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Judson Dance Theater : the work is never done

Author

Janevski, Ana, author.

Title

Judson Dance Theater : the work is never done / Ana Janevski & Thomas J. Lax.

Format

Book

Published

New York, New York : Museum of Modern Art, New York, [2018] ©2018

Description

199 pages : illustrations (some color), map, facsimiles, photographs ; 26 cm

Other contributors

Lax, Thomas J., author. Museum of Modern Art (New York, N.Y.), issuing body, publisher, organizer, host institution.

Variant title

Work is never done

Notes

Published in conjunction with an exhibition of the same name held at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, 16 September 2018 - 3 February 2019. Includes bibliographical references. Text in English.

Contents

• Foreword / Glenn D. Lowry
• Introduction.
• Allow me to begin again / Thomas J. Lax
• Judson Dance Theater: the work is never done
• sanctuary always needed / Ana Janevski
• Meeting points.
• Before Judson & some other things / Adrian Heathfield
• "The nerve of a dancer's life": Cunningham class and Judson Dance Theater / Danielle Goldman
• From snapshots to physical things / Julia Robinson
• Judson in our time.
• Real people / Malik Gaines
• On and off the grid: music for and around Judson Dance Theater / Benjamin Piekut
• Handling Judson's objects / Kristin Poor
• Elaine Summers's intermedia / Gloria Sutton
• Concerts of dance: portfolios.
• Concert of dance #3: selection of photographs by Al Giese / introduction by Vivian A. Crockett
• Concert of dance #13: selection of photographs by Peter Moore / introduction by Vivian A. Crockett
• Lines of flight / Sharon Hayes
• A Judson handbook.
• Sites of collaboration / with entries by Harry C.H. Choi, Elizabeth Gollnick, and Victor "Viv" Liu
• Selected of annotated works / with entries by Giampaolo Bianconi, Vivian A. Crockett, Elizabeth Gollnick, Jennifer Harris, Ana Janevski, Martha Joseph, and Thomas J. Lax
• Judson Dance Theater participants.

Summary

Taking its name from the Judson Memorial Church, a socially engaged Protestant congregation in New York's Greenwich Village, Judson Dance Theater was organized as a series of open workshops from which its participants developed performances. Redefining the kinds of movement that could count as dance, the Judson participants- Trisha Brown, Lucinda Childs, Philip Corner, Bill Dixon, Judith Dunn, David Gordon, Alex Hay, Deborah Hay, Fred Herko, Robert Morris, Steve Paxton, Rudy Perez, Yvonne Rainer, Robert Rauschenberg, Carolee Schneemann and Elaine Summers, among others- would go on to profoundly shape all fields of art in the second half of the 20th century. They employed new compositional methods to strip dance of its theatrical conventions, incorporating "ordinary" movements- gestures typical of the street or home, for example, rather than a stage- into their work, along with games, simple tasks, and social dances to infuse their pieces with a sense of spontaneity. Published in conjunction with an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, 'Judson Dance Theater: The Work Is Never Done' highlights the workshop's ongoing significance. "In the early 1960s, an assembly of choreographers, visual artists, composers, and filmmakers made use of a church in New York's Greenwich Village to present performances that redefined the kinds of movement that could be understood as dance--performances that Village Voice critic Jill Johnston would declare the most exciting in a generation. The group was Judson Dance Theater, its name borrowed from Judson Memorial Church, the socially engage Protestant congregation that hosted the dancers' open workshops. The Judson artists emphasized new compositinoal methods meant to strip dance of its theatrical conventions and foregroudned 'ordinary' movements--gestures more likely to be seen on the street or at home. Although Judson Dance Theater would only last a few years, the artists affiliated with it, including Trisha Brown, Lucinda Childs, Philip Corner, Bill Dixon, Judith Dunn, Ruth Emerson, David Gordon, Alex Hay, Deborah Hay, Fred Herko, Robert Morris, Steve Paxton, Rudy Perez, Yvonne Rainer, Robert Rauschenberg, Carolee Schneemann, and Elaine Summers, would challenge choreographic conventions and profoundly shape art making across various fields for decades to come. 'Judson Dance Theater: The Work Is Never Done' includes newly commissioned essays that highlight the history of Judson Dance Theater and its legacy in our own time. Published in conjunction with an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, this lushly illustrated volume charts the development of Judson through photographs, film stills, choreographic scores, architectural drawings, and other archival materials, as it celebrates the group's multidisciplinary and collaborative ethos and its reverberant achievements." --publisher's description, lower cover.

Subject headings

Judson Dance Theater--Themes, motives. Judson Dance Theater--Exhibitions. Judson Dance Theater--Criticism and interpretation. Judson Dance Theater. Modern dance--New York (State)--New York--20th century--Exhibitions. Postmodern dance--New York (State)--New York--20th century--Exhibitions. Avant-garde (Aesthetics)--New York (State)--New York--20th century--Exhibitions.

Genre heading

Exhibition catalogs. Essays. Illustrated works. Exhibition catalogs.

ISBN

9781633450639 (paperback) 1633450635 (paperback)

Standard Identifier

MoMA 2404