Knowledge, certainty and body positivism

I have begun approaching the task of knowledge, certainty, body positivism and non positivism and exploring my own understanding of another choreographer/dancers stance.

 Initially I thought I would look at Martha Graham because she is familiar but in the spirit of 'Shifting Ground' and 'balance off balance' (see blog 9th Feb) I thought it would be interesting (and perhaps slightly uncomfortable) to look at someone new.  I chose Anna Halprin because she is quite new to me and her approach to movement very different to my own.  I am challenging myself because I think prior to this MA I may not have appreciated or been inspired by her contribution to dance and more than that, I would not have been open to seeing the complete bravery, excitement and 'off balance' of her journey.

Anna Halprin now in her mid 90s is renowned as a pioneer of post modern dance.  Looking at her life has been very interesting and inspiring.  I purposely said 'looking at her life' rather than 'work' because the two seem to be completely interconnected. Reading about her and observing her on camera, the question keeps arising, does she live to work or work to live?  From my observations, both statements seem true. 

 
Her stance to all that know of her is probably quite clear.  As an artist whose first memorable relationship with movement was as a very young child watching her Jewish grandfather dancing in a place of worship and her emotional and spiritual connection to those moments, Anna felt the need to replicate this moment and feeling through her life and subsequently through her own work. I believe her to come from a non positivist stance with her 'experience' with her grandfather as a spiritual catalyst for her future exploration of movement connected to the living breathing dynamic natural world. It was this initial experience that has consumed her and fueled much of her journey through movement.

'Orphic Priests have come to represent an engagement with the body that valued the sensual, and welcomed movement and dance as a means for the individual to interact with their world'. Module 2 handbook :20

Very much in contrast 'For Plato and the Christians who followed him, the body appeared to be a sign of human imperfection and separation from God'. (cited by Akinleye, A.) :18 Unpublished Thesis .  It is interesting that there can be two such opposing takes on the same issue.  

Interestingly Anna Halprin is of Jewish faith, the belief is that; 'there is one God, incorporeal and eternal, who wants all people to do what is just and merciful. All people are created in the image of God and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect' About the Jewish Religion  (Jan 2014)

Anna Halprin was a little girl when she had her 'experience' and I wonder how her age will have influenced her future.    She spoke about being and feeling close to her grandfather and close to God because in the moments that she witnessed her grandfathers movement, she felt that he was God. 

This connection between her beliefs, her grandfather and her work, although perhaps not intentional can also be seen in those that Anna chooses to work with. 

Through her life she has worked with a diverse range of people including children, different races and cultures (in the 1960s this was usual), the elderly and those with terminal illness.  Although she did not see herself as a rebel, Anna Halprin has challenged what dance can be, how it can be used, where and with whom. She seems to have a connection that links life and spirituality with movement and movement with spirituality and life.

Thomas Aquinas (1225-74) unified the physical with God through interpreting change in the physical world as a sign of God............. as Thomas Aquinas’ implement of God, the body gained more worth.

Module 2 handbook :18,19

 Through her life, on experiencing hardship, Anna Halprin continued to use dance and art as a form of therapeutic release, this could be in the form of writing, movement or painting. Through the greatest trials in her life she used dance as a mechanism to confront issues

 'She worked with Gestalt therapists Fritz Perls and John Rinn to develop dances which would serve as a healing process'. Biography Anna Halprin Digital Archive (Anna Halprin Digital Archive https://annahalprindigitalarchive.omeka.net/biography) 

My feeling is that Anna Halprins life is consumed by a physical, creative and spiritual connection to life and very much a non positivist stance. Her view is that the body, the community and the world can be influenced and changed through movement.

Her process is what could be described as holistic and she believes that dance is for everyone and could come from everyday things, no matter how mundane they may appear. Initiating movement from the inside out, Anna's focus was on creating experiences through the body.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Advanced Practitioner Inquiry P16 (cited by Akinleye, A.) Unpublished Thesis

Anna Halprin Digital Archive https://annahalprindigitalarchive.omeka.net/biography 

About the Jewish Religion (01 Jan 2014) http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/aboutisrael/spotlight/pages/about%20the%20jewish%20religion.aspx