Feminism in Dance

So I recently completed my masters degree in dance and this was one of my favourite essays to write. I spent countless hours in the library for this essay. It was one I was very proud of it and the work that I had out in. I thought I'd share what I was interested in and had learnt throughout my year long research for this essay. I also should just say that this is all my own views and this essay went towards my certification. I am also going through the process of editing this for potential publishing so wish me good luck guys 🤞

If any of the following gets used, please email me and I'll give you the reference for it in APA/Harvard format 😘

If you just want to chat feminism in dance or just higher education dance/dram/musical theatre, feel free to email me! -fairydreamsblog@gmail.com I'll happily provide references and reading lists, etc as I still have all my notes :) or even just for a chat! 🎉

Feminism isnt a new topic, however oppression is still regularly seen in the dance world, this essay is in reference to 'Yes? No! Maybe...' by Emilyn Claid, in particular the No! chapter.

Critically analyse how feminism impacted the dance world in 1970s Britain and the development of the New Dance Movement, with reference to the ‘No!’ chapter in Emilyn Claid’s ‘Yes? No! Maybe…: Seductive Ambiguity in Dance’?

Feminism has always been controversial topic and is as prevalent now as it was in in Britain in the 1970s and even before, with the so-called swinging sixties, a post war youth-driven sexual revolution and culture shock, with the creation of radical fashion, such as the ‘mini skirt’, rock and roll music, Woodstock Festival, the liberation of women’s sexual desires, aided by contraceptives becoming widely available and abortions becoming legal, as well as many other things. Feminism, as a term, first entered the English dictionary in 1841 by Noah Webster and the first recorded definition, as stated by Peter Sokolowski on behalf of Meriam-Webster in 2017, was “the qualities of females” whereas the modern definition stands as “the advocacy of women's rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes.” In the 175+ years of the word being used the amount of oppression, change, challenges, women have gone through is apparent. However, the feminist movement in today’s world is taking one step forward with things such as the women’s march on Washington, which became the largest single day protest in US history, according to Broomfield, M. (2017), the #MeToo movement following allegations against Hollywood director Harvey Weinstein and people began to tell their own stories on personal sexual abuse/harassment experiences (Frye, J. 2018), and then three steps back with legislation and policies put forward by people who are miseducated and forcing legislation upon women and young girls, this is especially prevalent today in 2019 across the United States of America, with bans being made upon abortion, contraceptives, etc.

In Britain in the 1960s and 1970s, the second wave of feminism began, with the nickname of the Women’s Liberation Movement or Women’s Lib for short, which expanded upon previous discussions to equality in marriage, the workplace, sex, sexuality and violence against women. Following this, dance within Britain in the 1970s was following the Post-Modern movement in the US, to create the new age of dance, emerging away from the traditional norm, that was heavily focussed upon in the previous years. Dance in the 1970s explored a supposed ‘New Dance’ “as if indeed this were the real beginning of the movement (the term… was coined in preference to the American term ‘postmodern’, thus establishing an independent British independence)” (Banes, S. 2003). Implying that dance was beginning to take its own form and became more radical and more political, as stated by Adair (1992) in Women and Dance, modern dance “was initially created in opposition to the aristocratic ideals of European ballet…[modern] artists created their own movement forms and techniques.” This, itself, though an older concept written about the modern dance movement of the 1920s and 30s, was still relevant to the post-modern/new dance eras.

Within 1970s Britain, a New Dance Collective began making strives within the dance community. As previously stated, they would follow the post - modern era in America and with making ‘feminist’ work and breaking away from the traditions that dance usually presents. Within Claid’s book ‘Yes? No! Maybe… Seductive Ambiguity in Dance (2006), personally focussing upon ‘No!’ as Emilyn Claid states herself “it investigates this paradox between subjectivity and in/visibility” (2006), Within, “No!’ Claid takes the reader through the journey she went on with 4 other artists, who collectively came together to found X6: New Dance Collective, the group’s ‘home’ was “down by the docks…when you find the warehouse marked X…we do a lot of talking here, making up for many years of a dancers silence.” Thus building up to the dance rebellion, known as the New Dance Collective.

This group was made up of 5 individuals both following on from their professional careers within so called traditional contemporary dance and/or in the case of Maedee Dupres, rocketed their careers forward as suggested by Emilyn Claid (2006). The group all came from different backgrounds and over the course of a decade became the founders on one of the “UK’s major independent dance studios” (Lansley, J. 2019). According to Claid (2006) described herself as coming from a ballet background. The other members of X6 are also from somewhat diverse dance backgrounds as stated by Claid in her own experiences; Jacky Lansley is an ex-Royal Ballet dancer, Lansley ‘questioned’ everything that was presented by other members and many other artists, Mary Prestige, an ex-British Olympic Gymnast and ex-Rambert dancer exploring “alternative ways of moving: contact improvisation, release technique, Alexander technique and t’ai chi”, Fergus Early, also an Ex Royal Ballet dancer, who left to work with Ballet for All before working freelance and becoming a founder of X6 (Craine, D. & Mackrell, J. 2010). Another description from Claid (2006) about Early “was more feminist than I was” which would almost describe him as not being blindsided and manipulated by the patriarchal world 1970s Britain was, however it could also be to do with spending his early professional dance life within the tough Royal Ballet halls listening to young dancers being put down for many reasons, some with damaging effect, as suggested by Daly in 1986, “many ballerinas are anorexic and bulimic as a result of trying to attain a featherlight body”. Finally, the last member of X6, Maedee Dupres, who used the platform of X6 to propel her professional career forward unlike other members of the group who had conventional professional careers within the dance world, this suggested again by Claid (2006). As presented within Christy Adair’s 1992 book ‘Women and Dance’, “The X6 Collective wanted to counter oppressive attitudes and change roles for both men and women in dance and society. It is not uncommon for dancers to be interested in and involved in political concerns. The nature of the training and lifestyle make such involvement difficult.” Thus, suggesting that all dancers have this little bit of fight within them, developed through countless hours of training and creating, that when given a platform to do so they can speak their voice and can sometimes speak for those who have no voice within the dance world, such as, pregnancy, Claid, herself performed whilst seven months pregnant, showing and “sharing the reality of carrying a baby” (1992). At the time, this could be considered radical as once a dancer has children, in the traditional sense their career was supposedly over, it is prevalent today in the fact women working freelance can feel the effect ‘financially’ and incomes could grind to a halt, and mother hood could be a “difficult emotional and psychological adjustment for feminists!” as according to The Guardian (2012).

Within dance itself, it can be quite closed minded and sometimes can even be as bad as some believe that everyone who participates are expected to conform to the tradition and the technique and it is generally frowned upon to deviate from that, meaning, within ballet, if a step is not performed in a certain way, it is not technically accurate. I suppose dance, in a so called ‘traditional’ is like that, if something doesn’t look a certain way is it not technically right. Although, who is to tell us about what is right and what is wrong in dance. Within X6’s own rules they made, one of them states “dance takes many forms all of which should be treated as seriously as ballet” (Mackrell, J. 1992). Dance is and should always be expressive and a way to free our minds and open ourselves into a journey of self-discovery, which X6 and the New Dance Collective took on very seriously.

Feminism in Dance does not dictate that it is solely women that would be treated unequally in a professional sense. Within X6 itself and the No Manifesto, they present that anyone should be able to dance which is then stated within point 3; “dance is not just a highly specialised profession: it is a basic part of living, and anyone should be encouraged to do it, no matter what age, shape or colour they are.” (1992). From personal experience within participatory learning that my understanding for dance being for everyone has been increased and in present times, it could be said that is not solely for the abled-body, the feminine body, the strong body and many other adjectives that can be named to describe a person. Dance is for everyone, it is inclusive. When inclusivity in dance, two professional companies spring to mind, DV8, a physical theatre company, who have used an inclusive cast for their pieces, one of these called ‘The Cost of Living’ (2004), a piece which focuses on one of the main characters ‘Dave’, who is an out of work seaside performer but also a double amputee (Barbican, 2007). Another company which comes to mind is CandoCo, which prides itself in the dance company for disabled and non-disabled dancers and the first company of its kind within the UK, founded in 1991 (CandoCo, 1991), Emilyn Claid of X6 has also made work specifically for the company in 1996. However, in my own personal experience, whilst working with WISP a “dance and performance group for young people with special educational needs or learning disabilities in the North Wales area.” (2017), I learnt that both improvisational and traditional taught dance without classical technique is a way to open the mind and body to be more open with the world. Moving back toward the 1970s and Fergus Early developed his own community dance group, Green Candle towards the latter end of the 1980s, following on from his experience in X6, where he gained a reputation for having an “ability to include dancers and non-dancers within his work”. Furthermore, Green Candle was established as a ‘community-based company’ where it did not matter whether a person was young, old, abled, disabled, which became a so called ‘vehicle’ to “discover themselves and their capabilities as performers,” (Benjamin, A. 2002). Thus, confirming Early’s place within the community as someone who will let anyone and everyone dance with and for him.

Within dance, traditional or not, people are always so quick to judge the aesthetics of a person, a person’s body, etc. Within traditional dance, folk dance, ballet, etc. costumes and aesthetic take up a large proportion of what makes that piece instantly recognisable, whether that’s a tutu in ballet, the dress in which traditional folk dancers wear, such as a flamenco dancer’s outfit or kathak dance garments. The radicals of the 1970s, artists questioned the statement of aesthetic and didn’t feel as though they had to use all the big, fancy costumes and went for a more androgynous but minimalist approach, however some did. They felt like they had the autonomy to do what they pleased about costume. Going back to Claid (2006), she describes Jacky Lansley as someone who wasn’t afraid of using costume to portray “feminist philosophies” and used them to retell famous “theatrical traditions from a feminist perspective.” A cross over into the world of live art and within the early 1960s in America, Yoko Ono had been creating work entitled “Cut Piece” (1964), which allowed the audience to cut pieces of clothing off her. According to React Feminism (2003), the audience become a “symbol of feminine passivity and vulnerability, whilst the latent potential for sexist and racist violence and a destructive desire becomes apparent.” From this statement, I see it as an opportunity for both men and women to take advantage of a situation and do what they see fit towards a vulnerable woman at a point where they no longer have control as it has strictly been passed over to another to enjoy, which is similar to another piece that artist Marina Abramovic completed in 1974, she titled Rhythm 0, where Abramovic allowed her audience members to do whatever they saw fit to her for a duration of 6 hours with the 72 items she placed on a table in front of her, which for the performance Abramovic said “I am the object. During this period, I take full responsibility” (1974), this also links to the somewhat patriarchal view of the mid-century that women are below men and could be treated as objects and could almost be disposable.

Dance itself can be rebellious, the whole sense of the New Dance era, could be considered as rebellious and almost anarchic. As with many dancers/collectives/groups/etc. many people have come together to create a ‘No Manifesto’. A person that springs to mind in the forefront is Yvonne Rainer, most notably known for her presence within the American post-modern movement. It is also said that X6 had a ‘No Manifesto’, this specific document within Judith Mackrell’s Book “Out of Line” (1992) has 5 points, in which New Dance created, followed and would go to inspire others. It could said that the New Dance movement was completely feminist, androgynous, feminine and masculine all at the same time, due to all the different components within slowly adding up. It could also be said that women rebelled in the sense of contact improvisation, a practice that X6 member, Mary Prestige uses within her daily practice as a dancer, a practice that is still being shared to this day. Prestige holds contact improvisation jams on a Sunday in Liverpool city centre as a part of Liverpool Improvisation Collective at the Bluecoat (Bluecoat, 2019). Women are just as strong and can take another person’s weight, this differs from the sense that society tells us from the subliminal message that ‘women are weak’, it’s even ingrained within the technique classes from a young age that “usually only teaches [a woman] to be supported by a man.” (Henderson, G. 2018). Which is wrong as it also comes with the toxic connotations that young people and dancers do not need in their life, I would like to repeat a previous quote which spoke about ballet dancers, it states by Daly (1986) “many ballerinas are anorexic and bulimic as a result of trying to attain a featherlight body” This is just one of the boundaries in which the radicals of the 1970s were trying to combat, Emilyn Claid herself states “I rebelled against the cultural pressure to construct my body to fit an aesthetic mould…I rejected my identity as a ballet dancer… no longer conformed to the aesthetic of beauty, with a body weight of at least a stone heavier than the ideal” (2006).

On the contrary, there is evidence to say that feminism did not impact the new dance world as still in 2019, majority of choreographer’s that are the most prolific, as stated in The Guardian by Luke Jennings (2013) he gives examples such as, “Matthew Bourne, Akram Khan, Wayne McGregor, Liam Scarlett, Christopher Wheeldon” and there are many other famous male choreographers, as he goes on to state “it’s been 14 years since a woman was commissioned to create a main-stage ballet at the Royal Opera House” (2013), in theory it should be easy enough to give female choreographers a chance to choreograph anything they like and be as prolific as the Bourne’s, Khan’s and McGregor’s, which is why a project was launched in 2015 called ‘The Bench’, created by Tamsin Fitzgerald, which was the first of its kind within the United Kingdom (2015). According to The Bench’s programme, it aims to “influence change and current behaviours in the UK dance sector”, this could be achieved by allowing female choreographers to be supported by having better resources and opportunities and helping build a network of programmers and promoters who have a commitment to equality (2015). I suppose this even links back to an earlier quote in which Claid states whilst describing Fergus Early, his practice and being “more feminist than” Claid (2006).

To conclude, it is my overall belief that the feminist movement did, in fact, impact the dance world within 1970s Britain as it allowed modern theatre to become more mainstream and more accepted not only within the dance world but for all to enjoy and experience. It could also be said that over this period, dance and feminism alike generally became more accepted amongst the majority and became relatable to others in a similar situation. However, it could also be said that it was quite exclusive in the fact of X6, their base was in a well-hidden warehouse where dancers and not many non-dancers knew about. To reiterate my previous points, I genuinely do believe that feminism did play a big part in impacting the dance world and the dance field within 1970s Britain, due to many factors, some of these being, it allowed women, men and the like to create whatever they wanted to create within a safe space of other like-minded participants. On the contrary, due to furthering my own research, I think it did not have such a significant effect as was previously thought. However, this is down to the social hive mind and how Britain almost still has a patriarchal view on things, as previously mentioned, The Bench project became a thing because men dominated the choreographic ‘world’ even though up to higher education level, the art form is dominated by those classifying as female. I do not believe that the dance world pushed forward the mainstream environment however aided the path along the way with issues such as rebelling against tradition, aesthetic, saying no, and many other worthwhile items.

References:

· Abramovic, M. (1974) Rhythm 0 Retrieved from https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/abramovic-rhythm-0-t14875

· Adair, C. (1992). Women and Dance: Sylphs and Sirens. London, UK: Macmillan Press.

· Albright, A. (1997). Choreographing Difference. Hanover, NH: Wesleyan.

· Banes, S. (2003). reinventing dance in the 1960s: everything was possible (1st ed.). Madison, WI: The University of Wisconsin Press.

· Banes, S. (1977) Terpsichore in Sneakers, Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press

· Broomfield, M. (2019). 2 charts which show just how huge the Women's Marches against Trump were. Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20170125182025/http:/www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/womens-march-anti-donald-trump-womens-rights-largest-protest-demonstration-us-history-political-a7541081.html

· Benjamin, A. (2002). Making an Entrance. New York, NY: Routledge.

· Bluecoat >> Expanding the Picture. (2019). Retrieved from http://www.thebluecoat.org.uk/events/view/events/3515

· Buckwalter, M. (2010). Composing Whilst Dancing: An Improviser’s Companion. Wisconsin, USA: The University of Wisconsin Press.

· Claid, E. (2006) Yes? No! Maybe…: Seductive Ambiguity in Dance, Abindon, NY: Routledge

· Candoco Dance Company. (1996). Across Your Heart - Retrieved from http://www.candoco.co.uk/the-work/candoco/across-your-heart

· Candoco Dance Company. (2019). Background - Retrieved from http://www.candoco.co.uk/about-us/background

· feminism | Definition of feminism in English by Oxford Dictionaries. (2019). Retrieved from https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/feminism

· Fitzgerald, T. (2019). THE PROGRAMME — The Bench. Retrieved from http://www.the-bench.org/about

· Henderson, G. (2019). Women, Here's Your Guide to Becoming a Strong Lifter. Retrieved from https://www.dancemagazine.com/women-lifting-dance-2586337763.html

· Jennings, L. (2019). Sexism in dance: where are all the female choreographers?. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/apr/28/women-choreographers-glass-ceiling

· Lansley, J. (2019). About the Artist. Retrieved from http://jackylansley.co.uk/about-the-artist/

· Mackrell, J. (1992). Out of Line. London: Dance Books

· Molloy, M. (2019). How far have women’s rights advanced in a century?. Retrieved from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/far-have-womens-rights-advanced-century/

· Ono, Y. (2019). re.act.feminism - a performing archive. Retrieved from http://www.reactfeminism.org/entry.php?id=219&e=t

· Oxford Reference. (2019). Fergus Early -Retrieved from https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095738860

· Word of the Year 2017. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/woty2017-top-looked-up-words-feminism

· Vincent, C. (2012) Dancer and mother: Can we be both? Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/culture-professionals-network/culture-professionals-blog/2012/may/31/dance-arts-motherhood-having-children-rights

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