At the Denishawn School, Miss Ruth encouraged her to
choreograph. At that time, she has created
Valse Caprice” (also known as “Scarf Dance”), followed by “Soaring”, and
“Scherzo Waltz” (“Hoop Dance”), all of which continue to be performed by
various companies today. However, the “fall and Recovery” is concept she
created. Essentially, she was fully use the tension and relaxation in the body,
which she pay attention on the release muscle and breath cycle. She is first
person who put her interest on the basic physical resource, such that breath,
weight and balance.
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Moreover, the theory of her dance is “was the German philosopher Frederick Nietzsche's idea about the split in the human psyche between each person's Apollonian side (rational, intellectual) and our Dionysian side (chaotic, emotional). The true essence of the modern dance was the movement that happened in between these extremes, which Humphrey labeled "the arc between two deaths."” (Barzel, 2000)
I've never heard about Nietche's influence on Humphrey before, but now that I think about it, his idea of the balance between rationality and chaos makes sense in regards to her 'fall and recovery' technique. The fall represents our chaotic emotional side, and the recovery represents our rational intellectual side. A fall is essentially letting go and giving into chaos where as a recovery is how you catch yourself.
ReplyDeleteMarlene Viloria:
ReplyDeleteI love how we see Humphrey doing what dancers have done for centuries: rebel against what they know. Instead of exploring the theatrical part of dance that Denishawn became associated with (making dance a spectacle), she wanted to get into the psyche. The Apollonian and Dionysian sides allowed her to reach a new, deeper level of expression.