Steve Paxton
Encyclopedia
Steve Paxton is an experimental dance
r and choreographer. His early background was in gymnastics
while his later training included three years with Merce Cunningham
and a year with José Limón
. As a founding member of the Judson Dance Theater
, he performed works by Yvonne Rainer
and Trisha Brown
. He was a founding member of the experimental, Grand Union
, and in 1972 named and began to develop the dance form known as Contact Improvisation
, a form of dance that utilizes the physical laws of friction
, momentum
, gravity, and inertia
to explore the relationship between dancers.
Paxton believed that even an untrained dancer could contribute to the dance form, and so began his great interest in pedestrian movement. After working with Cunningham and developing chance choreography, defined as any movement being dance, Paxton's interest in the boundaries of movement was ignited. Paxton is one of the most influential dancers of his generation whose approach has influenced choreography globally. In 1994, he was awarded a grant from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts
Grants to Artists Award. He attempts to remain reclusive, except when performing, teaching and choreographing internationally.
Contact Improvisation can be done by any person because the emergence of a movement vocabulary depends on a specific touch and the initiation of weight exchange with another person. Paxton in the late 1970s focused on teaching, performing, and writing about Contact Improvisation around the country and in Europe. Now Contact Improvisation is taught around the world by people like Nancy Stark Smith
, who worked closely with Paxton, and by others who have been exposed to it by different dancers, choreographers, teachers, and contact improvisers.
and José Limón
, and later his contribution to the formation of the Judson Dance Theater
and Grand Union
, Paxton was fascinated with the exploration of the human body. His approach to a movement vocabulary included the pedestrian world around him. Paxton describes the body as a physical machine that can be expressive by nature and the culture around it. With the emergence of his first dance Proxy (1961) activities in this piece such as walking, sitting, and eating would preoccupy Paxton’s approach to movement for some time.
Paxton was known for eliminating any outside influences that would prevent the piece from just being accepted how it was. He composed a range of non-dance movement vocabulary that seemed to give him a relaxed but authoritative state of being in performance. Paxton minimized the differences between the audience and the performer. In turn his movement vocabulary became fragments of ‘everyday’ movement mechanics and this held a world of possibilities for individual potential. Another piece that showed his fascination with the pedestrian world was Satisfyin’ Lover (1967). This dance was for a group of thirty-four to eighty-four people and it utilized walking, standing, or sitting according to the score.
Paxton also challenged the concept of sex and sexuality in dance. Not only was Paxton a revolutionary to the changing world of dance around him but his experimentation with movement and the structure of the human body crafted a different version of what it was to be a dancer. He changed and challenged the aspects of traditional modern dance. Today dancers, performers, choreographers, and teachers from around the world have incorporated some form of his teachings of Contact Improvisation into their studies.
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
r and choreographer. His early background was in gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
while his later training included three years with Merce Cunningham
Merce Cunningham
Mercier "Merce" Philip Cunningham was an American dancer and choreographer who was at the forefront of the American avant-garde for more than 50 years. Throughout much of his life, Cunningham was considered one of the greatest creative forces in American dance...
and a year with José Limón
José Limón
José Arcadio Limón was a pioneer in the field of modern dance and choreography. In 1928, at age 20, he moved to New York City where he studied under Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman. In 1946, Limón founded the José Limón Dance Company...
. As a founding member of the Judson Dance Theater
Judson Dance Theater
Judson Dance Theater was an informal group of dancers who performed at the Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village, Manhattan New York City between 1962 and 1964. It grew out of a dance composition class taught by Robert Dunn, a musician who had studied with John Cage...
, he performed works by Yvonne Rainer
Yvonne Rainer
Yvonne Rainer is an American dancer, choreographer and filmmaker, whose work in these disciplines is frequently challenging and experimental. Her work is classified as minimalist art.- Early life :...
and Trisha Brown
Trisha Brown
Trisha Brown is a postmodernist American choreographer and dancer.Brown was born in Aberdeen, Washington, and received a B.A. degree in dance from Mills College in 1958. Brown later received a D.F.A. from Bates College in 2000. For several summers she studied with Louis Horst at the American Dance...
. He was a founding member of the experimental, Grand Union
Grand Union
- Transport :* Grand union, a four-way, double track rail junction often found on tram systems* Grand Union Canal, a waterway running from London to Birmingham in the United Kingdom...
, and in 1972 named and began to develop the dance form known as Contact Improvisation
Contact improvisation
Contact improvisation is a dance technique in which points of physical contact provide the starting point for exploration through movement improvisation...
, a form of dance that utilizes the physical laws of friction
Friction
Friction is the force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, and/or material elements sliding against each other. There are several types of friction:...
, momentum
Momentum
In classical mechanics, linear momentum or translational momentum is the product of the mass and velocity of an object...
, gravity, and inertia
Inertia
Inertia is the resistance of any physical object to a change in its state of motion or rest, or the tendency of an object to resist any change in its motion. It is proportional to an object's mass. The principle of inertia is one of the fundamental principles of classical physics which are used to...
to explore the relationship between dancers.
Paxton believed that even an untrained dancer could contribute to the dance form, and so began his great interest in pedestrian movement. After working with Cunningham and developing chance choreography, defined as any movement being dance, Paxton's interest in the boundaries of movement was ignited. Paxton is one of the most influential dancers of his generation whose approach has influenced choreography globally. In 1994, he was awarded a grant from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts
Foundation for Contemporary Arts
Foundation for Contemporary Arts , originally known as Foundation for Contemporary Performance Arts, is a nonprofit based foundation in New York City founded by artists Jasper Johns , John Cage, Elaine de Kooning and others in 1963. FCA offers financial support and recognition to contemporary...
Grants to Artists Award. He attempts to remain reclusive, except when performing, teaching and choreographing internationally.
Contact Improvisation
Paxton was influenced by the experimental arts and performance scene in New York in the 1960s and 1970s, and he was interested in how the body could create a physical playground. Contact Improvisation developed out of an exploration of the human body and under the supervision of Paxton. Its roots trace back to 1972. Contact Improvisation, usually done in duets, pulls elements from martial arts, social dance, sports, and child’s play. Upon entering a Contact Improv structure, two bodies must come together to create a point of contact (i.e., back to wrist, shoulder to thigh, head to foot, back to back, the options are endless), give weight equally to each other, and then create a movement dialog that can last for an undetermined amount of time, as long as both participants are fully engaged.Contact Improvisation can be done by any person because the emergence of a movement vocabulary depends on a specific touch and the initiation of weight exchange with another person. Paxton in the late 1970s focused on teaching, performing, and writing about Contact Improvisation around the country and in Europe. Now Contact Improvisation is taught around the world by people like Nancy Stark Smith
Nancy Stark Smith
Nancy Stark Smith is a dancer and founding participant in contact improvisation.An alumna of Oberlin College, Smith initially trained as an athlete and gymnast. She studied and performed in modern dance and postmodern dance shows in the early 1970s...
, who worked closely with Paxton, and by others who have been exposed to it by different dancers, choreographers, teachers, and contact improvisers.
Approach to Movement
Paxton believed that even an untrained dancer could contribute to his experimental dance form. From his work with Merce CunninghamMerce Cunningham
Mercier "Merce" Philip Cunningham was an American dancer and choreographer who was at the forefront of the American avant-garde for more than 50 years. Throughout much of his life, Cunningham was considered one of the greatest creative forces in American dance...
and José Limón
José Limón
José Arcadio Limón was a pioneer in the field of modern dance and choreography. In 1928, at age 20, he moved to New York City where he studied under Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman. In 1946, Limón founded the José Limón Dance Company...
, and later his contribution to the formation of the Judson Dance Theater
Judson Dance Theater
Judson Dance Theater was an informal group of dancers who performed at the Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village, Manhattan New York City between 1962 and 1964. It grew out of a dance composition class taught by Robert Dunn, a musician who had studied with John Cage...
and Grand Union
Grand Union (dance group)
The Grand Union was an improvisational dance group based in New York City from 1970 to 1976. It grew out of Yvonne Rainer's piece Continuous Project - Altered Daily. Rainer's sole authority as choreographer began to slip in early 1970 when the dancers, at her invitation, began to bring in their...
, Paxton was fascinated with the exploration of the human body. His approach to a movement vocabulary included the pedestrian world around him. Paxton describes the body as a physical machine that can be expressive by nature and the culture around it. With the emergence of his first dance Proxy (1961) activities in this piece such as walking, sitting, and eating would preoccupy Paxton’s approach to movement for some time.
Paxton was known for eliminating any outside influences that would prevent the piece from just being accepted how it was. He composed a range of non-dance movement vocabulary that seemed to give him a relaxed but authoritative state of being in performance. Paxton minimized the differences between the audience and the performer. In turn his movement vocabulary became fragments of ‘everyday’ movement mechanics and this held a world of possibilities for individual potential. Another piece that showed his fascination with the pedestrian world was Satisfyin’ Lover (1967). This dance was for a group of thirty-four to eighty-four people and it utilized walking, standing, or sitting according to the score.
Approach to the Body
Paxton not only utilized the architecture of the human body but he used objects to emphasize how the body could manipulate itself around different objects. He was interested in texture, shape, size, and even how the use of animals influenced or changed his dance vocabulary. This is apparent in such pieces as Jag Ville Gorna Telefonera (1964). In this piece he used three chickens, a full-sized overstuffed chair made of cake and yellow frosting, and clothes with zippers in the seams that could be taken off and put back together in an assortment of ways.Paxton also challenged the concept of sex and sexuality in dance. Not only was Paxton a revolutionary to the changing world of dance around him but his experimentation with movement and the structure of the human body crafted a different version of what it was to be a dancer. He changed and challenged the aspects of traditional modern dance. Today dancers, performers, choreographers, and teachers from around the world have incorporated some form of his teachings of Contact Improvisation into their studies.
Some of Paxton's works
- 1961: Proxy
- 1962: Jag Ville Gorma Telefonere
- 1964: Flat
- 1967: Satisfyin' Lover
- 1970: Intravenous Lecture