Assginment 6: FINAL SEQUENCE
Influence and Adaptation: A digital exploration of Ted Shawn's Dances of the Ages
Sophia Pellegrom
At the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th, film was emerging as an exciting new artform. Around the same time, a movement of modern dance was also emerging with such artists as Loie Fuller, Isadora Duncan, Ruth St. Denis, and Ted Shawn. This new field of film offered a unique opportunity to the dance field: an opportunity to capture an ephemeral performance and preserve it to be watched continuously and by a variety of people. Dance no longer only had to exist solely in the theater, accessible only to the audience of each show. This was a wonderful opportunity for the modern dance world to reach new audiences during a period when dance was extremely controversial. Many saw dance as a shameful and scandalous practice that should be eradicated. In response, many modern writers and artists attempted to justify dance as a legitimate art and career path. Film allowed these artists to do so.
One example that explored these ideas of legitimacy and dance was a short 1913 film by the Thomas A. Edison company called Dances of the Ages. Dances of the Ages is a film about an old-fashioned dance master faced with the dilemma of either keeping up with the current “disgraceful” dance trends or continuing to only teach the “honorable” older styles and risk becoming irrelevant. In a dream sequence, he guides his fellow dance masters through an evolution of popular dance styles throughout history and the world, starting with the dance of the cavemen and ending, to his horror, with the “vulgar” yet trendy Ragtime social dance of the early 20th century. The movement are portrayed, in miniature form, by Ted Shawn, his partner Norma Gould, and their company of dancers, the choreography created by Shawn. Upon watching this film, particularly in regards to the more “ethnic” styles of dance, I became intrigued with how Shawn devised these movements. Contemplating current controversies such as cultural appropriation and art plagiarism, I wondered whether Shawn took his inspiration from actual sources that genuinely depicted these dances in their original contexts, whether he borrowed from artists that were creating similar movement at the time, or whether his creation was solely of his own design. According to Walter Terry in his biography of Shawn, “Ted, of course, knew nothing about ancient Egyptian or Greek or Roman dances, but he knew as much about them as anyone else in Los Angeles, so he just made up dances that he thought would be right ” (Terry 18). While this is an interesting conception, I have problems believing that Shawn simply created all of this movement out of nowhere. How did these images come into his head in the first place? Furthermore, if he simply made choreography from nowhere, how would the time periods associated with each style be made so specific? Why do his ethnic-style dances and conceptualization of the evolution of dance match so much art and literature being produced during the same era? Instead, I argue that Shawn was part of a larger conversation of documenting the history of dance, from primitive to civilized. I hypothesize that he conducted extensive research in preparation for his creation of Dances of the Ages, and that this research, along with his experience with other artists during this emerging modern period, helped shape his choreography for the film.
This hypothesis is furthered in Scolieri’s upcoming biography of Shawn when he states, “Shawn acknowledged that he generously borrowed steps from books, visiting dancing teachers, and newsreels to compose the film’s choreography” (Scolieri 49). While it may not have seemed intentional, even to Shawn, there were not only influences from these books, treatises, and videos that he read and watched, but also from the artists already involved in these kind of conversations, and I will be exploring these potential influences through the iconography of both the ancient and modern influences for each section or style of Shawn’s Dances of the Ages choreography. I will be focusing on the Egyptian, Bacchanalia, Orient, and Minuet sections as they all have evidence of concrete ancient influence and existed over 100 years before the film’s conception. When I use the term ancient, I refer to the influence as existing in the context of the original art. When I use the term modern, I refer to the art that existed only in the moment of and slightly before the conception of Dances of the Ages.
Egypt 1200 B.C. Dance of the Priest of Ra.
In Terry’s biography, Shawn is described as a bookworm throughout his early life, a characteristic that did not change past adolescence. According to Scolieri, Dances of the Ages took, “not only from the stages of the new art dance, but also from the pages of encyclopedias, manuals, and treatises about ‘modern’ dancing published at the turn of the century” (Scolieri 52). Two of these influential books that spoke about the evolution of dance include Lilly Grove’s Dancing: A Handbook of the Terpsichorean Arts in Diverse Places and Times, Savage and Civilized from 1895 and the anonymously written The Dance (by An Antiquary): Historic Illustrations of Dancing from 3300 B.C. to 1911 A.D. published by John Bale, Sons, & Danielsson, Ltd which “quite possibly served as an inspiration for Shawn to stage the history of dance in Dances of the Ages” (Scolieri 52). From these two books, I took three images[1][2][3] that depict hieroglyphics and Ancient Egyptian art interpretations of dance. Upon comparing this iconography with Shawn’s choreography, it is hard to draw out specific instances that appear as though Shawn may have borrowed from these images. However, overall there exists certain contrasts in the hieroglyphics that represent geometric shapes and sharp angles, how many of us today think of Egyptian dance, but also a soft and flowing lyrical movement quality that is also expressed in Shawn’s adaptation.
Moving away from the ancient influence, “It was Denver, 1911, that Ted Shawn first saw Ruth St. Denis dance” (Terry 16). More specifically, he saw a piece called “The Incense” that she created in 1906. While “The Incense” is actually her portrayal of an East Indian religious ritual, St. Denis herself was also very influenced by Egyptian dance, and Shawn was so moved by her performance that it would lead to him personally seeking her out and later to their partnership in dance and marriage. In the New York Public Library, I was able to watched St. Denis’s choreography of The Incense in Denishawn Dances On!, performed by Deborah Zall. In the very beginning of the dance, she is situated near the back of the stage and slowly walks forward to become more visible to the audience. This simple start parallels Shawn’s Egypt section as he opens the curtains upstage and walks downstage to begin the movement. Throughout “The Incense”, Zall continuously performs fluid arm waving and rolling arm movements, mimicking the smoke she is dancing with, upper limbs billowing up and down the sides of her torso. Terry almost perfectly describes it when he states, “both arms rippled as if they were not of flesh and bone but an evanescent as smoke” (43). Upon reading this section and later actually watching the choreography, I almost immediately thought back to the beginning section of Shawn’s Dance of the Priest of Ra with his rippling arm movements starting from his hips and moving sideways and upwards to reach a straight overhead position with his head facing up. It is even more striking comparing this to the iconography of Ruth St. Denis in 1906/1907[4] and performing the piece at her golden wedding anniversary celebration in 1964.[5]
Greece 400 B.C. The Bacchanalia.
For Shawn’s Bacchanalia section, I chose a few images from Grove’s book and from sections of Ancient Greek dance in The Dance: Historic Illustrations of Dancing from 3300 B.C. to 1911 A.D. The first image[6] depicts a woman leaning backwards with head tilted towards the side, an image that can be seen when comparing it to the Shawn choreography. Furthermore, the larger group image[7] reflects the movement qualities of buoyancy, scattered formations, and apparent constant motion that appear throughout. However, an intriguing description, along with an image[8], of Greek dance from Grove’s book explains that “most primitive dances were certainly circular. Several causes are given as an explanation. It is said that by the circular movement the apparent rotation of the sun and planets is imitated. Again, it is said that the circle represents to the popular mind the idea of the infinite” (Grove 36). It is clear upon watching this section of Dances with the Ages that Shawn focuses much more on circular configurations, spinning individual motions, pairs circling each other, and general roundness than any other of his sections.
However, while there may have been connections drawn from the ancient, there was also not only an “undeniable link between Dances of the Ages and the Gertrude Hoffmann ballets that Shawn had seen in Denver the year before” (Scolieri 51), but also “he could have just as easily been inspired by Anna Pavlova and Mikhail Mordkin’s version of the dance, which he had also seen in Denver” (Scolieri 51). Therefore, I pulled some iconography of both Hoffman’s interpretation[9] of Greek dances and Pavlova and Mordkin’s “Bacchanale”[10] to explore these potential correlations. In Hoffman’s version, there is a central focus of one dancer surrounding by the constant-moving chorus around her, an image that can be seen in the background of Shawn’s choreography with the one performer waving her arms at the upper central point. However, looking downstage it is interesting to compare the partnership of Gould and Shawn to that of the drawing of Pavlova and Mordkin. Both couples noticeably have their torsos in contracted and forward-leaning stances, positions that simply aren’t as commonly seen in the ancient portrayals. The couples also both appear to be sharing weight in one way or another, either leaning on each other or relying on the other to be able to lean away. Furthermore, it is interesting to note that in both cases, there is a duet between only a man and a woman, an occurrence that has never appeared in any ancient iconography that I have found.
Orient 200 A.D.
For the following section of Dances of the Ages, labeled Orient 200 A.D., I decided to pull three images: one from Groves book, one from a dance handbook called The dance, ancient and modern / translated from the French by Arabella E. Moore from 1900, and the last from an 1899 handbook called, La danse. Comment on dansait, comment on danse. Technique de Mme Berthe Bernay by Raoul Charbonnel. The first[11] is a depiction of a Chinese ritual dance with two dancers performing various steps either in opposition or in unison, a quality reflected in Shawn’s interpretation. The next[12] is taken from the chapter called “Oriental Dances” and appears to be a depiction of a Muslim whirling dervish. There is a movement where his arm position is reflected in Shawn’s choreography. In both, there also appears to be a smooth and spinning quality attached. The third is an image of two Chinese dancers, one dancing slightly in front of the other. This configuration of one performer slightly in front of the other parallels the formations Shawn used throughout this segment of the choreography. However, this section was one of the more difficult to find actual depictions of “oriental” dances that Shawn may have taken inspiration from. To start, it is often difficult to determine what early modern dancers mean when they mention the Orient, as it could signify China, Japan, Persia, India, or any other distinct culture [13]that was seen as exotic by the occidental world at this time. Furthermore, it was difficult to find accurate representations of dance from any of these separate cultures in the treatises and handbooks of Shawn’s era.
On the other hand, it was distinctly easier to find connections between Shawn’s version and the larger conversation of Oriental dances that existed during the early modern age. For example, Scolieri mentions that the “Oriental” and “Egyptian” sections of Dances bear a striking resemblance to the pirated versions of Michel Fokine’s Schéhérazade and Cléopâtre that featured Theodore Kosloff, an interpretation that Shawn would have seen. I therefore took two images of Shéhérazade, one of Gertrude Hoffman[14] and another of Michel Fokine[15], to compare choreography. While looking at Gould dancing behind Shawn in this sections, it is interesting to see very specific hand and body positions that appear to match the iconography of Hoffman and Fokine, specifically in the V-shape of the arms thrust before the torso and the flexed hands placed on each side of the hips.
England 1790. The Minuet.
Lastly, I took imagery once again from Grove’s book and from The Dance: Historic Illustrations of Dancing from 3300 B.C. to 1911 A.D. to explore potential influence for Shawn’s minuet, one of the most clear cut sections of Dances of the Ages. The level changes between partners are paralleled with the first image[16], although the role is reversed between partners, and the general partner work along with arm movements is reflective in the second[17]. Interestingly enough, Shawn backgrounds his Minuet in England in the late 18th century while in actuality, it emerged in France more than a century before, suggesting that Shawn may have been influenced by an already-occurring imitation.
Further Implications and Thoughts
When I was initially conceptualizing my research into Ted Shawn’s ancient and modern influences and their translation into his Dances of the Ages, I was concerned with determining whether Shawn was attempting to actually recreate these dances authentically, or how they existed in their original contexts. However, upon comparing the different types of influences, it becomes clear that while the ancient showed some choreographic and movement quality similarities, the modern influences had just as much, if not more, translation to Shawn’s adaptations. However, at the same time, it becomes apparent through the context of the early modern dance period, a time emerging from the anti-dance movement that saw dance as a vulgar activity that only led people to sin and shameful behavior, that authenticity may not have been Shawn’s main priority. Instead, as a dancer, and a male one at that, Shawn’s intention was most likely rather, along with the other literature and art about dance evolution at the time, attempting to establish dance as a legitimate artform and career path to pursue in the beginning of the 20th century. Therefore, while he definitely did not simply create movement out of nowhere as can be seen through the strong likeness that emerges upon visual choreographic comparison, whether these influences were from Shawn’s time or from 1200 B.C. was not of huge importance to his overall objective.
In the context of the modern dance movement, and in the dance world in general, it is important to fully consider Shawn’s and other artists’ interpretations of ethnic and historical dance. Shawn, as a white male, did borrow from other cultures and work from female choreographers and claim ownership to this movement. The fact that Shawn’s creation of this work was only possible through the adoption of other sources is essential to understand. However, at the same time, art does not and cannot exist without the aid of previous art, and current art will continue to shape future art throughout eternity. It is difficult to determine whether the kind of borrowing Shawn did crosses a line from simple influence to the contemporary idea of plagiarism, but this also does not signify that Shawn’s work should be discredited. Was he authentic in the sense of actually trying to recreate these dances for what they were in their original context? No, but this wasn’t his goal. Was he able to create all of his movement without previous exposure to similar art? Probably not. However, Shawn was an innovator in the way he drew on the past to bring dance into the future. This work, and his later works both as a solo artist and with Ruth St. Denis, did help establish dance as a legitimate art, even for men, in the wake of the anti-dance movement, and will forever have a great impact on the current evolving dance world and its future as an artform. We should and will continue to debate these issues about borrowing and originality to protect dancemakers and avoid appropriation in our work as artists. Concurrently, we should continue studying the work and innovation of Shawn and other early modern dancers in how they helped propel dance into the established and diverse field as it exists today.
Notes
[1] The Dance (by An Antiquary): Historic Illustrations of Dancing from 3300 B.C. to 1911 A.D. London: John Bale, Sons, & Danielsson, Ltd 1911. Fig. 4: Egyptian hieroglyphic for "dance." http://www.gutenberg.org/files/17289/17289-h/images/004_l.jpg
[2] The Dance (by An Antiquary): Historic Illustrations of Dancing from 3300 B.C. to 1911 A.D. London: John Bale, Sons, & Danielsson, Ltd 1911. Fig. 3: The hieroglyphics describe the dance. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/17289/17289-h/images/003_l.jpg
[3] Grove, Lilly, and other writers. Dancing; a handbook of the terpsichorean arts in diverse places and times, savage and civilized. Illustrated by Percy Macquoid and by numerous reproductions of engravings, prints, and photos. London: Longmans, Green, 1895. 23.
[4] Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "Ruth St Denis in Incense." The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1906 - 1907. http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47df-8502-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99
[5] Shawn, Ted (compiler). Scrapbook: Golden wedding, St. Denis-Shawn, August 13, 1964 at Jacob's Pillow.
[6] The Dance (by An Antiquary): Historic Illustrations of Dancing from 3300 B.C. to 1911 A.D. London: John Bale, Sons, & Danielsson, Ltd 1911. Fig. 10: Greek terra cotta dancing girl, about 350 B.C. (British Museum.) https://www.gutenberg.org/files/17289/17289-h/images/010_l.jpg
[7] Grove, Lilly, and other writers. Dancing; a handbook of the terpsichorean arts in diverse places and times, savage and civilized. Illustrated by Percy Macquoid and by numerous reproductions of engravings, prints, and photos. London: Longmans, Green, 1895. 35.
[8] Grove, Lilly, and other writers. Dancing; a handbook of the terpsichorean arts in diverse places and times, savage and civilized. Illustrated by Percy Macquoid and by numerous reproductions of engravings, prints, and photos. London: Longmans, Green, 1895. 49.
[9] Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "Gertrude Hoffmann clippings, 1910-1927." The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1910. http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47da-5c39-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99
[10] Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "Bacchanale" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1921. http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/fc3fb2e0-d70f-0132-2490-58d385a7bbd0
[11] Grove, Lilly, and other writers. Dancing; a handbook of the terpsichorean arts in diverse places and times, savage and civilized. Illustrated by Percy Macquoid and by numerous reproductions of engravings, prints, and photos. London: Longmans, Green, 1895. 353.
[12] The dance, ancient and modern / translated from the French by Arabella E. Moore / (Danse à travers les âges). Philadelphia, Pa. : A. Moore, 1900. 19.
[13] Charbonnel, Raoul. La danse. Comment on dansait, comment on danse. Technique de Mme Berthe Bernay ... notation musicale de MM. Francis Casadesus et Jules Maugué. Illustrations de M. Valvérane. Paris: Garnier frères, 1899. 16.
[14] Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "Gertrude Hoffmann in Scheherazade." The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1911. http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47da-5c3c-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99
[15] "Mikhail Fokine and Vera Fokina in Scheherazade, 1910." Set Design , Ballets Russes | The Red List. A database by Martin Douaire, Marc-Henri Dufresne, Stéphanie Moisan, Romuald Leblond & Jessica Vaillat. http://theredlist.com/wiki-2-20-881-1399-1161-235972-236038-view-1910-1920-1-profile-1910-bscheherazade-b.html#photo
[16] Grove, Lilly, and other writers. Dancing; a handbook of the terpsichorean arts in diverse places and times, savage and civilized. Illustrated by Percy Macquoid and by numerous reproductions of engravings, prints, and photos. London: Longmans, Green, 1895. 424.
[17] The Dance (by An Antiquary): Historic Illustrations of Dancing from 3300 B.C. to 1911 A.D. London: John Bale, Sons, & Danielsson, Ltd 1911. Fig. 54: A ball-room dance, Le Bal Paré, of the 18th century. From August de l'Aubin. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/17289/17289-h/images/054_l.jpg
References
Charbonnel, Raoul. La danse. Comment on dansait, comment on danse. Technique de Mme Berthe Bernay ... notation musicale de MM. Francis Casadesus et Jules Maugué. Illustrations de M. Valvérane. Paris: Garnier frères, 1899.
The dance, ancient and modern / translated from the French by Arabella E. Moore / (Danse à travers les âges). Philadelphia, Pa. : A. Moore, 1900.
The Dance (by An Antiquary): Historic Illustrations of Dancing from 3300 B.C. to 1911 A.D. London: John Bale, Sons, & Danielsson, Ltd 1911. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/17289/17289-h/17289-h.htm#cp
Denishawn dances on! [videorecording] / conceived and re-created by Jane Sherman, with four Ted Shawn revivals by Barton Mumaw ; directed by Ron Honsa ; produced by Chris Sloben. West Long Branch, N.J. : Kultur, c2002. https://catalog.nypl.org/record=b15849610~S98
Grove, Lilly, and other writers. Dancing; a handbook of the terpsichorean arts in diverse places and times, savage and civilized. Illustrated by Percy Macquoid and by numerous reproductions of engravings, prints, and photos. London: Longmans, Green, 1895.
Scolieri, Paul. Ted Shawn Biography (forthcoming, Oxford University Press).
Shawn, Ted (compiler). Scrapbook: Golden wedding, St. Denis-Shawn, August 13, 1964 at Jacob's Pillow. https://catalog.nypl.org/record=b12117930~S98
Terry, Walter. Ted Shawn, father of American dance : a biography. New York : Dial Press, 1976.
