The Place of Dance: A Somatic Guide to Dancing and Dance Making

Notes

Notes All quotations are from the author’s notes from interviews, workshops, or lectures unless otherwise noted. Introduction: Dancing in a New Place Opening image. Images for the Tutu Project were conceived on a 2,400-mile bicycle tour that Ben Brouwer made through the mountains and wilds of Canada and Alaska in 2003. Brouwer carried with him a scrubby lavender tutu, and broke it out occasionally to lift the monotony of pedaling, most notably for a bicycle-propelled tutu streak through Whitehorse, capital city of the Yukon Territory in Canada. Through his costumed explorations, Brouwer realized that ridiculous, playful, and wholly absurd forms of expressive embodiment are essential as modes of interacting with the landscape, and as ways of contemplating the painful reality of ecological destruction. Text and image reproduced from Contact Quarterly 31 (2) (Summer/Fall 2006). 1. Tuan 1977, 3, 6. 2. Text written for Contact Quarterly, “Special Focus: Place2,” 32 (1) (Winter/Spring 2007), 102–103. Used by permission. About This Book 1. See H’Doubler 1957. 2. Author’s conversations about writing with John Elder, Middlebury College, VT, 2012. Day 1: Basic Concepts Epigraph: Lisa Nelson at workshop “The Sense of Perception —In and Through the Dancing Body,” Earthdance, Plainfield, MA, 2009. 1. For the full interview and article, see Contact Quarterly, “Special Focus: Inspiration Expiration,” 34 (2) (Summer/Fall 2009), 11–16. Day 2: Attitudes Epigraph: Interview with Janet Adler, Galiano Island, BC, Canada, 2009. 1. Lecture by Judith Lynn Hannah, “Dance Communicates : Lies, Truth, and Seduction Fantasy in Adult Entertainment Exotic Dance,” Smith College, Northampton, MA, Oct. 30, 2008. Also see Hannah 2012. 2. Blakeslee and Blakeslee 2007, 28–53. 3. Pre-movement is introduced here through Caryn McHose’s work with Hubert Godard. See McHose and Frank 2006. 4. Aikido workshop at Middlebury College, Mar. 2010, conducted by Kimberly Richardson, 6th Dan and Dojo Cho, Two Cranes Aikido, Seattle, WA. Day 3: Flow Epigraph: Emilie Conrad, “Fluid Play: Emilie Conrad and Continuum,” essay and interview by Nancy Galeota-Wozny, Contact Quarterly 29 (1) (Winter/Spring 2004), 50. 1. “Move from the blood side of the skin” and “move from the air side of the skin” are phrases used by Caryn McHose in her teaching of evolutionary movement. 2. Plumb-line falls invite bidirectional orientation; they are drawn from dance technique classes by Dr. John M. Wilson at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, 1970–72. Day 4: Fire Epigraph: Barry Lopez, “The Wild Road to the Far North,” Scott A. Margolin ’99 Lecture in Environmental Affairs, Middlebury College, Apr. 12, 2007. 1. Volume body and agency body are terms used by Hubert Godard in his workshops on tonic function. 2. Bone marrow investigations are drawn from the work of Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, as are many of the experiential exercises in this book, included with her permission. See Cohen 2008. Day 5: Getting Started Epigraph: Terry Tempest Williams, “Mosaic: Finding Beauty in a Broken World,” Scott A. Margolin ’99 Lecture in Environmental Affairs, Middlebury College, Mar. 2007. Day 6: Training and Technique Epigraph: Dr. John M. Wilson, Anatomy and Kinesiology courses, University of Utah, 1970–72. Day 7: Embracing Mystery Epigraph: Suprapto Suryodarmo, Amerta Movement Workshop, Ubud, Bali, Apr. 2009; editorial assistance by Diane Butler. Notes to Days 1–7 • 247 248 • Notes to Days 8–11 Day 8: Looking Back, Moving Forward Epigraph: Dr. John M. Wilson, courses at the University of Utah, 1970–72. 1. See Langer 1953. 2. See Mazo 2000; Kendall 1979. 3. Jowitt 1990, 90, 36. 4. Ballet originated in the royal Italian courts and was brought to France by Catherine de Medici. Louis IV opened the first Academie de Danse in 1661, beginning the transition to the proscenium stage. 5. For more on the Balanchine quote, see Rosenthal and Wertenbaker 1972, 5–11. 6. See Ric Estrada, “Pearl Primus,” Dance Magazine, Nov. 1968. Also see Schwartz and Schwartz 2011; Garafola 1994. 7. Lecture by Robert Swinston, Middlebury College, 2012. Note: Dancers within the nine-member Cunningham company included Carolyn Brown (until 1973); Steve Paxton (1961–65); Douglas Dunn (1968–73); Robert Swinston, who became director of choreography; and others who went on to create independent work, such as Barbara Dilley (1963–68), who founded the dance program at Naropa University and served for nine years as Naropa’s president (1985–93). 8. Joan Acocella, “Object Lesson,” New Yorker, Aug. 10, 2009 (www.newyorker.com), writing about the legacy of Merce Cunningham, following his death. Also see...