Balanchine and Cunningham’s Contribution to American Ballet
Location
CSU Ballroom
Start Date
20-4-2015 2:00 PM
End Date
20-4-2015 3:30 PM
Student's Major
Theatre and Dance
Student's College
Arts and Humanities
Mentor's Name
Julie Kerr-Berry
Mentor's Email Address
julie.kerr-berry@mnsu.edu
Mentor's Department
Theatre and Dance
Mentor's College
Arts and Humanities
Description
George Balanchine and Merce Cunningham took the classical form of ballet and liberated the dancing body, choreographic structures, and musical elements, while retaining ballet technique. The dancing body retained the ballet technique, while allowing freedom with the use of parallel, flexed feet, weight, speed, and angular shapes. The choreographic structure removed the narrative and allowed abstract ideas of chance and randomness. With collaborations they freed music to exist simultaneously, but independently from dance. Without their contribution to dance, dancers would not have the technique of strength, stamina, flexibility, and gracefulness that ballet provides. They created the fusion of ballet and modern dance.
Balanchine and Cunningham’s Contribution to American Ballet
CSU Ballroom
George Balanchine and Merce Cunningham took the classical form of ballet and liberated the dancing body, choreographic structures, and musical elements, while retaining ballet technique. The dancing body retained the ballet technique, while allowing freedom with the use of parallel, flexed feet, weight, speed, and angular shapes. The choreographic structure removed the narrative and allowed abstract ideas of chance and randomness. With collaborations they freed music to exist simultaneously, but independently from dance. Without their contribution to dance, dancers would not have the technique of strength, stamina, flexibility, and gracefulness that ballet provides. They created the fusion of ballet and modern dance.
Recommended Citation
Erickson, Jordan. "Balanchine and Cunningham’s Contribution to American Ballet." Undergraduate Research Symposium, Mankato, MN, April 20, 2015.
https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/urs/2015/poster_session_B/6
