February: Who is your dance idol (dead or alive)? and why?
My favorite dancer is and always will be, Ginger Rogers. Since I wrote about her last year I feel that I should shed light on another dancer that I hold in high regard. Loie Fuller is one of the pioneers of Modern Dance. She was born in Chicago in 1862 and passed away in 1928. She began her dance career in Vaudeville and Circuses, but soon became interested in Modern Dance. What is remarkable about Fuller is how she took what she learned from her entertainment background and applied it to the Modern Arts. The effect was popular among audiences and quite the spectacle to behold. Loie Fuller worked magic using only, lights, fabric and props. She most definitely deserves the title pioneer.
I discovered her work while studying at Texas State last semester. The dance department put on a show that exhibited the works of Loie Fuller and Isadora Duncan. I was drawn to the Fuller pieces because they used both the dancer and theatrical effects. Dancers were clothed in long flowing skits that had poles hidden underneath to elongate the arms of the dancer. The result was angelic swirls and bows of the fabric while lights were projected to change the very color of the skirt. There was even a box constructed so that the dancer could stand on top of it and the glass on the top would project light up onto the skirt. These are all techniques established by Loie Fuller. All of the theatrical techniques and costuming left me mesmerized by the entire effect. It was like something out of a dream. For a woman operating in the early nineteen hundreds it is a wonder that she was able to access all that technology and put it together in a way that is impressive still today in our advanced technological world. Loie Fuller is my favorite modern dance pioneer to say the least. Her work will always be a treasure to the dance community, and an inspiration to me.
My favorite dancer is and always will be, Ginger Rogers. Since I wrote about her last year I feel that I should shed light on another dancer that I hold in high regard. Loie Fuller is one of the pioneers of Modern Dance. She was born in Chicago in 1862 and passed away in 1928. She began her dance career in Vaudeville and Circuses, but soon became interested in Modern Dance. What is remarkable about Fuller is how she took what she learned from her entertainment background and applied it to the Modern Arts. The effect was popular among audiences and quite the spectacle to behold. Loie Fuller worked magic using only, lights, fabric and props. She most definitely deserves the title pioneer.
I discovered her work while studying at Texas State last semester. The dance department put on a show that exhibited the works of Loie Fuller and Isadora Duncan. I was drawn to the Fuller pieces because they used both the dancer and theatrical effects. Dancers were clothed in long flowing skits that had poles hidden underneath to elongate the arms of the dancer. The result was angelic swirls and bows of the fabric while lights were projected to change the very color of the skirt. There was even a box constructed so that the dancer could stand on top of it and the glass on the top would project light up onto the skirt. These are all techniques established by Loie Fuller. All of the theatrical techniques and costuming left me mesmerized by the entire effect. It was like something out of a dream. For a woman operating in the early nineteen hundreds it is a wonder that she was able to access all that technology and put it together in a way that is impressive still today in our advanced technological world. Loie Fuller is my favorite modern dance pioneer to say the least. Her work will always be a treasure to the dance community, and an inspiration to me.
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