With the development of society, people are more eager for freedom. People were no longer satisfied with the strict, single and non-freedom dance. As a result, the modern dance came out. Martha Graham, who was the one of creator of the modern dance. She created her own special movements and she used it in the Night Journey. Night Journey not only give expression to the modern dance from their non fixed style of dance movements but also it use the special technique for movements to express their emotions that make the dance story become more vivid.
Night Journey is talking about the story of the malformation love and it based on the Greek mythology. Martha Graham choreograph this dance from the Greek mythology. The legend of the king of the king of the king of the king of the king of the king of escort warning, if he let his newly born son grow up, his throne and life will be threatened. So he let the hunter take his son away and kill, but the hunter moved the compassion, only the baby discarded. The discarded baby was found by a farmer and given to his master. Years later, he went to pilgrimage, passing a youth and a dispute, he was killed by youth. The young man is Oedipus. Oedipus cracked the mystery of Sphinx, was elected by the people of the king of the king of the king, and married Queen Icaster. Later, at the end of the plague and famine, people asked the oracle, only to know Oedipus to kill the mother to marry the crime. Oedipus digging his eyes, leaving the bottom of the world, drifting around. However, Martha Graham choreograph this dance from the part of the end of this story which is the Tiresias points that the Oedipus is the person that murder. So, she set the main three character who are Oedipus, queen, Tiresias to used their movements to explain the story and their main emotion. Also, she set the concomitant to show the main characters’ emotion from the side.
Night Journey is choreographed by Martha Graham who was the one of the earliest founder of the modern dance and create the special technique which make the movements more powerful and is also used in this dance. At the video, from times 1:18 to 1:39, queen and Oedipus hold each other and sit on the floor, they stand up and kiss, they tease each others’ loin and walk slowly around the wood bed. These movements can hint that queen and Oedipus are falling in love gradual. Because the movements is very slow and soft. It can embody the love from queen and Oedipus. From times 3:07 to 4:03, queen and Oedipus danced with the string. The queen and Oedipus moved cling the floor and then they get up and keep away from each other. Suddenly, they ran to each other and the queen jump up and clasp Oedipus. They rotation and queen stoop down her head. In this time, the string is still with them. It seems that they got marriage together. Because the string always stay with them. It like the matrimony have the strong power to restrain themselves. It also hint that they have the other kind of relationship that make the tragedy happened. From 4:14 to 5:21, the Tiresias come out. He jumped with his walking stick instead of walking. After this, he began to dance with his whole body. He wave his arms continually, he moved like sometimes he squat and sometimes he stands up. He also stretch his arms and spin. He’s actions looks so powerful. It means Tiresias is the impartial person and he also know a lot of things which are the truth. From 5:39 to 6:47, Tiresias walk to the middle of the queen and Oedipus, he stand on the wood bed, use his string to gap the queen and Oedipus. Then, he move around Oedipus and use his string to throll off the cloak. It means Tiresias shows the truth off and it makes the relationship between queen and Oedipus break. At 6:51 to 7:14, the queen raise her arms and split kick continually, she move around the Oedipus but she keep stare at the sky, at last she lay on the wood bed feebly. It seem like the queen can not accept the truth and she try to ask the god why the things’ happened. And she lay on bed feebly means she finally accept the truth but she feel horrible. Each of the three central characters dance with a distinctive set of movements. Costumed in a mask with covered eyes and a weighted cloak, the Seer moves with an air of power and purpose. He carries a heavy wooden staff that he strikes noisily on the stage and bed, emphasizing the seriousness of his message. “sees most and least, takes up huge amounts of space when moving or standing still, yet never becomes personally engaged in the tragedy.”
It is not hard to understand the emotion and content in the dance. It is thanks for Martha Graham use her special technique. In the past, the ballets is so strict and the movements are designed so stiffness. It is very hard to understand the what the emotion the ballet want to embody. But the modern dance is different to ballet. Though the modern dance also are designed the movements. Those movements are explain by body actions instead of the a few of actions. The movements in modern dances can not in the least of regulations but the ballets can not do that. “In the opening dance of tragic resignation, and in her solo bit at the end of the work, Martha Graham has invented for herself movement patterns which are among the most evocative and beautiful in her entire repertoire. So expressive in their violence, so provocative in their implication, so moving in their emotional content are these expressions of Jocasta's realization...she might easily be able to tell the entire story without benefit of the actual appearance of Oedipus, or the Seer, or the Daughters of the Night." Dance Observer reported. It seem like there is the high admire to the “Night Journey”. “The set for Night Journey in its grandeur and its obvious symbolism has become an abstraction of the story which could almost stand by itself in a museum and as a sculptural exhibit tell most of story without benefit of figures.” Cambridge, Mass reported. Night Journey gave the deep expression to people at the period. Not only the music in the dance, but also those modern movements could clear embody the emotions of the dancers and the story. As Cambridge reported, this story which performed by Martha Graham could be a individual drama that be saved into the museum. Also, the “Night Journey” help Martha Graham rebuild her dance business. “When legal battles over rights to Graham's work were settled, Night Journey reentered the Martha Graham Dance Company repertory.” New York times reported.
The Night Journey was the significant dance for the modern dance. Martha Graham made it more powerful and it broke the traditional dance. At that period, Night Journey showed the how powerful and changing in emotions of the modern dance. Martha Graham created her own period that what the modern dance was even the modern dance that she showed. “It is the sculptor who orders and animates spaces, give it meaning." If you have free time, you should search and watch it.
Works cited
Night Journey. Youtube, 1973 Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFNsKeMbW20
Macaulay, Alastair. "Portraits in Grief After Graham and Jungian Torment in Greek Legends."The New York Times. The New York Times, 12 Sept. 2007. Web. 26 Apr. 2017.
Observer, Dance. "Martha Graham Presents New Work "Night Journey," with Score by Willian Schuman, at Harvard University Festival." The Library of Congress. N.p., 3 May 1947. Web. 26 Apr. 2017.
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