Story & Title

 

 I

 

(3:20 -  4:40)

Question 1

According to Crystal Pite, why do we need stories in dance?

 

II

 

LINK

 How to Tell a Story through Dance

 

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III 

 

 

ACTIVITY

Written Component: Tell Your Story

 Remember that in Modern Dance, there is always a story being told. For instance

Catherine Dunham - Barrel House Blues 

The piece is based on the slow drag a couple stands common to the Juke and the honky tonking. It depicts the time in Chicago when it was cold.  This lonely woman who felt a little beat up went on in a barn and had the time of her life just for a moment. She finds this young man and fantasizes. 

 

https://youtu.be/UcN0G7xItwo (9:00)

 

Lester Horton - The Beloved

The Beloved (all 1948), based on a newspaper article about a man who suspected his wife of infidelity and beat her to death with a Bible. The Beloved, co-choreographed with Lewitzky, is widely regarded to be a classic example of modern dance and one of Horton’s masterpieces. 

 

https://youtu.be/NZZ8RP8cTcs

 

Martha Graham - Appalachian Spring

The story tells of a spring celebration of the American pioneers of the 19th century, after building a new  Pennsylvania farmhouse. A young farm couple ruminate on their lives before getting married and setting up house in the wilderness. An itinerant preacher delivers a sermon. An older pioneer woman oversees the events with sympathy and wisdom. The newlyweds muse on their future as night falls. The couple will face a future that will not be all sweetness and light, but they will be able to survive the challenges.  

 

https://youtu.be/XmgaKGSxQVw

 

IV

 Go over your piece and think about the story you are telling. There is no right or wrong answer. Your story is yours to tell. Please write a few sentences in which you summarize the story you are telling through your ensemble piece and your solo piece.