Movement Research
movement research is one of the world's leading laboratories for the investigation of dance and movement-based forms. Valuing the individual artist and their creative process and vital role within society, Movement Research is dedicated to the creation and implementation of free and low-cost programs that nurture and instigate discourse and experimentation. Movement Research strives to reflect the cultural, political and economic diversity of its moving community, including artists and audiences alike.

MR in Residence at the New Museum
Rethinking the Imprint of Judson Dance Theater Fifty Years Later

A Pluralistic View of the Judson Dance Theater Legacy: 
Yvonne Rainer & Aileen Passloff with Wendy Perron

Through a series of discussions, presentations, artist residencies, and town hall meetings, Movement Research reconsiders the legacy, mythology, and permutations of influence that continue to echo from the occasion of Judson Dance Theater (1962-64).

The divergences between the work of Yvonne Rainer and Aileen Passloff highlight the vastness of the imprint of Judson Dance Theater (1962-64; JDT) while dismantling the myth of a singular Judson aesthetic. Rainer, along with dance artists Steve Paxton, Trisha Brown, Lucinda Childs, David Gordon, and others, broke with the conventions of modern dance by exploring task dances and the Dadaist idea of radical juxtaposition. Passloff, along with Jimmy Waring, Fred Herko, Arlene Rothlein, and others, reveled in the full-out dancing and whimsy of modern dance. In this talk, moderated by Wendy Perron, Rainer and Passloff consider the legacy of Judson Dance Theater from the perspectives of their divergent practices.

Some questions that Rainer and Passloff addressed: What were you saying "No" to, and what were you saying "Yes" to? In what ways did the '60s affect Judson Dance Theater? How did others in the JDT collective influence your work? What artistic values do you feel JDT has handed down to later generations?

This event took place on October 28, 2012 as part of New Museum’s RE:NEW RE:PLAY residency series, co-presented with Movement Research. The RE:NEW RE:PLAY residency series is curated by Travis Chamberlain, Public Programs Coordinator at the New Museum.

Photo: Yvonne Rainer, Wendy Perron, and Aileen Passloff, by Travis Chamberlain