Ruth St. Denis: Other Influences
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Readings
Creativity, Spirituality and Mental Health
Link
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Creativity_Spirituality_and_Mental_Healt/vBwpDAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=St.+Denis+and+spirituality&pg=PA51&printsec=frontcover
Vocabulary
Swedenborgianism: The New Church is any of several historically related Christian
denominations that developed as a new religious group, influenced by the
writings of scientist and mystic Emanuel Swedenborg, in 1787, England.
Transcendentalism: An idealistic philosophical and social movement
which developed in New England around 1836 in reaction to rationalism.
Influenced by romanticism, Platonism, and Kantian philosophy, it taught
that divinity pervades all nature and humanity, and its members held
progressive views on feminism and communal living. Ralph Waldo Emerson
and Henry David Thoreau were central figures.
Romanticism: An artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate period from 1800 to 1850.
Platonism: The theory that numbers or other abstract objects are objective, timeless entities, independent of the physical world and of the symbols used to represent them. Thus, Platonism is the philosophy of Plato and philosophical systems closely derived from it, though contemporary platonists do not necessarily accept all of the doctrines of Plato.
Kantian philosophy: Immanuel Kant argues that the human understanding is the source of the general laws of nature that structure all our experience; and that human reason gives itself the moral law, which is our basis for belief in God, freedom, and immortality. Therefore, scientific knowledge, morality, and religious belief are mutually consistent and secure because they all rest on the same foundation of human autonomy, which is also the final end of nature according to the teleological worldview of reflecting judgment that Kant introduces to unify the theoretical and practical parts of his philosophical system.
Christian Science: A set of beliefs and practices belonging to the metaphysical family of new religious movements. It was founded in 19th-century New England by Mary Baker Eddy, who argued in her 1875 book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures that sickness is an illusion that can be corrected by prayer alone.
Buddhism: An Indian religion based on a series of original
teachings attributed to Gautama Buddha. It originated in ancient India
as a Sramana tradition sometime between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE,
spreading through much of Asia.
Vedanta: one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy. Hindus believe in the doctrines of samsara (the continuous cycle of life, death, and reincarnation) and karma (the universal law of cause and effect). One of the key thoughts of Hinduism is “atman,” or the belief in soul. This philosophy holds that living creatures have a soul, and they're all part of the supreme soul.
Swami Vivekananda: Born Narendranath Datt (1863 - 1902), was an Indian Hindu monk. He was a chief disciple of the 19th-century Indian mystic Ramakrishna.
Non-Dualist Vedanta: In Advaita Vedanta, nonduality refers to monism, the nonduality of Atman and Brahman. In a more general sense, it refers to "the interconnectedness of everything which is dependent upon the nondual One, Transcendent Reality," "the singular wholeness of existence that suggests that the personal self is an illusion."
Adi Shankara (Shankaracharya) (8th cent. CE) was an Indian philosopher and theologian whose works had a strong impact on the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta.
Advaita Vedānta: A school of Hindu philosophy and "spiritual
experience." The term Advaita refers to the idea that Brahman alone,
pure consciousness, is ultimately real, while the transient phenomenal world.
Question 1
In which way do you think all these influences could have affected St. Denis interpretation of dance?
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The Beloved
Question 2
How is St. Denis' spirituality expressed in this poem?
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Denishawn Humphrey
Question 3
Based on the videos shown above, what cultures influenced the dances of Ruth St. Denis?
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READ THE ARTICLE
LINK
Renewable Originality by Doran George
Vocabulary
Yoga: A group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated in ancient India, aimed at controlling ('yoking') and stilling the mind, and recognizing the detached 'witness-consciousness' as untouched by the activities of the mind (Citta) and mundane suffering.
Tai Chi: Short for T'ai chi ch'üan or Tàijí quán, sometimes colloquially known as "Shadowboxing," is an internal Chinese martial art practiced for defense training, health benefits, and meditation.
Zen: A school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School, and later developed into various sub-schools and branches.
Zen Buddhism: A Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism emphasizing the value of meditation and intuition.
Confucianism: Confucianism, also known as Ruism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. The core idea is ren (“humaneness,” “benevolence”), signifying excellent character in accord with li (ritual norms), zhong (loyalty to one's true nature), shu (reciprocity), and xiao (filial piety). Together these constitute de (virtue).
Question 4
After reading the article above, what do you think that movement systems such as yoga, Tai Chi, and other martial arts, along Zen Buddhist and Confucian philosophies had to offer to the precursors of modern dance?
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ACTIVITY
Yoga Warm Up
Tai Chi Session
Creation of a new ensemble phrase in which yoga and tai chi are mixed.
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Students Making Up
Watch Master Moy's Tai Chi routine and choose 8 moves with which you would like to create a phrase.
Add your phrase to your previous phrases.
RECORD AND POST YOUR PHRASE ON DISCUSSION BOARD
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Question 5
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