Log In
“Take chances; make mistakes; get messy,” says Jesus Acosta to his intermediate adult modern class at Houston Metropolitan Dance Center. It’s a quote by Ms. Frizzle from “The Magic School Bus,” the children’s educational book and television series, and it sums up Acosta’s approach to teaching. “I lead with a lot of laughter,” he says. […]
Kruger in Rodrigo Pederneiras’ Come With Me Limón Dance Company member Logan Kruger grew up studying dance with Annette Lewis in a nontraditional studio setting—which informs Kruger’s approach to movement investigation. “We danced in the basement of a church, using metal folding chairs as our barre. Because we were dancing without mirrors, Annette put a […]
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 […]
How I teach Cunningham technique The young students at the Complexions Contemporary Ballet summer intensive exchange uncomfortable glances when Banu Ogan walks into what, for most, is their first-ever class in Cunningham technique. “Please take off your ballet shoes,” she says, after eyeing their feet. As the group—a mix of comp kids and bunheads—begins pliés […]
Though cross-training has become a necessity for aspiring dancers, it wasn’t always common for modern dance companies to embrace classical ballet training. “There was a big change in the ’70s when my generation joined the company, and we came in with ballet training,” says Peggy Lyman Hayes, former principal dancer with the Martha Graham Dance […]
Introduction to Modern Dance Techniques by Joshua Legg Princeton Book Company, 2011 252 pages, $34.95 Ideal for an undergraduate dance history or pedagogy course, Introduction to Modern Dance Techniques explores the work of more than 10 modern dance choreographers, including Martha Graham, José Limón, Lester Horton, Katherine Dunham and Erick Hawkins. The book highlights the […]