Reflection Prompt
Dance and the Body
Two very different ideas of what the body can express
This unit traces the evolution from classical ballet to modern dance. In the Watch & Listen section of the lesson you can see two very different approaches to dance: Martha Graham's Lamentation (1930), a modern dance solo performed seated inside a tube of fabric, and a classical ballet performance of Swan Lake. Watch both clips, then compare the two approaches.
The prompt
How does each use the body differently? How does each define beauty in movement? This unit explains that modern dance returned to "natural" movement as a reaction against ballet's formalized vocabulary. Based on what you see in these two clips, what do you think each tradition values about the human body and its capacity for expression?
Support your comparison with specific moments: the shapes of the body, the use of the floor or lifts, the relationship to music, and the quality of the energy. If you were choreographing a new dance about a feeling of your own, which tradition would you start from, and why?
Your Reflection
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