Modern Dance Schools

Display Schedule

Subject guarantor

Name of lecturer(s)

Natálie Erbesová, Dorota GREMLICOVÁ

Department

The subject provides Dance Department

Contents

Information on the combined form:

The course is taught in a combined form of contact and non-contact teaching in a ratio of approximately 1:6.

Lectures 10 hours, distance form approx. 65 hours, group and individual consultations by appointment.

The course Modern Dance Movements takes the form of a lecture dealing with the development of one of the branches of modernist dance art, most often referred to as expressive dance in Europe and modern dance in America. Focusing on the period of the first half of the 20th century, it covers the internal dance and more general context of the development of the new dance style, its sources and inspiration, features and characteristics, and introduces the main exponents and their work.

The aim of the study is to introduce students in detail to the thought context and artistic manifestations of dance modernism in Western culture, important for understanding the current situation of dance art, its forms and artistic attitudes.

Topics of lectures in Modern Dance Movements

1. Periodization of the development of dance modernism, characteristics of the different phases (relation to the general artistic developments, geographical spread, development of dance style and forms, main representatives); Conditions of the emergence of dance modernism: the state of dance art at the end of the 19th century. Dance and music in modernity (the development of dance music, the work of Igor Stravinsky and other composers); Dance and theatre: changes in the concept of the theatre space and the actor in it, impulses of the directorial conception of theatre, the influence of Eastern theatre cultures on the understanding of the place of dance in the theatre, examples of direct interactions between modern dance and drama;
2. Specific features of dance modernism: style, development of movement material, changes in the concept of dance form, theatrical versus absolute dance, development of dance education, theoretical reflection on dance in modernism. Members of the pioneer generation: Loie Fuller, Isadora Duncan, Grete Wiesenthal (search for new ways of dance expression, new movement styles, independent of classical dance technique);
3. the Émile Jaques-Dalcroz School, its representatives, main characteristics and development, with emphasis on the work of Rosalie Chladek and Jarmila Kröschlová; the Rudolf Laban School: the theoretical work of Rudolf Laban (kinetography and movement analysis), artistic activity and its principles (choral dance, Bewegungschor); the most important pupils, Mary Wigman and the concept of absolute dance, Kurt Jooss and Tanztheater;
4. Representatives of other movements of modern dance in Europe, an overview of the development of modern dance in individual European countries, including Czechoslovakia, the overlapping influence of European dancers in other parts of the world. The Denishawn School, its concepts, the personalities of Ruth St. Denis (Music Visualisation) and Ted Shawn (male dance); Martha Graham; Doris Humphrey and José Limón
5. The emergence of dance modernism in the 1950s and 1960s: Merce Cunningham and his influence on the transformation of dance modernism; From dance modernism to postmodernism (Judson Church group); Pina Bausch's work and the „new German dance theatre“. Discussion of required readings and video clips

Learning outcomes

The student will become knowledgeable about the history of dance in the periods discussed.

Prerequisites and other requirements

Prereq: Overview of the history of dance and ballet 1, 2

Literature

Martin, John: Modern Dance, New York 1972.

Baxmann, Inge: Mythos: Gemeinschaft. Körper- und Tanzkulturen in der Moderne, München 2000.

Brandenburg, Hans: Der moderne Tanz, München 1921.

Burt, Ramsay: Alien Bodies, London, New York 1998.

Fokin, Michail: Protiv těčenija, Leningrad, Moskva 1962.

Laban, Rudolf: Die Welt de Tänzers, Stuttgart 1920.

Thomas, Helen: Dance, Modernity and Culture, London, New York 1995.

Evaluation methods and criteria

Credit is awarded based on: participation in lectures, readings of the assigned literature.

During the semester readings of assigned literature and participation in lectures and independent study is required.

Conditions for successfull completion of the course: 100% participation in lectures, study of required literature - submission of prepared notes on texts

Oral examination

Note

Contact in distance form will be provided:

By phone, electronically (e-mail, Skype, etc.)

Via group communication platform (social networks, moodle, etc.)

Independent work of the student:

Study of required literature and videos, preparation of written notes

Written assignments

Formulating questions for consultation

Independent work according to thematic areas:

1. Periodization of the development of dance modernism, characteristics of individual phases; Conditions of the emergence of dance modernism; Dance and music; Dance and theatre:

The student will study the relevant chapter in the e-learning, read the texts Benjamin, Walter: The Work of Art in the Age of its Technical Reproducibility, Brockett, Oscar G.: History of Theatre (pp. 516-522, 543-548, 558-563, 570-572, 576-585, 600-608), Nietzsche, Friedrich. The Birth of Tragedy. Prague: Vyšehrad 2014.

According to the list, select and read one modernist novel or play and write an essay according to the given parameters. Watches a video recording of a production of Jedermann and makes notes.

1. Special features of dance modernism; Members of the pioneer generation: Loie Fuller, Isadora Duncan, Grete Wiesenthal:

The student will watch video recordings (I. Duncan, L. Fuller - YouTube) and make notes, search for a review of a performance of one of the personalities or groups of expressive dance in the Czech Republic in the contemporary press and write an essay.

1. School of Émile Jaques-Dalcroz; School of Rudolf Laban and his pupils (Wigman, Jooss):

The student will watch video clips on R. Laban, M. Wigman, K. Jooss. Searches independently for literature on the subject of the response of rhythmic gymnastics to E. Jaques-Dalcroze in the Czech Republic, draws up a bibliographic inventory and studies one of the texts searched.

1. Representatives of other movements of modern dance in Europe, an overview of the development of dance modernism in individual European countries, including Czechoslovakia; Dance Modernism in America:

5 The emergence of modern dance in the 1950s and 1960s:

The student independently searches for information and video clips on one of the discussed personalities and prepares an essay.

Schedule for winter semester 2024/2025:

The schedule has not yet been prepared

Schedule for summer semester 2024/2025:

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The subject is a part of the following study plans

• Dance Pedagogy (BA - part time) Classical Dance (Required main subjects)
• Dance Pedagogy (BA - part time) Folk Dance (Required main subjects)
• Dance Pedagogy (BA - part time) Modern and Contemporary Dance (Required main subjects)
• Dance Pedagogy (BA - part time) Dance Education (Required main subjects)