For the past two classes we have gained greater understanding on dance criticism and dance aesthetics. The foundation for our studies looks at understanding the beautiful, and more specifically, what do we consider pleasing? How has our taste and judgment effect our determination as critics of what is considered to be beautiful? For myself, my definition of what is considered to be beautiful, especially in the realm of dance, has evolved throughout my dance education at F&M. As my knowledge expanded, postmodern dance artists, like Trisha Brown, now interest me with their distinctive choice of form and imitation. To elaborate, I remember watching Trisha Brown’s dance work “Walking on the Wall” (1971) in beginning modern dance. Dancers were harnessed to the ceiling at the Whitney Museum of Art, New York and slowly moved their way down from the ceiling along the walls of the museum. Ivar Hagendoorn can summarize the reason one might find this unusual dance work to be intriguing through his article “The Dancing Brain”. Even though the beautiful can often be categorized as the satisfaction of the anticipated, the sublime, an initial disorder of chaos or the unexpected, can receive an even deeper sense of satisfaction than the expected dance work. Dancing down the wall is something wholly different than I had ever seen before, and therefore became rarely beautiful. But this is through my eyes, as a dance student. How might others perceive this dance work that takes place in a wholly unique space? Many of the dance philosophers we study would immediately dismiss this dance due to its minimal amount of expression.
I agree with Michelle's assertion that my appreciation for the aesthetics for dance have grown with my dance education at F&M. In Beginning Modern Dance we learned much about the early stages of modern and how it evolved over the course of time. With the knowledge of where modern originated from, it became easier to appreciate dance for its structure and intention rather than just the style. Seeing these pieces prior to any classes about their origination and their choreographers, they seemed bizarre and unnatural. However, learning about choreographers like Trish Brown and Merce Cunningham, two people with incredibly unique choreographic techniques, I developed a new appreciation for the unusual and discovered a way to find the beauty in all different forms of dance. As Michelle stated, these things became "rarely beautiful" because of the unique manner in which they captivated their audiences with movement.
ReplyDeleteIn order to appreciate, one must learn & experience.
ReplyDeleteI remember watching a Modern dance for the first time. I was confused and I let my confusion take over. I said I disliked the piece simply because I did not understand it. When I enrolled in Beginning Modern Dance, I learned about dancers who helped mold and shape modern dance. In class, I had the chance to do some of the movements dancers like Martha Graham and Trisha Brown worked with. It was after taking this modern class that I appreciated and found the beauty in it. It is obvious that I am not going to love every piece, however I learned about being open minded in the Arts and making observations instead of quick judgements.
-Eloisa A.
Similar to the other bloggers, I also feel that before studying dance at F&M I would have considered most of the modern dance pieces I've seen here to be "ugly" or "not dance." However, since learning the intense amount of work that goes into developing new movement styles I've come to appreciate how beautiful something unexpected could be. I've come to appreciate this not only with choreographers whose work is now accepted as beautiful, such as Trisha Brown, but also within more local choreography. If I had watched Tori Lawrence's "The Three Wayfarers" previous to my education at F&M I would have instantly disregarded it saying it wasn't dance and I didn't get it. However, after learning more about dance I appreciated the beauty in how the choreography broke the rules by using odd spacing, sounds, and movements to create an extremely unique look.
ReplyDeleteI'm am in agreement with the fact that the unusual can be confusing and many times overlooked as "ugly". After learning about modern dance through learning about its history and its distinctive movements, I have come to love it as my favorite form of dance. Even though I love modern dance and have come to appreciate it, I still would not say that all of the modern piece I have seen are "beautiful". Many times, I appreciate a work of dance because it allows me to think about it far past when I viewed it and even give it my own interpretation. I think by learning about modern, I have come to appreciate the sublime more than the beautiful because I very much appreciate the chaos and confusion that can be created with a combination of movement and stillness, sounds and silence, and the overall complexities that make up many modern dance works.
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