Stripping Away Archaic Ideologies: Reversing the Disappearance of the Hawkins Technique
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Date
2018-05
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Publisher
The Ohio State University
Abstract
A modern dance technique, the Hawkins technique, was created in 1950 by Erick Hawkins (1909-1994). This dance technique, like many other modern dance techniques, is still being utilized to train contemporary dancers. This paper questions whether the historical modern dance techniques are still relevant and useful in the training of contemporary dancers. The Hawkins technique was created during the Cold War. The values of this time period, such as the ideas about dance, humanity, and culture, affected the creation and ideologies of the Hawkins technique. For this research, I interviewed seven contemporary Hawkins teachers. With the synthesis of historical secondary research and the beliefs of contemporary Hawkins teachers, the relevance of the Hawkins technique emerged. In this paper, I argue that the movement principles and dance philosophies of the Hawkins technique are relevant to the creation of the contemporary dancer. However, there is still archaic ideologies embedded within the technique which need to be removed. This is displayed through Hawkins's ideologies such as universalism and normalcy which directly reflect a worldview from the Cold War. At the same time, the Hawkins technique is an ever-changing study of movement principles, which allows it the ability to evolve and change with new kinesiological, anatomical, and somatic knowledge. While Hawkins has been minimized in the modern dance canon, his influence and impact are significant to understanding the trend towards somatic and anatomical approaches in dance training. His work also showcases the importance of the dissemination of pedagogical philosophies, not just the exercises used in dance technique classes. This paper highlights the importance of examining the transmission of dance teachers' legacies as well as the significance of the study of dance pedagogy.
Description
Presented at the 23rd Annual Richard J. and Martha D. Denman Undergraduate Research Forum
Keywords
Dance, Historical Research, Erick Hawkins, Hawkins Technique, Dance Studies, Dance Pedagogy