DANCESWEDANCE
OPPORTUNITIES
THE WATER STUDY PROJECT
DORIS HUMPHREY & ISADORA DUNCAN
'WATER STUDY'
REPERTORY WORKSHOP & PERFORMANCES
workshop: SEPTEMBER 8 -NOVEMBER 10, 2024; 4-7 pm
TECH REHEARSAL NOVEMBER 17
DRESS REHEARSAL NOVEMBER 21
PERFORMANCES NOVEMBER 21-24
(THUR-FRI-SAT 7:00 PM, SUN 3:00 PM)
Join us for a unique opportunity to learn 2 extraordinary repertory works by two exceptional women's choreographers of the 20th Century, Doris Humphrey (1895-1958) and Isadora Duncan (1877-1927). This is a 10 week (3-hr week) workshop culminating with performances during Dances We Dance 2024 Fall NY Season at the Martha Graham Studio Theater in NYC.
Doris Humphrey’s dance “Water Study” (1928) is a vivid choreographic example of breath motif in a multiplicity of rhythms and forms. Performed without music and with a large ensemble of dancers, the piece depends entirely on the rhythmic flow of the bodies and breath of the dancers. The composition begins on the floor (on the knees) with gentle wave undulations rippling successionally through their bodies. Gradually the movement becomes more intense; running and leaping suggesting high crashing waves on a stormy sea, rising to a climax and subsiding again to calm gradually returning to tranquility.
Classic in balance, symmetry and frontality, Isadora Duncan's "Water Study" clearly evokes water and waves. Motifs are built on the ideas of weight and flexibility, reflecting Duncan's fascination with "the law of wave movement" in nature. Endlessly flowing undulations, billows, swirls and ripples invite comparison with "Waves," "Splashes" and "Ripples" in the more complex Water Study of Doris Humphrey. Walt Whitman's "In Cabin'd Ships at Sea" provides a perfect poetic description of the Duncan Water Study: "We feel the long pulsation, ebb and flow of endless motion / The tones of unseen mystery, the vague and vast suggestions of the briny world, the liquid-flowing syllables." (ref. Nadia Chilkovsky Nahumck)
We are looking for 10 to 16 intermediate to advanced dancers with some professional experience who are interested in ensemble dancing , passionate about learning these repertory works, and are able to commit to 10 week workshop plus performance season. Please note that sections of the Humphrey's 'water study' requires a lot floor work, specifically on the knees; dancers should be comfortable with getting on and off the floor several times. The 3-hr workshop is divided in 2 sections: it starts with a class led by Gail Corbin, followed by the learning of repertory by Doris Humphrey; the final part will be dedicated to the Duncan's work.
Doris Humphrey (1895-1958) was a pioneer in American modern dance and an innovator in technique, choreography, and theory of dance movement. Humphrey's choreography set a standard and was an inspiration to the generations of modern dance choreographers that followed. She was one of the founding members of the dance department at the Julliard School of Music in 1951.
Isadora Duncan (1877-1927) an original thinker and cultural/artistic phenomenon, who fanned the flames of modernism 100 years ago, is considered the Mother of Modern Dance. Her technique and style uses breath and the solar plexus as the initiatory center. We will explore this authentic material which is examined and informed by a contemporary perspective reflecting the dance/movement backgrounds of the instructor.
Come share in a living history of modern dance and gain a physical and intellectual perspective on the origins of contemporary theater and dance, examining how the movement vocabulary developed and transformed over the years.
The Humphrey repertory will be taught by Gail Corbin, Humphrey world leading specialist and DHF director, and the Duncan part by Francesca Todesco, artistic director of DWD. Both of these dances are learned from dancers who have performed and learned them from past generation of dancers who hold the legacy of the original choreographers.
Limited number of places available: dancers who sign up must be available for the full workshop, in addition to tech, dress rehearsals and all the performances (ok to miss one rehearsal, speak to the teachers directly). Understudy positions available.
Selection process: we will accept the first 20 applicants who sign up accompanied by a non-refundable $17 application fee. On the first day of the workshop, Sunday September 8, Ms. Corbin will teach a class and we will then select a certain number of dancers who will be forming the ensemble, as well as a couple of understudy (one ensemble only who will be learning both the Humphrey and Duncan repertory). The selected dancers will then continue with the 10-week workshop and they will be asked to pay the full amount, minus the $17 fee. Payment plan available - see below for details.
Class and Repertory workshop
SUNDAYS September 8 - November 10, 2024
4:00 – 7:00 pm
Performance Week
Tech Rehearsal Sunday NOVEMBER 17 (time TBD)
Dress Rehearsal Thursday NOVEMBER 21 (after 1 pm)
Performances November 21-24, 2024
(THUR-FRI-SAT 7:00 PM, SUN 3:00 PM)
Location for workshop and performances:
Martha Graham Studio Theater
55 Bethune Street
Westbeth Building, 11th Floor
New York, NY 10014
Subways: A, C, E, 1 to 14th Street
Prerequisites: if you check all of these boxes..
...go ahead and FILL OUT THIS FORM + submit a non-refundable $17 deposit fee (payment options below)
Full Workshop Fee: $320 (minus deposit fee) - this will be due only after you have been selected on September 8
Payment plans available: contact francesca@danceswedance.org
Payment options:
Venmo (preferred) @danceswdance
DWD offers weekly classes and seasonal workshops in NYC or abroad.
Join our mailing list to keep you up-to-date on our teachings.