Three 1962 Critical Perspectives

What was ‘intended as a one-shot concert’[1] to perform work created for Robert Dunn’s compositional class has become one of the most important developments in dance in modern history. This infamous ‘one-shot concert’ (in the sanctuary of the Judson Church in Greenwich Village on July 6th 1962), showcased the work of fourteen choreographers in a programme of twenty-two pieces split into fifteen units. Many of these choreographers have since had international success, with their work permeating current dance practice and academia. Yvonne Rainer, the so called ring leader of the Judson Dance Theatre, is choreographer of the piece that epitomises the philosophy of post-modern dance. I talk of course, of Trio A.

But I write with hindsight, a wonderfully useful tool in the recording and study of dance. Forty-five years on it is easy to forget that in 1962 the work of the Judson Dance Theatre was, well – odd. Dancers, some of whom had trained with James Waring, Merce Cunningham and Martha Graham were running around throwing Styrofoam dice-like shapes to determine movement (a clear Cunningham influence in Elaine Summers’ Instant Chance,) and dancing in the dark (from Rafladan, a collaborative work from Deborah Hay, Alex Hay and Charles Rotmil.) To the present day contemporary dance student these experimentations may still seem a little odd, but are understood in the same acute way that we understand the debates surrounding what can be classified as ‘dance’.

But what about the critical reception of this work in 1962? Prior to the concert at the Judson Church, Trisha Brown, Ruth Emerson, Steve Paxton and Yvonne Rainer all auditioned for but were rejected by the annual Young Choreographer’s Concert of the same year. A not so welcoming reaction it would seem. In fact, it was only the initiative of the participants of Dunn’s class and the forward thinking of Al Carmines, a part-time Minister for the Church who ‘didn’t understand what he was looking at, but sensed it was important,’[2] that got this groundbreaking dance work performed. There is so much to say about the reviews of the first concert of dance at the Judson Church, despite being so few and difficult to obtain, but there are some things that must be mentioned.

‘He choreographed his own death’…[3]

Fred Herko was the most consistently talked about and praised dancer in reviews of the first concert of dance at the Judson Church. Alan Hughes of the New York Times devoted a 1/5 of his column to an appraisal of Herko’s two solos (Once a Week I Put On Sneakers and Go Uptown and Like Most People - For Soren), Diane di Prima wrote a paragraph about him in her review of the concert printed in The Floating Bear, as did Jill Johnston in the Village Voice.

Herko’s solos, although experimental, were quite theatrical. Both had musical accompaniment, in the form of a pianist, and fairly elaborate costumes. This resemblance to the theatricality of modern dance work makes extensive reference to his work understandable, because with this theatricality his work had more familiarity, and would therefore be more comfortable to write about. While attempting not to sound catty, I’m sure it is no coincidence that he was a good friend of di Prima, having written for The Floating Bear and living in the same building as her, and that he was a favourite of Andy Warhol and other avant-garde artists of the time. I’m not implying bias, however, as di Prima was not entirely gushing of Herko’s work, stating that it was ‘still less clearly defined than these two [David Gordon and Yvonne Rainer]’.[4] Incidentally, Yvonne Rainer and David Gordon were second only to Herko in the column inches devoted to their work following the first concert at the Judson.

Although he was championed by critics for his pieces in this concert, his work did go against some of the philosophies that were later formed and practiced by, and have since become synonymous with, the Judson Dance Theatre. In her notorious ‘No to Spectacle’ manifesto, Rainer also says ‘no to camp’ and ‘no to eccentricity’.[5] Herko’s work was in contention with these philosophies, with Steve Paxton describing it as: ‘very campy and self-conscious,’[6] and elaborate and eccentric costumes most certainly count as a spectacle.

Herko was seemingly a riveting performer; he engrossed the audience in Once a Week I Put On Sneakers and Go Uptown by performing a repeated barefoot Suzie-Q. Sadly, the extent of his skill was never fully realised as he committed suicide in 1964 under the influence of amphetamines.

Why not Steve?

Converse to Herko’s theatricality, Steve Paxton was the advocate in the first Judson concert of the use of pedestrian movement (with which the Judson Dance Theatre later became synonymous.) His group dance Proxy consisted of two sections of walking and a section of eating and drinking alongside the use of picture scores, and his solo Transit pre-empted the ‘marked’ dancing that contributed in making Rainer’s Trio A the pinnacle of post-modern dance. So why was he so consistently ignored in reviews of this and indeed subsequent concerts? The participants themselves questioned this. William Davis wrote to Rainer in 1962 about Jill Johnston’s latest Judson review in the Village Voice asking: ‘why…devote considerable space to Freddie [Herko], John McDowell, and Ruth [Emerson], and not talk about Steve’s work at all?’[7] The simple answer was that his work was immediately unfamiliar as he used pedestrian movement from the beginning. As Rainer has commented: ‘Steve’s was the most severe and rigorous of all the work that appeared in and around Judson during the 1960s, and could most accurately be termed “minimalist.”’[8] Therefore, his work was not discussed because it wasn’t fully understood. The understanding behind the allure and use of pedestrian and everyday movement in dance is something has been subsequently theorized, again through the wonders of hindsight.

The Prophecy

Sally Banes refers to Johnston’s review in the Village Voice as a prophecy. Indeed, she, Hughes, di Prima and the minister Al Carmines were all prophetic in recognising that what they had witnessed was significant in the development of dance. Johnston called the concert an ‘important program’ that could; ‘make the present of modern dance more exciting than it’s been for twenty years.’[9] Because he claimed; ‘their experiments will influence dance development in this country somehow,’[10] Hughes was snubbed by colleagues at the New York Times. However, he had the last laugh - after all, he was right. Di Prima felt; ‘the high one feels being in on a beginning,’[11] another accurate prophecy, along with her recognition that; ‘dance is once again pushing at its so called boundaries.”[12] But di Prima claimed only Herko, Rainer and Gordon were promising choreographers, and not one of the three reviews gave any appraisal to the work of Steve Paxton, which championed the pedestrianism and minimalism for which the group became famous. Furthermore, none of the reviews mentioned the final piece of the concert – Rafladan, which, (admittedly in hindsight,) sounds like a fascinating piece of work. Yes, these three critics were right about the importance of the Judson concert, but they are critics and not infallible. Hindsight is the most important tool in recognising the importance and significance of dance work/ experimentation, and critical reception is not the bar against which to measure artistic accomplishment.

Jack Moore, one of the judges for entry into the Young Choreographer’s Concert of 1962 who rejected the work of Paxton, Rainer, Brown and Emerson later admitted to Rainer at a performance of her Three Satie Spoons that the judges were wrong about her and her fellow Judson artists.[13] Hindsight truly is a wonderful thing.
[1]Waring, James; McDowell, John Herbert; Dunn, Judith; Croce; Arlene; and McDonagh, Don (1967) ‘Judson: A Discussion’ Ballet Review Vol. 1 no.6 p.32
[2] Rainer, Yvonne (2006) Feelings Are Facts MIT Press; London p.222
[3] Warhol, Andy and Hackett, Pat POPism: The Warhol ‘60s Harcourt Brace Jovanocih: New York p.55
[4]Banes, Sally (1983) Democracy’s Body UMI Research Press; Michigan p.58
[5] Rainer, Yvonne (1965) ‘No’ To Spectacle’ Tulane Drama Review 10, 2: 178
[6] Banes, Sally (1983) Democracy’s Body UMI Research Press; Michigan p.44
[7] Rainer, Yvonne (2006) Feelings Are Facts MIT Press; London p.241
[8] Rainer, Yvonne (2006) Feelings Are Facts MIT Press; London p.241
[9] Johnston, Jill (1962) “Democracy” Village Voice 23/08/1962 in Johnston, Jill (1998) Marmalade Me Penguin Books USA p.40
[10] Hughes, Alan (1962) “Dance Program Seen At Church” New York Times 07/07/1962
[11] Banes, Sally (1983) Democracy’s Body UMI Research Press; Michigan p.69
[12] Banes, Sally (1983) Democracy’s Body UMI Research Press; Michigan p.69
[13] Rainer, Yvonne (2006) Feelings Are Facts MIT Press; London p.221-2