Dance: an introduction to the study of dance in Higher Education

                                  by                              

                           Michael Moor.MA  

Because we all have an ability to 'dance', dance can be seen in terms ranging from the  mating ritual to the profundity of Fredrick Nietzsche's metaphysical declaration that he would believe in a God that could dance. 

 Post-Modernist theory would tend to dismiss hierarchical value judgments about individual dance techniques and forms and is worthy of a separate lecture. However if we consider the 'meaning' of dance then dance forms become of equal value to us as they are in effect incomparable.

The main problem we face in the academic study of dance is the 'intuitive nature' of dance itself.

What is Dance?

·         Dance is or can be a form of non-verbal communication. Communicating, amongst other things EMOTION, INNER-LIFE and IDENTITY.

·        Dance is or can be a form of representation and imitation . Capable of representing and imitating, amongst other things, EVENTS, NATURE and ENVIRONMENT.

·        Dance is or can be, FORM. Dance can be structured and layered. Choreographic composition and devices such as REPETITION, DYNAMIC and the use of GEOMETRIC and ORGANIC, patterns can be employed to underpin form and enhance meaning.

Dance can be any of these single elements or a combination of all of them and many more besides. Dance is by virtue of its ability to EXPRESS, REPRESENT and finally UTILIZE form...... ART!

 Dance in Academia

 Until recently, dance has been considered something of an 'orphan' subject in terms of Higher Education. A subject claimed by many but with no real home of its own, largely because the wrong questions were asked of dance.  For example, Anthropology was for a long time the 'guardian' of serious dance study, seeing dance in terms of, 'pre-verbal communication' or in extensions of 'animal display patterns', with its 'origins' and needs seen in sexual, religious, ritualistic and symbolic terms. 

This 'relationship' with anthropology has been of mutual benefit to both subjects. For example, Katharine Dunham and Pearl Primus were not only two highly influential Dance Makers they were also Anthropologists. Dunham originally studied the folk dances and cultures of Haiti and Islands in the West Indies as an anthropologist, not as a dancer or choreographer. The influence on black cultural awareness of these two women through the medium of dance cannot be underestimated and merits deeper study in its own right. However the link between dance and anthropology has limitations.

Dance in Europe and the United States over the last 200 years has certainly reflected and illustrated a number of Artistic Movements. For example Romanticism is well illustrated by the ballet 'Giselle' (1841). Furthermore Giselle can be seen as a development of the representation of the female, as can the prominence of Mary Shelly in the Romantic Movement. The ballet Giselle physically embodies many of the themes and philosophies of romanticism such as 'heroism' and 'passion'.

In the 20^th century a number of influential 'Movements' are physically embodied by dance. Works by Mary Wigman, Denishawn and early Martha Graham (Primitive Mysteries 1931is a good example) strongly suggest 'primitivism' and follow trends and themes set by artists such as Picasso who was clearly influenced by African Arts and crafts.  Modernity is also well represented in dance, many works by Balanchine suggest 'Modernism'.

Balanchine's austere vision of dance; large stages, devoid of scenery with dancers dressed in black tights and white T shirt (the men) or black leotard and pink tights (the women) is a vision of dance without 'ornamentation', resembling Le Corbusier's vision of design and architecture.  Balanchine like Le Courbusier required 'clean lines'; both men work with simple geometric patterns. Both men can be seen as being driven to create 'order' out of 'disorder' in the philosophical hope that perhaps the world would be a better place as a result. Certainly it can be demonstrated that both men had deep concerns on a number of social issues; Le Corbusier in his concern for 'cheap' well designed housing for the poor, and Balanchine with his concern for racial equality in the USA. Furthermore it can be strongly suggested that Balanchine relocates ballet from the  'rural' to the 'urban'.  This relocation of ballet enables ballet to be represented by and representative of a multi racial, multicultural contemporary society. Take a look at Dance theatre of Harlem's The Four Temperaments or Serenade  to see what I mean.

However today in our society  the question is not  WHAT ARE THE ORIGINS? as it was when dance sat in the house of anthropology, nor is it WHAT DOES IT REPRESENT?  though this is closer to the  relevant issue of the day.  The real question on every bodies lips at the beginning of the 21st century is WHAT DOES IT MEAN? Dance has a new 'Home', where it responds particularly well to the main question in that HOUSE of popular culture, politics, semiotics and media studies. WHAT DOES IT MEAN!!!  Saussure, Barthes and others give us the tools to interpret or respond to the question of meaning.

 Let us consider for example Social Dancing as the signified, and the 1960 dance craze the twist as the signifier.

 The 'Twist' (a dance craze made popular by a number of songs by 'Chubby' Checker and others) was perhaps the first 'social' dance to be danced solo.  A single person could at last go to the dance floor and dance alone unlike other dances of the period such as the 'jive', which required a partner. The signifier as a solo has very different implications to that of the signifier as a partnership. The 'twist' in effect had a very liberating effect on women in particular, in that they no longer 'needed' (in order to conform to the moral standards of the day) to be accompanied by a man in order to enjoy an evening on the dance floor. Women could at last dance alone, The vocabulary of social dance gained a new concept: solo!  The 'twist' helped to make the single woman socially acceptable.  Of course this also effected men in a number of other ways. However, It could be argued that the effect of the twist was less dramatic on men because they were socially less restricted as a whole than women during the early 1960's.

The  'twist' it could be suggested is a physical manifestation of the early aims of the women's movement helping to dispel the notion of woman as property. The twist phenomenon is more than a dance craze when viewed in these terms and as such has a very real MEANING in the every day lives lives of people engaging in the phenomenon.

At around the same time (1960) a work that can be seen in a political context emerged; Alvin Ailey's Revelations.  This work concerns the day to day life and aspirations of Southern American blacks, and can be studied in the context of the civil rights movement. It is remarkable to note that it was developments in the Southern States that eventually led to equal rights, rather than agitation in the law courts by the educated black middle classes led by men like W E B Du Bois.  Alvin Ailey and Martin Luther King.JR. share southern roots. Both men shared a simple and honest vision.  The simple dignity of Martin Luther King JR is reflected in the music and choreography of Revelations.  To hear King speak and so see Revelations is to be 'moved' in a similar way. What Revelations represents is the black struggle for identity, what it means by its very perfection and evocation of that identity is that the identity has been found.

 Revelations is an example of how well dance can indicate identity and how identity may be (justifiably or not) manipulated for cultural and political goals. The value of 'image' as meaning in terms of propaganda should not be underestimated.

Dance in Higher Education: What of the future?

Since the Laban Centre introduced its BA Honors degree course in Dance Studies in 1977 (some 50 years after the University of Wisconsin) dance degree courses have flourished and spread in the UK. Dance Studies at degree level should ensure the survival of a thoughtful and varied Dance Culture in the UK.

In the future I would hope to see a greater integration between art forms. Dance is still  terribly underused in drama both on stage and in film. However it can be used to devastating effect with just a little understanding of its strengths and limitations.

My final words come from Nietzsche ….. who with this concept surely opens the doors for a metaphysical understanding of dance.

 "I WOULD BELIEVE IN A GOD THAT COULD DANCE"  

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