Friday, November 9, 2018

The Influence of Judson Dance Theatre


Judson Dance Theatre: The Work is Never Done exhibits the various artists that practiced and performed in the Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village in the 1960s. The Judson Dance was revolutionary because in many ways the artists in this movement redefined what dance could look like. The exhibition was curated mostly in chronologically and showed a range of mediums including photography, film, sculpture, and music. The show opens with a video tryptic of two dances and footage of the MoMA sculpture garden. This leads into the next room which shows how the Judson Dance Theatre started. 

One of the most interesting parts of the Judson Group is the nature of the dances. In one part of the exhibit photos about performances on an outdoor deck are shown. The way the Halprin company incorporated nature and the natural world into dance was extremely influential and introduced a way of dancing outside of a studio setting. 

In addition, the artists and dancers of Judson Dance Theatre took inspiration from everyday occurrences and used them in dance. In their performances walking and running were often employed in addition to other mundane actions. The exhibition does a fantastic job of portraying the immense influence of the Judson Dance Theatre by allowing the viewer to experience the performances.

3 comments:

  1. I liked how straightforward and readable your piece is. Talking about how the performers integrated the physical space into their dance is interesting. If you could expand on a particular film or piece that you saw that engaged you the most, your overarching point that the Judson Dance Theatre was influential. The last bit about using everyday movements into their dances seems to jump into your concluding sentence so I suggest creating a smoother transition in between to help wrap everything up.

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  2. Your review is really elaborate. From the background of the exhibition to the curation to specific works and contents, all of these information are covered in you piece. It is also clear and straightforward for viewers to read and refer to, especially for those who haven't seen the show.
    It will be more enjoyable and interesting to reading if you could play around with the order and transition more. Having a topic sentence of conclusion may also make this piece feel less structurally loss.

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