Giguere - Beginning Modern Dance

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Giguere, Miriam

Beginning modern dance / Miriam Giguere.

pages cm. -- (Interactive dance series)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. Modern dance I. Title.

GV1783.G48 2014

792.8--dc23

2013010166

ISBN-10: 1-4504-0517-7 (print)

ISBN-13: 978-1-4504-0517-1 (print)

Copyright 2014 by Human Kinetics, Inc.

All rights reserved. Except for use in a review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying, and recording, and in any information storage and retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

Portions of chapters 1 through 3 are adapted from Gayle Kassing, 2013, Beginning ballet (Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics); Lisa Lewis, 2013, Beginning tap dance (Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics).

The web addresses cited in this text were current as of June 11, 2013, unless otherwise noted.

Acquisitions Editor: Gayle Kassing, PhD

Developmental Editor: Bethany Bentley

Assistant Editor: Derek Campbell

Copyeditor: Jan Feeney

Indexer: Sharon Duffy

Permissions Manager: Dalene Reeder

Graphic Designer: Joe Buck

Graphic Artist: Yvonne Griffith

Cover Designer: Keith Blomberg

Photographer (cover and interior): Bernard Wolff, unless otherwise noted; p. 101 Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images; pp. 105, 106, 108, 115 Jerome Robbins Dance Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations; p. 116, 121 Julie Lemberger/CORBIS

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Illustrations: Human Kinetics

Printer: Versa Press

We thank Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for providing the location for the photo shoot for this book.

Printed in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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E5332

You will notice a reference throughout this version of Beginning Modern Dance to a web resource. This resource is available to supplement your e-book.

The web resource offers supplementary materials, including video clips, learning activities, e-journaling assignments, and web links. We are certain you will enjoy this unique online learning experience.

Follow these steps to purchase access to the web resource:

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Click the Need Help? button on the textbooks website if you need assistance along the way.

This book is dedicated to Ralph, Natalie, William, and Andrew Giguere, each an artist and scholar in his or her own right, whose support has been the foundation of any successful projects in which I have engaged.

Modern dance as a performing art was created out of a need for change. It developed at the beginning of the 20th century when women were looking to find a new way to express themselves as independent members of society, modern artists were looking for innovative ways to explore human experience through abstraction, and changes in society were happening at an increasingly rapid pace. Modern dance was born in a time of change and has continued to embrace the idea that art can reflect this change in society and in the individual. The study of modern dance is not merely learning new ways to move. It is also about embarking on a personal journey to explore and reflect the changes in yourself and in the world around you.

This book will give you the information you need for success in modern dance class. Chapter 1 looks at the specifics of how a modern dance class is run and the principles of the genre. Chapter 2 explains how to prepare for class physically and mentally. Chapter 3 provides a guide to safety, nutrition, and injury prevention. Chapter 4 reviews the concepts and movement principles in modern dance. Chapter 5 covers the basics of creating dance, also known as dance composition. Chapter 6 addresses how to view and respond to dance performances. Chapter 7 offers an overview of the 100-year history of modern dance. Finally, chapter 8 connects this history to technique class by outlining five major styles of modern dance. This textbook will help you to see the philosophy of the body that underlies the modern dance class you are taking and find your own artistic voice in the process.

Sections of the text are also devoted to the practical needs of dancers, such as how to prevent injury, how to warm up for class, and how to keep your body in shape for dancing. This book also provides guidelines for mindful practices in technique class. The basics of creating choreographic studies and viewing modern dance are also covered so that you have a fuller picture of the genre.

The web resource that accompanies this book offers supplemental interactive instruction. Visit www.HumanKinetics.com/BeginningModernDance1E to check it out. The web resource provides you with added opportunities to practice the steps and techniques explained in this book.

The aim of modern dance is to give dancers a vocabulary for developing their creative and expressive potential. This book will help you find your own voice through modern dance by understanding the history, philosophy, and fundamentals of this performing art form.

Special thanks to Jenna Boyes, Susan Deutsch, Olive Prince, and Saroya Corbett, who all reviewed sections of the text and lent their support and expertise. Thanks also to Rachel Ragland, whose support and example gave me the courage to undertake this book, and to the dance students at Drexel University over the past 20 years who have given their hearts, minds, and bodies to the pursuit of artistic and personal development through modern dance.