example if a play is written in a certain style then you cannot change how the play should be spoken or song, but you can change how it is presented to the audience. Auslander, Philip. Postmodernism and
America has evolved as a country in many different ways and on many different scales. While there has been a plethora of information on the growth and development of things such as industry and technology, there are several topics that do not get as much attention yet are prevalent among society both in the past and in the present. The arts reflect a timeless expression of feeling and emotion and have changed and evolved throughout time. While the arts can include things such as music, painting, and designing, one area that is of important notice is dance. Dance in America has been an expressive movement throughout the decades that has influenced choreographers and even in the modern day.
Lester Iradell Horton was born in Indianapolis, India on January 23,1906. Not very much was known about his early life. Horton studied ballet for two years with a local teacher in Indianapolis. He was also taking classes at Herron Art Institute and worked with the Indianapolis Theater. Not very long after he began to work for sculptress Kathleen Stuberg.
Lynn Simonson is an internationally respected educator of jazz dance and is the creator of the Simonson Technique which is an organic approach to movement that prepares the body to dance in a way that is anatomically intelligent and somatically aware. Lynn was born in Los Angeles on April 24, 1943, to her parents Henry and Louise Simonson. When Lynn was 8 years old, she moved with her family to Seattle, Washington where her father joined the Seattle Symphony Orchestra where he played the violin and her mother opened a dance studio. This is where she began to get ballet training from dancers who used to be part of Diaghllev and Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. When she was 13 years old, she began to teach dance in her mother’s studio where she got introduced to jazz and then went on to be hired as a singer and dancer for Equity stock musicals.
The dancers were observed to be full of energy which showed through their movements and dancing. Every movement was sharp and clean. Furthermore, the action portion of the basic dance elements was seen through the dancer’s basic movements that turned into dancing. For example, in one scene, the actor jumped off the table and broke into a little skip-glide dancing movement.