Written just before the author's death in 1958, this book is an autobiography in art, a gathering of experiences in performance, and a lucid and practical source book on choreography.
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About the Author
Doris Humphrey was a dancer and choreographer of the early 20th century who studied and taught dance. She was an original faculty member of both The Bennington School of the Dance and The Julliard School and was the cofounder of the Humphrey-Weidman dance company.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
not 5 stars for the reason you may think...,
By
This review is from: The Art of Making Dances (Paperback)
as a post-modernist who is always asking "why?" or "who says so?" i see this text as simply brimming with possible areas for undermining aesthetics, theories, and practices in choreography... when i was an undergrad, i learned to choreograph by reading this book. essentially i learned how to make "grocery store list" dances... do i have the "proper" levels? check! do i have "interesting" variations? check! is my music "appropriate" for dance? double check!! have i avoided anything that should be better described with words? ummm... hmmm. well... err... this is where the problems get really big -- yes, i adamantly suggest a beginner learn the material from this book, but only so that the dated notions can be completely thrown away. i give this book 5 stars, because it introduces some of the most important concepts about craft all in one nice, orderly place, but i also give it 5 stars because of the hundreds or thousands of dances that could be made simply to refute the ideas contained herein. yes, get the book... it's essential to your training as a dance maker... yes, throw EVERYTHING away once you've learned it. this text is a bibliography brimming with sources on dance/performance concepts... now that i'm a college professor i'm teaching the choreography 1 class how to use this book as is, but i'm teaching the choreography 4 class how to refute it completely.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Review of "The Art of Making Dances",
This review is from: The Art of Making Dances (Paperback)
Written by one of the master pioneers of American modern dance, "The Art of Making Dances" was Doris Humphrey's final effort before she died in 1958. Published after her death, the book is a tribute to her legacy of providing a formal methodology of the craft of choreography. The book is an excellent manual for the beginning choreographer by outlining elements of dance and music composition, design, dynamics, rhythm and gesture. She includes choreography assignments to illustrate each compositional element. While somewhat dated in its choreography references, Humphrey offers the reader advice for what to look for in formal choreography making the book an excellent introduction to understanding and appreciating dance for the practitioner as well as the audience member.
Dalienne Majors Chair of Dance Berkeley Carroll School Brooklyn, NY July 2006
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
For anyone that loves to dance,
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This review is from: The Art of Making Dances (Paperback)
I like this book for it's drawing examples and it's heart to heart talk. I can almost hear the writer talking directly at me about how to look at dancing in a different way. . .the heart and emotion of the dance not the techinques that are drummed into us from the time we first put our foot down. This book was recommended to me from a person that studies and teachs ballet. I am a bellydance studen myself but found that it was very helpful in getting over my fears of making my owns dances. Highly recommended for all levels and types of dancers.
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
52
books
cite this book:
See all 52 books citing this book
- The Twentieth-Century Performance Reader by Michael Huxley on 7 pages
- Modern Bodies: Dance and American Modernism from Martha Graham to Alvin Ailey by Julia L. Foulkes on 4 pages
- The Twentieth-Century Performance Reader by Noel Witts on 4 pages
- The Twentieth-Century Performance Reader by Michael Huxley on 4 pages
- I See America Dancing: Selected Readings, 1685-2000 by Maureen Needham in Front Matter, page 187, and Back Matter
See all 52 books citing this book
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