Freedom, Gravity, and Grace pt.2

In this article, the author concludes her exploration of the relationships between the elements in the title (freedom, gravity and grace), and shows how the dancer utilizes them to expand the range of freedom and art

Freedom, Gravity, and Grace pt.1

The author begins her discussion on the relationship of freedom, gravity and grace to the field of dance

The Spiral Dance: Toward a Phenomenology of Somatics

The author seeks to explore affectivity as a foundational link between somatics and aesthetics

The Ways We Communicate: Somatic Dance and Meditation as a Bridge

The author shares a reflective style for use in everyday communications, both verbal and non-verbal, drawn from her learnings about non-invasive communication

Values, attributes and practices of dance artists in inclusive dance talent development contexts

There is a paucity of research focused on understanding the qualities which underpin dance artists’ practice in working with talented young dancers with disabilities. This study investigated what informs how dance artists work in inclusive dance talent development contexts. Four dance class observations were conducted to provide evidence of dance artists’ qualities in practice. Six dance artists participated in semi-structured interviews. Thematic data analysis revealed four categories: the dance persona; values; attributes; and practices of dance artists. The dance persona was typified by characteristics such as being human, humility, altruism, and confidence. Artists’ values and attributes included celebrating difference, aspiring towards equality and relationality. Their practices were exemplified by varied differentiation strategies and an emphasis on reflection. These findings provide new insight into what drives artists working with dancers with and without disabilities, and aids better understanding of best practice in this context

Butoh : Metamorphic Dance and Global Alchemy

By Sondra Fraleigh [College at Brockport emeritus]. Both a refraction of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and a protest against Western values, butoh is a form of Japanese dance theater that emerged in the aftermath of World War II. Sondra Fraleigh chronicles the growth of this provocative art form from its midcentury founding under a sign of darkness to its assimilation in the twenty-first century as a poignant performance medium with philosophical and political implications. Employing intellectual and aesthetic perspectives to reveal the origins, major figures, and international development of the dance, Fraleigh documents the range and variety of butoh artists around the world with first-hand knowledge of butoh performances from 1973 to 2008. Her definitions of butoh\u27s morphology, alchemy, and philosophy set a theoretical framework for poetic and engaging articulations of twenty butoh performances in Japan, Europe, India, and the West. With a blend of scholarly research and direct experience, she also signifies the unfinished nature of butoh and emphasizes its capacity to effect spiritual transformation and bridge cultural differences. --Publisher.https://digitalcommons.brockport.edu/bookshelf/1246/thumbnail.jp

Dancing Identity: Metaphysics in Motion

By Sondra Fraleigh.Combining critical analysis with personal history and poetry, Dancing Identity presents a series of interconnected essays composed over a period of fifteen years. Taken as a whole, these meditative reflections on memory and on the ways we perceive and construct our lives represent Sondra Fraleigh\u27s journey toward self-definition as informed by art, ritual, feminism, phenomenology, poetry, autobiography, and-always-dance.Fraleigh\u27s brilliantly inventive fusions of philosophy and movement clarify often complex philosophical issues and apply them to dance history and aesthetics. She illustrates her discussions with photographs, dance descriptions, and stories from her own past in order to bridge dance with everyday movement. Seeking to recombine the fractured and bifurcated conceptions of the body and of the senses that dominate much Western discourse, she reveals how metaphysical concepts are embodied and presented in dance, both on stage and in therapeutic settings.Examining the role of movement in personal and political experiences, Fraleigh reflects on her major influences, including Moshe Feldenkrais, Kazuo Ohno, and Twyla Tharp. She draws on such varied sources as philosophers Simone de Beauvoir and Martin Heidegger, the German expressionist dancer Mary Wigman, Japanese Butoh founder Tatsumi Hijikata, Hitler, the Bomb, Miss America, Balanchine, and the goddess figure of ancient cultures. Dancing Identity offers new insights into modern life and its reconfigurations in postmodern dance.https://digitalcommons.brockport.edu/bookshelf/1156/thumbnail.jp

Hijikata Tatsumi and Ohno Kazuo /

'Routledge Performance Practitioners' is a series of introductory guides to the key theatre-makers of the last century. Each volume explains the background to and the work of one of the major influences on twentieth- and twenty-first-century performance. These compact, well-illustrated and clearly written books unravel the contribution of modern theatre's most charismatic innovators. 'Hijikata Tatsumi and Ohno Kazuo' is the first book to combine: an account of the founding of Japanese butoh through the partnership of Hijikata and Ohno, extending to the larger story of butoh's international assimilation. an exploration of the impact of the social and political issues of post World War II Japan on the aesthetic development of butoh. metamorphic dance experiences that students of butoh can explore. a glossary of English and Japanese terms. As a first step towards critical understanding, and as an initial exploration before going on tofurther, primary research, 'Routledge Performance Practitioners 'are unbeatable value for today's student.Includes bibliographical references and index.Introduction : Hijikata Tatsumi and Ohno Kazuo -- Butoh shapeshifters -- The words of Hijikata and Ohno -- Dances of death, sacrifice, and spirit -- Dance experiences.'Routledge Performance Practitioners' is a series of introductory guides to the key theatre-makers of the last century. Each volume explains the background to and the work of one of the major influences on twentieth- and twenty-first-century performance. These compact, well-illustrated and clearly written books unravel the contribution of modern theatre's most charismatic innovators. 'Hijikata Tatsumi and Ohno Kazuo' is the first book to combine: an account of the founding of Japanese butoh through the partnership of Hijikata and Ohno, extending to the larger story of butoh's international assimilation. an exploration of the impact of the social and political issues of post World War II Japan on the aesthetic development of butoh. metamorphic dance experiences that students of butoh can explore. a glossary of English and Japanese terms. As a first step towards critical understanding, and as an initial exploration before going on tofurther, primary research, 'Routledge Performance Practitioners 'are unbeatable value for today's student