Butoh, or the “dance of utter darkness,” was created in the late 1950s by Japanese artists Tatsumi Hijikata and Kazuo Ohno. Marked by white body makeup, shaved heads, distorted body shapes and taboo subject matter, butoh combines elements of theater, German expressionism and modern dance with facets of traditional Japanese dance forms. Ohno, born in […]
From pigeon-toed stances and widespread palms to sinewy, meticulous isolations, few choreographers evoke such strong imagery as Bob Fosse (1927–1987). Not only did he revolutionize the look of musical theater in the 1950s–’80s, but his work also continues to influence choreographers and filmmakers today. A Chicago native, Fosse came from a family of vaudeville performers. […]
Daniel Madoff and Andrea Weber in CRWDSPCR (1993) In our January issue’s History: Lesson Plan, we learn about Merce Cunningham, the creator of chance dance. Cunningham’s CRWDSPCR (1993) was created with DanceForms software, a computer program that allowed him to devise movement. The nonstop, frenetic activity recalls Grand Central Terminal at rush hour. To learn more about […]