Following this module's suggested tasks I'm going to reflect and comment on a dance piece created by Katherine Dunham (1909 - 2006) - dancer, choreographer, author, educator, anthropologist, and social activist.
Although Dunham was mentioned during my dance college years in London, I was more aware of her work through dance experience. I never had an opportunity to study her gift to dance or be involved in any project dedicated to her so I thought I'll address that and make my tiny but heartfelt contribution to one of the greatest names in dance history.
She then proceeded to transmit these new epistemology to her own company as well as negotiating her place with film directors and such.
Reading about it It sounds like her approach to dance changed perspective to something more holistic and formative including introducing her company to the spiritual aspect of the dances by telling them to "learn the steps of the Gods". This was so far fetched from what dancers were allowed to define dance at the time that some company members didn't think that what she was showing them was dance anymore!
The concept behind "spirit" in dance, varies widely but it's generally considered to mean something beyond the anatomical expression of the body. Avoiding religious beliefs, let's just say It's somehow a way to define the unique way the body experiences itself in the world.
Spirituality in dance isn't usually discussed or considered although it's been a constant factor in so - called "primitive" peoples dance forms ( Highwater, 1985) I believe through her study and life work Dunham helped alter these viewpoints.
Her immersion into Caribbean culture and the use of film and photos was also crucial in developing new ways and using artefacts for making meaning of her observations. It was in fact quite unique that upon her finishing her studies in the Caribbean her presentation included so many photos and film, instead of formal written reports. As a researcher she seemed present and involved and she made meaning of what she observed by analysing the movement she saw which led her to create her own dance movement technique based on body isolations. Her approach was ethnographic using a narrative enquiry , I belief, while exploring case studies particularly related to Haiti movement.
It seems that to Katherine Dunham the notion of movement was something malleable, evolving, that was also dependant on smell, touch, contact with the floor, the elements, music and song. To me, that Dunham had a very organic experience with a non-positivist approach to dance contrary perhaps to the "fixed" methodologies she had previously learned as a dancer prior to her trip. Worth noting that her previous knowledge also integrated the limitations of what black dancers of her time could aspire to do on stage. Her unlimited curiosity for learning however led her to push the limits of previous knowledge in dance, which was considered certain and absolute, specifically ,but not exclusively, to the dances of the African diaspora.
In Dunham's piece the movement appears quite simple, sassy and fun but there's a hidden complicity that I'm able to recognise, similar to the dances I used to watch with my elders. There was a song at the time that used to "close" the party. It was a very long, slower song called "Ti Bom" by a congolese singer called Coupe Cloue, which was very popular on the radio waves of Angolan homes.
Watching the older folks dance it, I saw the sensuality but also the sadness, the weight of their shoulders, the tiredness and the joy, all expressing themselves simultaneously through rhythmical contractions and changes of weight. It's an image that stayed with me.
Barrelhouse blues reminded me of that complexity of expression and feeling, so, it was interesting for me to read that the dance critic of the time - John Martin - criticised her piece simply as "hot, sexy, passionate" but ultimately vulgar.
Was it because said critic couldn't relate to the "lived experience"of the blues in the body of the two black dancers?...
This aspect resonates greatly in my practice of Afro Latin dance forms as these dance styles are still depicted with the same superficial appreciation, while at the same time these styles are used, promoted and transformed with those new values, by dominant cultures.
These ideas also make me think of the concepts of Phenomenology - the study of lived experience as opposed to the world as a reality separated from the person ( Laverty, 2003).
This methodology is highly opposed to what I read on cartesian dualism. Phenomenology attempts to create meanings from everyday existence and uncover new/forgotten meanings.
It's worth mentioning also that Dunham experienced new dance knowledge by being part of a community of people. This rhizomatic model of learning is not driven by predefined inputs from experts but in this model, community IS the knowledge in itself, spontaneously shaping and constructing movement nuances ( Cormier, 2020) and serving as an epistemological alternative to western rationale.
I loved delving into Katherine Dunham's work and trying to imagine how she created meaning out of her experience while researching in the Caribbean. It was inspirational and made me look at my future enquire proposal and with more ideas in mind.
REFERENCES
PBS Documentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcN0G7xItwo [Accessed 28 Feb. 2020].
Highwater, J. (1985). Dance (series). New York: Alfred van der Mark Editions.
dave, V. (2020). Rhizomatic Education : Community as Curriculum – Dave’s Educational Blog. [online] Davecormier.com.
Laverty, S. (2003). Hermeneutic Phenomenology and Phenomenology: A Comparison of Historical and Methodological Considerations. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 2(3), pp.21-35.
Hi Iris - What a great review, I immediately went off and explored Dunham's work. It's interesting how research overlaps even when at first they seem disconnected. I was only discussing last night how when dance is taught (in my experience), it is not taught as dance but as a set of steps, as if dance can be diminished to disconnected movements of the body, minus the 'spirit'. There are many ways of articulating and intellectualising that 'spirit' but without it there are no great dancers, no matter how many steps they have practised. Thanks for your insights!
ReplyDeleteThank for your comment. Yes, Dunham's work is quite beautiful to look into. She was a brave woman at a difficult time. Yes, I always thought odd how the idea of dance minus the spirit is taught and always has some reservations. I'm going to look at other people's blogs too now. Thanks again
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