Judson Dance Theater

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Judson Dance Theater is located at the Judson Memorial Church, New York. The group of artists that formed Judson Dance Theater are considered the founders of Postmodern dance. The theater grew out of a dance composition class taught by Robert Dunn, a musician who had studied with John Cage. The artists involved with Judson Dance Theater were avant garde experimentalists who rejected the confines of Modern dance practice and theory.

The first Judson concert took place on July 6, 1962, with dance works presented by Steve Paxton, Fred Herko, David Gordon, Alex and Deborah Hay, Yvonne Rainer, Elaine Summers, William Davis, and Ruth Emerson. Seminal dance artist that were a part of the Judson Dance Theater include:

• David Gordon
• Steve Paxton
• Yvonne Rainer
• Trisha Brown
• Lucinda Childs
• Sally Gross
• Deborah Hay
• Simone Forti
• Elaine Summers
• Aileen Passloff
• Meredith Monk

The years 1962 to 1964 are considered the golden age of the Judson Dance Theater.

Developments in dance practice that can be traced back to the Judson Dance Theater include:

• contact improvisation
• dance improvisation
• dance for camera
• dance technology
• dance in different environments

[edit] See also

• Postmodern dance
• Modern dance
• Contemporary dance
• contact improvisation
• Grand Union
• 20th century concert dance
• List of dance style categories
• Dance of the United States
• New York School

[edit] Further reading

• Banes, S. (1993) Democracy's Body: Judson Dance Theater, 1962-1964. Duke University press. ISBN 0-8223-1399-5

[edit] External links

• Judson Memorial Church Archive at Fales Library, New York University