Feminism is defined by the Oxford dictionary as the advocacy of women’s right on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men (Oxford dictionary). Many of the female dancers and choreographers expressed feminist ideals in their dances. “[Loie Fuller] embodied the fin-de-siècle images of woman as flower, woman as bird, woman as fire, woman as nature” (Wesleyan University & the Wesleyan University Press). Fuller was creating her dance during a time where the grounds for using electrical lighting were fertile; she planted her seeds here. “With colored beams projected from below and around her body, she manipulated huge swaths of silk to create swirling designs” (Bennahum, 73). She utilized both this lighting and costume in order …show more content…
“The piece itself consists of a series of movements that appear to be fluid from one motion to the next, without any climax or predictability as in traditional dance” (Independent Curators International). Clearly, there isn’t a complete coherence to the piece – at least not the first time it is viewed. Whether or not this was the intention of Rainer may be left up to interpretation. Particularly striking to me is the move performed at 2:40; a graceful bending of the lower extremities followed a summersault that results in the dancer raising herself off the ground. Not characteristic to any dance moves previously seen, one might deduce that the intention was simply for the work to be different, to diverge, and to influence. The costume of the dancer, plain and simple, seems to go unnoticed; without closer viewing of the piece, one may not notice the dancers garb. The point, quite possibly, is precisely to draw attention away from figure and draw more attention to the movements. Combined with the previous observation that the moves are not easily intelligible, I am tempted to analyze the piece as one that is deliberately different. In fact, other analyses offered for this piece resonate with the view I have presented: “Rainer’s purpose in creating the piece was in accord with her drive to break from any repetition she saw common in her previous work” (Independent Curators