Hanya Holm
· Hanya Holm (born Johanna Eckert; March 3, 1893) moved from Germany to America.
· Known as one of the “Big Four” founders of American modern dance
· Dancer, choreographer, and a dance educator
· Her son was Broadway lighting designer Klaus Holm
· Her husband was a German sculptor who, when Hitler came to power, sided with the Reich, effectively ending his marriage to Holm
· Died November 3, 1992 in New York City (99 years old)
Connection with Mary Wigman
· Holm was drawn to music and drama at an early age, so she went to the Institution of Emile Jacques-Dalcroze throughout her childhood and young adult life
· At the age of 28, she saw Mary Wigman perform and decided to continue her dance career at the Wigman School in Dresden. She soon became a member of the company.
· Egyptian Dance was said too be the first Wigman realized the artistic impression Holm had the capability of.
· Wigman invited Holm to teach and in her recognition of the opportunity that opening a school in New York could offer the world of dance, it eventually sent Holm to launch a Wigman branch in New York City on September 26, 1931.
· The letters of certification and agreement from WIgman to Holm about the migration over to America to direct the school were found in her house after her death in 1992
· In the letters the salary was laid out making sure the transfer would continue to support her son, Klaus, who stayed in Germany, and the letter of agreement signed by both parties "promising to apply all her strength to the advancement of the New York Wigman School and to conduct the work according to Mary Wigman’s ideas
· Holm was not only capable of rising to the challenge of representing the Wigman name and teaching philosophy, she also helped shape the school and build an influence of her own. It became known as Hanya Holm Studio (1936-1967)
Holm’s Technique and Choreography
· Holms technique enforced the importance of pulse, planes, floor patterns, aerial design, direction, and spatial dimensions
· Her movement emphasized the freedom and flowing quality of the torso and back.
· Holm trained through improvisation so, her focus was about learning through discovery
· Choreographically her movement focused on the body’s relation to space and emotion, which was an extension of Wigman and Rudolf Laban
· Holm would say, "I want to see a sign of passion. I want to see the raw if struggling to express its self. A work must have blood”
· Invited by dance director Martha Hill, Holm was one of the founding artists at Bennington College in 1934 along with Martha Graham, Charles Weidman, and Doris Humphrey, who came to be some of the most influential modern dancers of their time: "The Big Four".
· Holm's first major work, Trend, (1937) dealt with social criticism
· In 1941, she started a Center of Dance in Colorado Springs where she had summer courses and was able to perfect her creative exploration technique
· In 1948, she choreographed for Broadway: Ballet Ballads and Kiss Me, Kate which led to twelve other musicals
· Holm's dance work Metropolitan Daily was the first modern dance composition to be televised on NBC, and her Labanotation score for Kiss Me, Kate (1948) was the first choreography to be copyrighted in the United States
Resources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanya_Holm
· Known as one of the “Big Four” founders of American modern dance
· Dancer, choreographer, and a dance educator
· Her son was Broadway lighting designer Klaus Holm
· Her husband was a German sculptor who, when Hitler came to power, sided with the Reich, effectively ending his marriage to Holm
· Died November 3, 1992 in New York City (99 years old)
Connection with Mary Wigman
· Holm was drawn to music and drama at an early age, so she went to the Institution of Emile Jacques-Dalcroze throughout her childhood and young adult life
· At the age of 28, she saw Mary Wigman perform and decided to continue her dance career at the Wigman School in Dresden. She soon became a member of the company.
· Egyptian Dance was said too be the first Wigman realized the artistic impression Holm had the capability of.
· Wigman invited Holm to teach and in her recognition of the opportunity that opening a school in New York could offer the world of dance, it eventually sent Holm to launch a Wigman branch in New York City on September 26, 1931.
· The letters of certification and agreement from WIgman to Holm about the migration over to America to direct the school were found in her house after her death in 1992
· In the letters the salary was laid out making sure the transfer would continue to support her son, Klaus, who stayed in Germany, and the letter of agreement signed by both parties "promising to apply all her strength to the advancement of the New York Wigman School and to conduct the work according to Mary Wigman’s ideas
· Holm was not only capable of rising to the challenge of representing the Wigman name and teaching philosophy, she also helped shape the school and build an influence of her own. It became known as Hanya Holm Studio (1936-1967)
Holm’s Technique and Choreography
· Holms technique enforced the importance of pulse, planes, floor patterns, aerial design, direction, and spatial dimensions
· Her movement emphasized the freedom and flowing quality of the torso and back.
· Holm trained through improvisation so, her focus was about learning through discovery
· Choreographically her movement focused on the body’s relation to space and emotion, which was an extension of Wigman and Rudolf Laban
· Holm would say, "I want to see a sign of passion. I want to see the raw if struggling to express its self. A work must have blood”
· Invited by dance director Martha Hill, Holm was one of the founding artists at Bennington College in 1934 along with Martha Graham, Charles Weidman, and Doris Humphrey, who came to be some of the most influential modern dancers of their time: "The Big Four".
· Holm's first major work, Trend, (1937) dealt with social criticism
· In 1941, she started a Center of Dance in Colorado Springs where she had summer courses and was able to perfect her creative exploration technique
· In 1948, she choreographed for Broadway: Ballet Ballads and Kiss Me, Kate which led to twelve other musicals
· Holm's dance work Metropolitan Daily was the first modern dance composition to be televised on NBC, and her Labanotation score for Kiss Me, Kate (1948) was the first choreography to be copyrighted in the United States
Resources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanya_Holm
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Article about Hanya Holm once you click on More Information below.
This video explains what Holm's students thought about Holm's teaching style. They also talk about how she taught her students, like her teaching style/methods. |
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