YPIQW

we”

'0‘

3.33:...»

 

.3

.r

.
r... .5: .34 , 3...,
;

 

4, 1.1213!

533

I «memlmw

a... 3.; , .m. I
“9355. ‘ r mm"...
‘ . . . any
..
r. 2.3.:

. .3. .15?
I “art-r; I.

 

x .
it w I!
. 5.5.3:: is.
. v 5.1. .3 IL!
. . .5... 5m. h. 3.. ..
.. L... . V ..,J....2.i....uh..
_ s .. k .. . i .
viii: 2 5. aw
:

a . .
«5.1.2.:

”3..

fl. .

‘ A
a ‘
39...”... o s 1.30:...-
‘ . 9 ‘ i s... .
. .15.. . E. f. is, .. .2.
,5. . I ‘3‘... $.33

 

 

.3095;
ult...’ .

s z‘ 17‘ 1;
.1: 51'...
u v. 353:2?
n Eilaols.
1.31 .23.

ufik

til!

60

.fi {’0

£5.34!“

. .; Iv};

1...?! |:.7,.» -.
xiv-I

v .1?
z...‘ ¢

l

v .11 7—.

.. ,
24%.? it .3
. .....,..,...sx..n...u..v...1
. 5.2.... .L. .3)...
.s ‘

1:4:

 

 

Juflfimfiw wfiwfi. tag 53%

 
 

Ln. nflhht...
\. i. : Ow. I; 51"..
533.4. V, 31.2... {if , ct.
.v. .. I T .

V: :3 ..

..

 

UBRARY
Michigan State
University

This is to certify that the

thesis entitled

IMAGERY IN MOTION:
MODERN DANCERS & THEIR COMPANIES

presented by

DAMARA ANDERSON

has been accepted towards fulfillment
of the requirements for

Masters. _ degree in Weation

12/”

Major professor

Date__l_lLLh...D.e.c2.mheL_ 2001

0-7639 MS U is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution

 

 

 

PLACE IN RETURN Box to remove this checkout from your record.
To AVOID FINES return on or before date due.
MAY BE RECALLED with earlier due date if requested.

 

DATE DUE DATE DUE DATE DUE

 

1M 9 r 2003

 

JNE HM!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

am chIRC/DnteDmpGS-DJS

#7 _ T 7* ——_ _

IMAGERY IN MOTION: MODERN DANCERS & THEIR COMPANIES
By

Damara Lynn Anderson

A THESIS

Submitted to
Michigan State University
In partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of

MASTER OF ARTS
Telecommunication

2001

ABSTRACT
IMAGERY IN MOTION: MODERN DANCERS & THEIR COMPANIES
BY

Damara Lynn Anderson

Documentary films may show reality in more ways than one. Besides
showing us our surroundings, contributions may be seen from people behind the
scenes. Like other forms of media, documentary films can show reality in this
dual way. lm_agery in Mot_ion: Modern Dancers & Their Companies is a
documentary thesis about what it is like to be a modern dancer in a modern
dance company. Elements were added to the documentary that were not
essential to relay the information, but perhaps represent a part of the '
producer/editor. The subject matter of the documentary may also prove to be
useful for student dancers, who are contemplating a possible career as a
professional dancer in a dance company. A limited picture and interpretation of
the reality of the modern dance world is portrayed through documentary footage
and added interpretive elements. The written part of the thesis talks about this
documentary, as well as the composition of some significant documentary films
and their filmmakers. The producer’s use of formative research to aid in planning
the documentary is also discussed. Modern dance contributors and dance
companies that perform modern dance are also spoken about in the written

thesis.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank my thesis adviser, Bob Albers for his time and input. I
would also like to thank him and Lisa Whiting-Dobson (thesis committee
member) for their patience and kindness. In addition, I would like to thank my

dad, Frank for his help with this project. Last but not least, I would like to thank

Rick Bailey for proofreading for me.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 1

CHAPTER 1

DOCUMENTARY FILMS: LOOKING GLASS TO THE WORLD .......................... 5

Four Documentary Filmmakers ............................................................................. 7
Robert J. Flaherty ....................................................................................... 7
John Grierson ........................................................................................... 11
Jacques Yves-Cousteau .......................................................................... 15
Alek Keshishian ........................................................................................ 18

CHAPTER 2

MODERN DANCE .............................................................................................. 22

Modern Dance Contributors ................................................................................ 22
Martha Graham ........................................................................................ 22
Charles Weidman ..................................................................................... 23
Doris Humphrey ....................................................................................... 24

Dance Companies .............................................................................................. 25
Stephen Pelton Dance Theatre ................................................................ 26
Ground Zero Dance Company ................................................................. 26

CHAPTER 3

THE VIDEO ......................................................................................................... 29

CHAPTER 4

RELATIONSHIP TO POTENTIAL AUDIENCE ................................................... 33
Performing ................................................................................................ 34
Physicality ................................................................................................ 35
Relationships ............................................................................................ 35

CONCLUSION .................................................................................................... 37

APPENDIX A ...................................................................................................... 41

SCRIPT

APPENDIX B ...................................................................................................... 50

RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Group 1 .................................................................................................... 50
Group 2 .................................................................................................... 51

BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................. 54

INTRODUCTION

When one hears the term “documentary film,” he/she may immediately think
of “reality” and this may be a word that is correctly associated with documentary
films in more ways than one. First of all, documentary films show us our world.
They give us a look at this place we call home. However, they also may show us
something about the people behind their creation. Someone (may be more than
one person) has to decide what is shown and how it is shown. It may seem then
that a filmmaker has the opportunity to put a portion of himself/herself within
his/her creation. Therefore, the audience may be also viewing reality through
seeing the creative input of this individual(s). Something about this individual(s)
may be apparent within a film.

This is not unique to just documentary films. Various forms of media also
represent reality in these ways. However, the amount of reality in these two
ways varies according to the media. For instance, the daily news is a reality-
based program. Viewers may think they are completely viewing reality when
they watch the news. Although the news is largely based on reality, there is
some creative treatment to that reality. Someone decides what stories will be
shown. Also, there are people, who write the stories that are shown. Possibly,
writers and reporters can add a certain level of creativity to the stories.

Another form of media that is perhaps at the opposite end of the spectrum is a
piece of visual artwork. If an artist created a piece of modern art that consists of
two circles and a square on a piece of canvas, it can be argued this also shows

reality in this dual fashion. It shows reality because circles and squares are

shapes that exist in the world. However, the artist had complete creative control
of this creation. His/her creation may be a product of self-expression. The artist
could be completely subjective with this piece and yet it is still confined to a
known visual reality.

Various forms of media have certain levels of subjectivity and objectivity,
which function as two different ways in which a viewer can view reality. A creator
can work with reality as a pottery maker works with clay. A creator has the
opportunity to mold what they are working with in the manner they so choose.
They can mold reality a good deal or just a little bit. The more they mold it, the
more they put something of their inner selves within the piece. Other forms of
media that can possess these levels of subjectivity and objectivity are theatre,
dance, music, fiction films, books, magazines, web sites and television programs
(in addition to the news). Documentary film, as mentioned before, falls into this
category. Since the nature of documentary film is that it shows reality and in
doing so, gives information, it probably has a higher content of objectivity than
subjectivity. However, subjectivity can be present as well.

There is too, the element of how the medium is perceived by the viewer.
What will they come away with that they did not have before as a result of
experiencing this medium? Is the medium they may view, something that will
interest them? Creators may think in terms of their audience when they are
developing their product. This can have an affect on how they then shape reality.

Imagery in Motion: Modern Dancers & Their Companies is a documentary

about what it is like to be a modern dancer in a modern dance company. The

viewer has the opportunity to see the companies and hear company members
speak of their experience and knowledge. In this manner, the viewer has the
opportunity to experience a part of another’s world or a part of another’s
existence. However, the way the video was put together and elements that were
added reflect the producer/editor of the documentary and therefore provides the
viewer with a glimpse of this person. The creative consultant of this documentary
also had input that was applied to it, so he is reflected in the documentary as
well.

Will this documentary hold the interest of more than just a few people? There
may be the possibility that it will. Every documentary has to find its audience in
order to gain acceptance from viewers. To help make it more appealing to its
audience, it may be helpful to do formative research. Using formative research
to structure and format a documentary may improve the likelihood that an
audience will enjoy and/or continue to watch the final piece. The intended
audience for this documentary is young dance students. Student dancers from
two dance schools were interviewed about dance. Their academic placement
ranged from eighth grade to twelfth grade. Their responses were used by the
producer in determining how to structure some of the documentary. The
documentary became somewhat of a product of this formative research.

This documentary may be useful to dance students, who are considering or
who are not considering careers as professional dancers. Those, who are
considering the career, may take the information they obtain from the video and

use it to help them determine whether to pursue it or not. Those who do not want

to pursue such a career, may change their minds after seeing the video. It may
be safe to assume that student dancers do not know a lot about what it is like to
be a professional modern dancer in a modern dance company. Hence, this
video may be helpful. The video does not give an extremely thorough overview
of the world of a professional modern dancer, but it does give a glimpse of what it
is like. If the documentary had been meant to air on television and was
supposed to be longer in length, a more detailed world of the modern dancer

may have been shown.

CHAPTER ONE
DOCUMENTARY FILM: LOOKING GLASS TO THE WORLD

“Throughout the film Flaherty details the blinding expanse of snow and the
blizzard conditions in and against which Nanook must search for food. While the
scenes in which Nanook spears a walrus and harpoons a seal through the ice
are striking, the blizzards and his search for shelter, which climaxes in the
building of an igloo, are most memorable.”1

“Funny, affecting and irresistible, it offers a fluid excursion into the emotional
politics of a star’s backstage life. With a keen eye, director Alek Keshishian
portrays the tensions within the insular world of a touring troupe—and with the
family members and friends who venture in from the outside like visitors from
another planet."2

In reading about the two different films mentioned above, one may notice
obvious differences between them—the differences in subject matter and style.
However, they both have been called “documentaries.” The first one is a 1922
film named Nanook of the North and the second is a 1991 film called Truth or

Dare: On the Road Behind the Scenes & in Bed With Madonna.3 Although they

 

may seem very different, they may have more in common than first meets the
eye.

The world in which we live is a diverse place. It’s a place of different cultures
and lifestyles. Inhabitants of this planet range from insects to animals to sea life
to humans. Documentaries are a vehicle in which we can see the world in a
manner other than in person. Documentaries enable us to view the diversity in
this place we call home. However, the filmmakers behind the making of

documentaries can exercise control over the presentation by what is shot, how it

 

1. Sharon R. Sherman, Documenting Ourselves: Film, Video, and Culture (The University Press of
Kentucky, 1998), 7.

2. Brian D. Johnson, “Unmasking Madonna: She Bares All in a Documentary,” Maclean’s, 13 May
199], 50.

is edited, and what elements are added, such as music and graphics. Therefore,
besides showing us our world, one could speculate that documentaries bear the
marks of their creators. The fact that a certain documentary was created at all by
a particular filmmaker could be because he/she had an interest in the subject
matter. Therefore, it may be that besides giving us glimpses of life in front of the
camera, they give us glimpses of the people behind the camera as well.

John Grierson, a film documentarian, said, “Art is a hammer, not a mirror.”4
What he may have meant by this statement was that art is meant to get a specific
point across and not to function as a reflection of the world. He may have viewed
the documentaries that were done by the EMB Film Unit5 as propaganda. In
regards to Grierson and his staff, “He told them they were propagandists first,
film makers second."6 Therefore, he may have believed the documentaries that
were to be done in that unit should be done to further an agenda. If the
documentaries that were done in this unit were propaganda, then one could say
they were used as “hammers” to shape the way the audience viewed the
agenda. lf Grierson believed in certain points of view and the products of that
unit were propaganda for these views, then Grierson is represented in these

documentaries.

 

3. This documentary has other titles in some other sources.
4. Cara Mertes, “Documentaries: Stories Beyond the Facts,” Qu_il_l, July 2000, 44.

5. David L. Woods, “John Grierson: Documentary Film Pioneer,” The Quarterly Jomgl of Speech
LVII, no. 2 (1971): 223. “The EMB had been created in 1928 to “promote all the major researches across
the world which affect the production or preservation or transport of the [British] Empire’s food supplies.’
To its 44 departments were added a 45‘“, a Film Unit under Grierson and Walter Creighton.”

 

6. Erik Barnouw, Documentary: A History of the Non-Fiction Fig, (New York: Oxford University
Press, 1974), 90.

The creators behind documentaries can use their creations as a means of
self-expression, to get a specific point across and/or as an opportunity to take
something they are interested in and use it as subject matter. Also, if they had
been involved in the subject matter prior to making the film, they may be able to
bring something to the film that others cannot. This idea can be argued by
looking at various documentaries done in the twentieth century and the
masterminds behind them.

Although Grierson viewed documentaries as hammers and not as mirrors,
documentaries can function as mirrors in some aspects. They reflect our
surroundings and perhaps mirror their creators as well. This can be seen in the
fact that documentary films do show us a part of the world and the creator(s)
behind the films have control of the presentation. The following documentary
films and filmmakers provide examples of this way of thinking.

Four Documentary Filmmakers
Robert J. Flaherty

Robert J. Flaherty was the scriptwriter, cameraman and director of Nanook of
the North. Flaherty had experiences prior to making this film that may be linked
to it. One can speculate that these past experiences had something to do with
the subject matter of this film, which has been described as a “documentary
motion picture about the daily life of an Inuit family who lived on the shores of
Canada’s Hudson Bay in the 1920s.”7

“The boy grew up around mining camps of northern Michigan and Canada,
with miners and Indians as companions. Later the father became a prospector

 

7. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia Deluxe 99, s.v. “Nanook of the North.”

searching the Canadian wilderness for mineral resources—for United States
Steel and other corporations. Sometimes he took young Bob with him on these
explorations, traveling many weeks by canoe in summer and on snowshoes in
winter, meeting Eskimos, mapping the country, learning arts of frontier survival."8

Further evidence supports the idea that Flaherty's experiences had something
to do with the subject matter of this film, as well as the way in which it was

presented.

“...Flaherty began his career prospecting for minerals in the Hudson Bay
Territory and Baffin area of Canada. Beginning in 1910, he made five
expeditions over six years. Although the deposits he found were not rich enough
to justify excavation, F laherty, through working with the Eskimos, became
absorbed with their lifestyle and began an amateur ethnological diary of them.
On one of his expeditions, he took along an Eyemo film camera and
photographed 30,000 feet of film about Eskimo life. After editing the film,
Flaherty accidentally dropped a lit cigarette on the negative, destroying it.
Fortunately, he had a positive work print that he was able to project and use to
obtain financial backing for another film expedition.

Flaherty recognized that his first film had focused on the picturesque. He
wanted to structure his new film around the life of one man and his family."9

His exposure to the outdoors and Eskimos may have given him an interest in
these people. It seems likely that filmmakers trust a subject if they are familiar
with and have an interest in it. This was something Flaherty wanted to pursue,
so the subject matter can be traced back to him and hence represents him.

One can also possibly see Flaherty’s mark in some of the things actually seen
in the film. He did not just shoot an Inuit family as they went about their daily
business the way they normally would. There was some intervention.

“When he arrived on location, he found that “the people” were no longer
wearing the typical Eskimo clothing and so he ordered in appropriate but real

garb. Many events appearing in the film were restaged from events he had seen
in previous Arctic trips. An igloo twice the normal size was built so he could film

 

8. Bamouw, 33.

9. Sherman, 5-6.

inside, but even at that there was not enough light, so the top part of the dome
was removed."10

The walrus hunt in the film is also not an example of how the family was
currently living. One of the family members presented the idea of the hunt: “One
of his first suggestions was a walrus hunt, done as in former days, before the
explorers came."11

The appearance of another creature may be another example in the film that
shows some intervention. “...as certain critics pointed out at the time, the seal
Nanook pulls up through a hole in the ice had clearly been dead for days."12

Obviously, Mk of the Nfltfl is not a pure and true account of how those
particular people were living at that time. This does not mean that watching this
film is not a learning experience. Perhaps this film shows elements of life as it
had once been for the Inuit people, so it may provide the viewer with a history
lesson. If the documentary shows life as it existed in the past, it is still showing
life. Erik Bamouw said Flaherty recorded memories on film: “It has been called
‘romantic’ in that F laherty was not recording a current way of life but one filtered
through memories of Nanook and his people. Unquestionably the film reflected

their image of their traditional life.”13

 

10. Thomas W. Bohn, Richard L. Stromgren, with Daniel H. Johnson, Light and Shgdows: A Histog
of Motion Pictures (Port Washington, N.Y.: Alfred Publishing Co., Inc, 1975), 293.

ll. Bamouw, 36.

12. Eric Rhode, A History of the Cinema_from its Origins to I970, (New York: Hill and Wang, A
Division of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1976), 247.

13. Bamouw, 45.

If the viewer is presented with memories of these people, the film is showing
us life in another aspect. The memories of these people have been recorded on
film, hence a part of they, themselves have been recorded. The viewer is seeing
a part of these people by seeing their memories.

To gain a better understanding of Flaherty and perhaps of the film itself, going
right to the source may be helpful. F laherty wrote the following:

“I am not going to make films about what the white man has made of primitive
peoples. . . .

What I want to show is the former majesty and character of these people, while it
is still possible—before the white man has destroyed not only their character, but
the people as well.

The urge that I had to make Nanook came from the way I felt about these people,
my admiration for them; I wanted to tell others about them."14

If Flaherty’s intention was to present a certain type of people to an audience,
then in a broader sense, his intention was to take a part of life and present it to
viewers.

The viewer perhaps has the opportunity to absorb the very essence of this
film through its presentation and hence perhaps see part of Flaherty in this
manner as well. To do this one may need to look beyond just seeing the film as
a presentation of facts. What sort of artistry can be seen? According to Eric
Rhode,

“He was trying to show how filming was something else than the record of fact
(Grierson called documentary ‘the creative use of actuality’): how it needed to

include the fantasies and poetry which suffuse experience and give it meaning.
He was trying to project a beauty which was more than scenic; a beauty to be

 

l4. Bamouw, 45.

IO

found in the generosity and courage which certain men reveal under stress; and
this beauty had to be reconstructed."15

Perhaps Grierson sums up the idea of Ignook of t_he North being a product of

Flaherty's artistry when he called Flaherty “a poet."16
John Grierson

John Grierson, himself, was involved with documentaries. He produced and
directed a documentary called Qy‘fl_e_r§_. The 1929 film was “a story of the daily
lives of the North Sea herring fishermen."17 He also was involved with the Film
Unit of the Empire Marketing Board, which later the General Post Office
sponsored. One can speculate they see elements that reflect Grierson in _DL'ft_e_r§
by taking a look at his thoughts and interests.

It appears Grierson was interested in the public, or more precisely those who
were audience members to various forms of communication. He was interested
in how these forms of communication affected these people.

“After graduation, Grierson lectured at the University of Durham until he was
awarded a Rockefeller research fellowship for social science study in the United
States. Grierson was interested in the role of mass media in shaping public
opinion, and particularly how press, radio, and advertising had taken over the
:glugztiggal role that previously had been provided by the church and the

Grierson went to the University of Chicago and there he “...conducted

research on criminal dropouts, but evidenced greater interest in the influence of

 

IS. Rhode, 247.
I6. Woods, 223.
[7. Woods, 223.

18. Woods, 221.

newspapers on the public—-particularly on second generation foreign-born
immigrants."19

He also thought about audience members in terms of documentary film.

“...he began to feel—with Walter Lippmann—that expectations once held for
democracy were proving illusory. Problems facing society had grown beyond the
comprehension of most citizens; their participation had become perfunctory,
apathetic, meaningless, often nonexistent.

While Lippmann was pessimistic about all this, Grierson was not: he saw a
solution. The documentary film maker, dramatizing issues and their implications
in a meaningful way, could lead the citizen through the wilderness. This became
the Grierson mission.”20

It seems Grierson had an interest in showing people themselves and those
around them. “Grierson’s determination was to “bring the citizen’s eye in from the
ends of the earth to the story, his own story, of what was happening under his
nose...the drama of the doorstep.”21

In looking at Drifters, one may be able to see Grierson’s thoughts in action.
“There was nothing doctrinally radical about it, but the fact that British
workingmen—virtually ignored by British cinema except as comedy material—
were the heroes gave the film an almost revolutionary impact."22 If British
workingmen and their families had the opportunity to view this film, they may
have felt they were watching something that hit close to home. This film may
have functioned as a way for Grierson to give British people a look at

themselves.

 

l9. Woods, 222.
20. Bamouw, 85.
2]. Bamouw, 85.

22. Bamouw, 87-88.

12

It seems likely that someone from behind the scenes wanted to get a specific
point across and/or change people’s way of thinking with this film. “Grierson’s
own first film was a piece of public relations for the Empire Marketing Board
promoting the principle of “the Projection of Britain’, which had been propounded
by the Board’s chief, Sir Stephen Tallents.”23 Grierson once said, “I look on

cinema as a pulpit, and use it as a propagandist;...”24

It has also been said,
“When he left Britain cinema for him had been merely one aspect of a fascinating
subject; when he returned in 1927 he was deeply absorbed in the possibilities of
its use as a medium of education and persuasion.”25

It should be noted that the subject matter of this film was probably not
something Grierson concocted out of thin air. He may have had an ulterior

motive.

“The Empire Marketing Board was intended to cement the British Empire by
promoting trade and a sense of unity among its various parts, and it was
attempting this through posters, pamphlets, exhibitions. The next step, argued
Grierson, must be film; Tallents already held the same view. But this required a
meeting of minds with the Financial Secretary of the Treasury, Arthur Michael
Samuel, who was considered the leading authority on the herring industry and
who was flatly opposed to film. Grierson met this problem with a characteristic
head-on approach. He came to the meetingfirecommending immediate
production of a film on the herring industry.”

Besides the subject matter, there are other aspects in this film that could bear

the mark of its creator. The film has been described as “Vigorously paced and

 

23. David Robinson, The History of World Cinema (New York: Stein and Day Publishers, 1973), 21 l.

24. Forsyth Hardy, ed., Grierson On Documenta_ry, revised ed. (Berkeley and Los Angeles: University
of California Press, 1966), 16.

25. Hardy, 16.

26. Bamouw, 87.

13

imaginatively edited...”27 These aspects can possibly be attributed to Grierson’s
cinematic knowledge. He said, “what I know of cinema l have learned partly from
the Russians, partly from the American westerns, and partly from Flaherty, of
Nanook. The westerns give you some notion of the energies. The Russians give
you the energies and the intimacies both. And Flaherty is a poet.”28 The fast
pace may stem from the “energies” he speaks of and the imagination may come
from his comprehension of Flaherty’s work in Nanook of the North. However, the
manner of editing may be a product of Grierson’s belief concerning
documentaries, which may or may not stem from F laherty. He “believed that the
main intent of the documentary was the ‘creative treatment of reality.”29

There’s evidence Grierson had something to do with other films as well. He
was involved with the GPO Film Unit. “...Grierson taxed his GPO unit to concern
itself with more than the simple pick-up and delivery of mail, and to depict the
vital action of the gale warning, international cable, night mail, and ship-to-shore
radio services. Hence, this new unit was able to maintain its reputation for
experiment, quality, and audience interest in its films.”‘°‘o

Grierson’s opinion that “the main intent of the documentary was the ‘creative

treatment of reality,”’31 may have had some influence on the 1936 documentary,

Night Mail, which was a product of the GPO Film Unit. It was directed by Basil

 

27. Bamouw, 87.
28. Woods, 223.
29. Sherman, 13.

30. Woods, 225.

14

Wright and Harry Watt. The way the film was edited may have had something to
do with his belief about creative treatment. “The film was edited to the rhythm of

its sound track."32

As far as documentary films showing us our world, Grierson can be tied to this
as well. “Grierson insisted that documentary films should be about real social
problems; they should be about life, and life itself should be the source of the
ideas, research, and filmmaking."33

Jacques-Yves Cousteau

Another director who may have incorporated an interest of his into a
documentary film was Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Looking at his links to a world
encompassed by water may provide some insight.

“One afternoon, someone—no one seems to be able to remember who—gave
Jacques a pair of aviator’s goggles to try out while hunting for fish near the shore.
He was twenty-six and remembers that day as perhaps the most important one in

his life. Being able to see underwater was a thrill Jacques could scarcely have
imagined before.

‘I was astounded by what I saw,’ he wrote in The Silent Wor1d. “Rocks
covered with green, brown and silver forests of algae and fishes unknown to me,
swimming in crystalline water. Standing up to breathe I saw a trolley car, people,
electric-light poles. I put my eyes under again and civilization vanished with one
last bgw. l was in a jungle never seen by those who floated on the opaque
roof.”’

Another incident provides a look at Cousteau:

“A lone swimmer cruised the green-blue sea off Tunisia. About all you could see
of him was the slow flutter of his rubber foot fins and his breathing tube sticking

 

31. Sherman, I3.
32. Bamouw, 94.

33. Jan Bone and Ron Johnson, Understanding the Film: An [_ntroduction to Film Appreciation, 5"I ed.
(Lincolnwood, Illinois USA: NTC Publishing Group, 1996), 36.

34. Susan Sinnott, The World’s Great Explorers: Jacques-Yves Cousteau (Chicago: Childrens Press,
1992), 26.

15

out of the water. He was looking down through his diving mask at unknown
landscapes on the sea floor. He was Lieutenant Jacques-Yves Cousteau of the
French Navy, one of the first of the menfish. The time was the summer of 1939.
On leave from his cruiser, Cousteau had come to explore the mysterious African
seas. He had almost lived undenivater since he had started to dive three years
before with his friends, Philippe Tailliez and Frederic Dumas."35

It has also been said, “By 1948, Jacques Cousteau’s explorations of the
undersea world were gaining him the respect and admiration of scientists,
oceanographers, inventors, and photographers around the world.”36

According to Lesley A. DuTemple, “By the late 1940s, Jacques was well
established as an underwater explorer.”37

Peering into Cousteau’s mind regarding a water related topic may also be
useful: “He had dreamed and talked about a vessel built for divers and
oceanographic research since 1944...“

Le Monde du Silence (Ihe Silent World) was likely made because of a
personal interest of Cousteau’s and/or because of his underwater involvement. It
has been described as a “motion-picture documentary about life beneath the
sea."‘°’9 Louis Malle and Cousteau co-directed the film. Parts of it can be traced
back to each of them.

“Cousteau wanted a true documentary, a film that not only overwhelmed its

audience with footage of undersea wonders but also showed how such images
were obtained, that is, showed Dumas, F alco, and everybody else working.

 

35. James Dugan, Undersea Explorer: The Story of Captain Cousteau (New York and Evanston:
Harper & Row, Publishers, 1957), 1.

36. Sinnott, 61.
37. Lesley A. DuTemple, J_acques Cousteau (Minneapolis: Lemer Publications Company, 2000), 59.
38. Sinnott, 64.

39. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia Deluxe 99, s.v. “The Silent World.”

16

Malle wanted a movie that stretched the viewers’ mind with true otherworldly
poetry. The opening sequence was his—a trail of bubbles disturbs the blue
stillness as aqualunged divers, in wetsuits and carrying arc torches, glide through
the world of silence. The next sequence was JYC’s—the magical creatures
surface and scamper up to the Calypso‘s deck, mere men in awkward costumes
and breathing apparatus. The movie’s concept was entirely Cousteau’s, but
many of the images that stay in its audience’s mind had a marked affinity with the
Louis Malle films that were to come.“0

This documentary shows us our world in a stunning way. It has been said, “In
1956 our first full-length undenNater color film released commercially, The Silent
Wortd, introduced movie audiences to the startling beauty of the sea’s inhabitants
and landscapes.“1 It has also been said, “Its first audience was stunned by the
film’s technical mastery, the undersea life forrns,...”42

In a review of the film, a critic spoke of more than just those who call the water
home. “...the hardy divers and the operations of the compact little ship, a floating
marine laboratory, are established clearly at the start of the film before the
cameras are taken underwater to view the wonders and the beauties that are
there.”43 Later in the review it said, “And then we go back into the water to look

at fishes and lobsters and coral clumps and to feel a case of the ‘bends’ with one

of these divers, after we have been made acquainted with him.“4

 

40. Axel Madsen, Cousteau: An Unauthorized Biography (New York: Beaufort Books Publishers,
1986), 97.

41. Jacques Cousteau, Window 1n the Sea, vol. 4 of The Ocea_n World of chques Cousteau (New York:
World Publishing, Times Mirror, 1973), 46.

42. Sinnott, 86.
43. Bosley Crowther, “The Silent World,” in The New York Times Gu_ide to the Best 1,000 Movieg

Ever Made, Vincent Canby, Janet Maslin, and the Film Critics of The New York Times, ed. Peter M.
Nichols (Times Books, a division of Random House, Inc., 1999), 787.

 

l7

Alek Keshishian

Alek Keshishian, who directed the documentary, Truth or Dare: On the Road

 

Behind the Scenes & in Bed Wit_h Mgglonng, may also have displayed aspects of
himself within his film. The documentary is described as “...behind-and-in-front-
of-the-scenes look at Madonna on her 1990 globe-spanning Blonde Ambition
Tour.”“5

Keshishian’s involvement with performing and the arts may have something
to do with this documentary. Considering the fact that Keshishian has been
involved in these areas, it may not be surprising that he directed a film centered
around a performer. Keshishian has been described as “A former child actor,
violin prodigy, and classically trained ballet dancer,...”46 His involvement does
not stop there. “While he was a student at Harvard, he took $2,000 and staged
an imaginative theatrical production of Wuthering Heights, in which the principal
characters mimed the voices of pop singers.”47 Yet another example shows his
related experience. “After he graduated from college, Alek moved to Los
Angeles, where he became the director of music videos."48 He had an interest in

these areas and this documentary clearly fits in with his interests. Also, since he

 

44. Crowther, 787.

45. Jeff Dick, “Documentary Delivery: 20 Videos for Library Collections,” Library Journal 119, no. 9
(1994): 40.

 

46. James Ryan, “Cameos: Director: Alek Keshishian,” Premiere, June 1991, 35.

47. Mark Bego, mdonna: Blonde Ambition, updated ed. (New York: Cooper Square Press, 2000),
267.

48. Bego, 267.

18

had experience in these areas, perhaps he brought something to this
documentary that others who were detached from such subjects could not.

He may also have been attracted to the very idea of working with Madonna. It
has been said he passed time “...dreaming of one day working with Madonna."49

Keshishian provided some useful information regarding himself in relation to
the film. “’Of course I’m subjective,’ Keshishian says. ‘A filmmaker has to feel
inspired and attached to the material he’s working with. ls Oliver Stone not in
love with Jim Morrison to a certain degree when he’s making a movie about the
Doors?”"’0

It also appears Keshishian had his audience in mind with this documentary.
He wanted the film to affect them a certain way. “’My goal was to take you on a
roller-coaster ride,’ he says. ‘Every time you feel comfortable about having a
certain opinion about her, I wanted to challenge it. That's what I felt happened to
me as I got to know her.”’51

This documentary presents facets of the real world—even if it is a highly
unusual one. The audience witnesses a specific period of time that is connected
with a tour. “The documentary follows our preeminent cultural icon through her

four-month Blond Ambition Tour, from Tokyo and Paris to her hometown of

Detroit,...”52 The viewer is looking at cultural history. Madonna, herself, has said,

 

49. Ryan, 32.
50. Ryan, 32.
51. Ryan, 32.
M 521.919’riteggfiilkinson, “Madonna’s Favorite Filmmaker is One Smart Alek Director,” Rolling Stone, 16
ay , .

19

“It was overwhelming to see how much did happen, how much responsibility I did
have.”53 Also, it has been said of the documentary, “What started out as a
routine concert film became an amazing chronicle of a slice of her life.”54 June
Sochen says, “Her 1991 documentary, Truth Or Dare described life on tour;...”55

Nanook of the North, Drifters, The Silent World, and Truth or Dare: On the

 

Road Behind the Scenes 8. in Bed With Madonna are all films that represent life.

 

They show us a part of our world and there is evidence that points to the
representation of the films’ creators within the films.

Sharon Sherman gives an example of how video can show life in the two
ways that have been discussed when she talks about film, video and folklore.

“A class in basic video production might begin with an assignment to create a
short video about oneself. The second assignment asks the students to have
someone else in the class make such a video about them. They will shoot and
edit a project about themselves, have such a project made by another student,
and shoot a video about another classmate. Thus, each student will have two
tapes or ‘visions’ of his or her life. The first assignment will capture the ‘self,’ or
the self that the filmmaker wishes to reveal. The second assignment will also
capture the self, revealing as much about the videographer as it does about that
person’s conception of the subject being portrayed. On the surface, the two
videos will share the same topic; on quite another level, each video will be a self-
expression of its videographer.

Through the lens, the camera metaphorically mirrors the self of the
filmmaker.”56

John Grierson mirrored this idea somewhat. As mentioned before, he

“believed that the main intent of the documentary was the “creative treatment of

 

53. Wilkinson, 59.
54. Bego,268.

55. June Sochen, From Mge to Madonna: Women Entertainers i_n Twentieth-Century America (The
University Press of Kentucky, 1999), 192.

56. Sherman, 1.

20

reality.”57 Documentary film directors have the opportunity to represent
themselves as well as their subjects within their films. Hence, audience
members can watch a documentary film and see the world as it is presented
before them, but also see something of the person or people who have created
the film. Documentaries are a celebration of life in that they present us with the
wonders of our surroundings and provide their creators with the opportunity to

express their inner selves.

 

57. Sherman, 13.

21

CHAPTER TWO
MODERN DANCE

As documentary filmmakers have created offspring of their inner selves
through their films, modern dancers and choreographers have done the same
through another medium: modern dance. By expressing themselves through
their own movement and through their choreography, they have added pieces to
a puzzle that makes up this idiom of dance.

What is this art form? Jack Anderson gives some insight:

“Modern dance remains a mystery. It is known the world over and, in some
form or other, has existed since the late nineteenth century. Yet no one has ever
been able to say precisely what it is. Nevertheless, if modern dance is
mysterious, it is also glorious, and it has proved to be miraculously self-renewing.
Therefore anyone trying to describe its historical development can only revel in
its diversity.”

Modern Dance Contributors
Martha Graham

Martha Graham was a contributor to modern dance. Graham has been
described as “...the brilliant, innovative and legendary dancer, choreographer and
teacher who in a 70-year career is generally acknowledged to have been the
primary influence on the development of modern dance in America as well as the
art form’s leading exponent,...”"9

In terms of Graham’s choreography, it appears she looked to the stories of

others. “Her choreographic work was rooted in a wide range of material,

 

58. Jack Anderson, The World of Modern Dance: Art Without Boundaries (Iowa City: University of
Iowa Press, 1997), xi.

59. Bart Barnes, “Modern Dance Legend Martha Graham Dies,” The Washington Post, 2 April 1991,
sec. A.

22

including Greek mythology, American literature, poetry, the Bible and historical
Iegend.’6°

She provided an example of how dance can be more than the physicality of
movement. One can associate feelings and emotion with Graham. “Her dance
purpose is to give physical substance to things felt, to lamentation, to celebration,
to hate, to passion,..."61 Graham herself spoke of a connection between
movement and emotion. “She wanted her dancers, Graham once said, ‘to move
in a technically clean, clear fashion, and so passionately that you can see the
essence of the emotion...”62 Graham’s external exposure of the inner workings
of humanity did affect people. “Many people untutored in dance and Greek
tragedy and oblivious to the symbolism in her dances responded to the hatred,
lust, greed, betrayal, remorse, madness, and revenge they contained."63

Charles Weidman

Another figure in modern dance who was involved with dance in terms of
human feelings was Charles Weidman. Humor was an element that figured into
his career. “Weidman created several dances inspired by the comic drawings
and stories of James Thurber: Fables for Our Time (1947), The War Between
Men and Women (1954), and Is Sex Necessary? (1960).“ “His Atavisms

(1936), a suite of three dances, began with two comedies. Bargain Counter

 

60. Barnes, A8.

61. Richard Kraus, History of the Dance in Art 1nd Education (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey:
Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1969), 152.

62. Barnes, A1.

63. Mary Campbell, “Martha Graham: An American Original,” Dance Magazine, March 1999, 73.

 

23

showed a timid department-store employee overcome by a stampede of female
shoppers. Stock Exchange satirically examined the dog-eat-dog world of high
finance.”65

Another characteristic of Weidman was his affiliation with pantomime.
“Through his mastery of pantomine, he could indicate the presence of unseen
people or things by the ways in which his eyes focused, his hands moved, or his
head turned.”66 Both sardonic humor and pantomime can be found in his works,
And Daddy Was a Fireman and Flickers.

It has been said “...he was recognized as the leading male dance comic and
satirist of his day."67

Doris Humphrey

Another contributor to the idiom of modern dance was Doris Humphrey. Part
of her relation to modern dance comes from a technique she developed.

“Like Graham, she developed a technique from a study of elementary
principles of movement. But whereas Graham emphasized the breath,
Humphrey stressed balance. Her key words were ‘fall’ and ‘recovery’ and her
choreography made much of the contrasts between yielding to gravity and
resisting gravity to restore equilibrium.”68

“Fall” and “recovery” can be seen in Humphrey’s dance, Water Study. She

“made use of fall and recovery to suggest the movements of waves.”69

 

64. Jack Anderson, Ballet & Modem Dance: A Concise History (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton
Book Company Publishers, 1986), 156.

65. Anderson, The World of Modern Daacg, 165-166.
66. Anderson, The World of Modern Day, 165.
67. Kraus, 156.

68. Anderson, Ballet & Modem Da_ac_e, 156.

24

Also unique to Humphrey was her work in terms of group works. She did not
limit her choreography to solos. “...Humphrey specialized in group works, for she
believed that group designs could make great themes clear and powerful."70

Like documentary film directors, modern dance choreographers/dancers have
the opportunity to display themselves through their art. Choreography is a
product of self-expression. The actual act of dancing can be a form of self-
expression as well. Dancers can have their own unique styles and hence the
way they move is unique to them. They may exhibit something from inside
themselves when they dance.

However, the similarity does not stop there. As documentary films can show
us the world, some modern dance choreographers/dancers have represented life
in their dances. This can be seen in the feelings and emotion associated with
Martha Graham’s dances and the humor associated with some of the dances of
Charles Weidman. Perhaps audience members in a narrower sense have seen
the artist and in a broader sense have seen the world. As Martha Graham said,
“I think the reason dance has held such an ageless magic for the world is that it
has been the symbol of the performance of living."71

Dance Companies

From these previously mentioned modern dancers, sprang even more modern

dancers and today modern dance is still alive. One way in which modern dance

is alive today, is through dance companies. There are modern dance companies

 

69. Anderson, Ballet & Modern m, 156.

70. Anderson, The World of Modern Dan_c_e, 162.

25

in communities across the United States. Two examples of dance companies
that perform modern dance are Stephen PeltoniDance Theater and Gropflero
Dince Company.
Stephen Pelton Dance Theater
Those who want to familiarize themselves with a modern dance company in
existence today, can do so through Stephen Peltorwance Theater. The
company’s website says the company “is a San Francisco-based modern dance
company that tells inspiring, human stories through narrative, emotionally-driven
dance and theater to illuminate the art in everyday life.”72 Also according to the
website, “They perform regularly throughout the Bay Area and offer technique
classes and special repertory workshops in Bay Area dance studios.”73
Ground Zero Dance Company
Exposure to modern dance is possible through another dance company called
Ground Zero Dance Company. This company’s website says of the company,
"Ground Zero’s mission is to bring modern dance to a wider and more diverse
audience by maintaining an ongoing dialogue between the company and the
community, through the production of new work and regular public educational
and participatory opportunities.”74 A company class which dancers who are not

in the company can attend, may be helping to keep modern dance alive.

 

71. Anderson, Ballet & Modern Dance, 174.

 

72. “The Company: Artistic Vision,” Stephen Pelton Dance Theater,
<http://www.dnai.com/~peltdanc/> (7 November 2001).

73. “The Company: History,” Stephen Pelton Dance Theater, <http://www.dnai.com/~peltdanc/> (7
November 2001).

 

26

According to the website, “The company maintains an ongoing company class,
held twice a week, which is free and open to the dance community in
Richmond.”75 The website also says, “The scope of the class is generally
advanced modern technique, but with the change of instructors can also include
contact improvisation, ballet, and jazz.”76

Other companies that perform modern dance do exist. Besides the common
element of modern dance, they also may have another aspect in common. It is
likely they all struggle financially to some extent to stay in existence.

Jack Anderson may say that modern dance is "a mystery,”77 however, what
does seem clear is that for some it has been and for some it still is a part of their
lives. Whether they are the participant or the viewer, they have the opportunity to
experience the artistry and beauty that is modern dance.

Anderson later says, “Modern dance is an art as elusive as it is great. No one
has ever offered an all-inclusive, totally satisfying definition of it. No one can
point to its date or place of origin. Yet something known as modern dance does

exist and, despite periodic attempts to pronounce it dead, modern dance

continues to flourish.”78

 

74. “Company: Mission,” Ground Zero Dance Company, <http://www.groundzerodance.org/> (6
November 2001).

75. “Company: Education/Outreach,” Ground Zero Dance Company,
<http://www.groundzerodance.org/> (6 November 2001).

 

76. “Company: Education/Outreach,” Ground Zero Dance Company,
<http://www.groundzerodance.org/> (6 November 2001).

 

77. Anderson, The World of Modern Dance. xi.

78. Anderson, The World of Modern Dance, 3.

 

27

From the modern dance contributors mentioned earlier in this chapter, as well
as from others, modern dance has continued to develop. Modern dance is
continually redefining itself. It is a reflection of the evolution of culture. It is
technical expertise, as a means of expression.

The documentary, Imagery in Mom Modern Dancers 8: Their Companies
serves an educational purpose. It adds to the information that already exists
about this art form. Audience members can gain a better understanding of how
modern dance has existed in recent years. Specifically, dance students may be

able to use this information in determining the future careers they want to pursue.

28

CHAPTER THREE
THE VIDEO

Ln_agery in Mom: Modern Dancersa8r Their Companies is a documentary
video that provides a look at what it is like to be in a modern dance company.
However, it does not just purely provide information. Artistic elements were
added by the producer/editor, such as graphics and montages. These elements
are as important in the work as the information provided. The documentary is a
presentation of both information and these elements.

The people interviewed for this documentary were involved with one of two
companies. One is called Happendance and is based in Okemos, Michigan and
the other is called Peter Sparling Dance Company and is based in Ann Arbor,
Michigan.

This documentary has multiple sections. It starts with interview segments
from company members. It then goes into an introduction consisting of two
dancers (never seen together) performing. In some of the shots, it looks like they
are under a light similar to a spotlight (the edges of the light are not smooth),
while in other shots, their bodies appear to be lit against a black background.
The sequence is a montage with music from a song performed by Enya. The title
of the documentary also appears on the screen during part of the introduction.
The two dancers were from Happendance.

The specific informational sections then follow. Each section has a title page.
The title pages have a lavender background and black wording and are

accompanied by music also taken from a song performed by Enya. The sections

29

in the order they appear are “Performing,” “What We Do,” “Physicality,”
“Relationships,” and “The Companies.“

The sections consist of interview footage, as well as shots of company
members working together as a company. There are, however, exceptions. One
of the sections also shows them interacting. Another section shows, among
other things, company signs and one of the dancers either puffing on make-up or
blending it. Some of the footage was shot by MSU students, while other footage
was provided by people in the companies. All of the interview footage was shot
by MSU students. Titles are given for the interviewees. The titles consist of their
name, their title in regards to the company and their company. When
performance footage is shown, the name of the piece, the name of the show and
the date are given. The titles that pertain to Happendance all have a green
background and the titles that pertain to Peter Spariing Dance Company have a
blue background. The lettering in both cases is done in black. The two different
color backgrounds may aid in keeping the viewer from becoming confused
between the two companies.

“The Companies” section is different than the other four in that after the title
page, it starts off with a montage of shots representing both companies. The
music used for the montage comes from a song performed by Enya. The
montage starts out first with images representing Hapgndance. A sign for the
school and the company is shown and then there are three shots of various
company members. A sign for Peter Sparling Dance Company is then seen and

followed by shots of company members.

30

The credits start out over black for the credit for the producer/editor and then
appear over black and white images of the companies for the rest of the
sequence. Again, a montage is used, with music again from Enya.

Added elements in this documentary may give a mystical and/or dreamlike
impression. For instance, music of Enya helps to give an ethereal feeling. Also,
the colors that were used may promote this feeling as well. The lavender, green
and blue are “sea foam” colors. Also, the montages to Enya music in the
“Companies” section and for the credits provoke an emotional response by the
viewer. He may get the feeling he is witnessing the inner emotions of these
dancers, as well as the beauty of dance. The viewer may also feel moved by the
beauty of the introduction montage and the montage used during the ending
credits.

In addition, the section title sequences and montages may give the
appearance that the documentary itself is dancing which may add to the artistic
feel of the piece.

Were such added elements necessary to get the information out to the
viewer? They, of course, were not. However, that does not mean they should
not be there. Take for example what Richard Munson says about Louis Malle
and The Silent World in his book, Cousteau: The Captain and His World.

“The movie’s first and most memorable scene was conceived not by
Cousteau but by Louis Malle, then only twenty-three years old and fresh out of
film school. Malle had become fascinated by an undenivater flare—developed by
Frederic Dumas, the team’s resident pyromaniac—that produced a dreadful roar
and a cascade of bubbles. With a sense of visual poetry, the filmmaker arranged

for aqualunged divers to glide down into the world of silence, disturbing the sea’s
blue stillness with their arc torches.”79

 

79. Richard Munson, Cousteau: The Captain and His World (New York: William Morrow and

31

Was this necesssary? Probably, it was not. However, this may have added a
sense of beauty to the movie and it may have captured the attention of the
viewers.

Other examples can perhaps be seen in the documentaries, _D_r_ift_gps_ and Night
Maj. maps was described as “...imaginatively edited...”80 and in regards to
Night Mail, it has been said, “The film was edited to the rhythm of its sound
track."81 These elements may not have been necessary to give the information
about the subject matter, but may have made the documentaries more
entertaining.

ngerv in Mot_ion: Mo_dern Dancers 8; Their Companies provides the viewer
with information about what it is like to be in a modern dance company.
However, it also has added creative elements that may give a certain impression
to the viewer and encourage him to take notice of the beauty of the art form
known as dance. This documentary gives the viewer a glimpse of this
profession, as existed through those companies, but also portrays dance as an

art form that is not limited to an external existence.

 

Company, Inc., 1989), 78-79.
80. Bamouw, 87.

81. Bamouw, 94.

32

CHAPTER FOUR
RELATIONSHIP TO POTENTIAL AUDIENCE

If the director and/or producer of a documentary film wants an audience to
enjoy his film and wants to keep their interest, it is important to think about the
potential audience in relation to the film. Creating something for self-gratification
is fine, but will it appeal to anyone else? If filmmakers do not care about the
popularity of their film, then they do not need to think in terms of the audience.
Otherwise, it may be to their benefit to keep the audience in mind. If a
documentary filmmaker obtains information about a potential audience’s interests
and knowledge, he can then include this information in his film to please a
potential audience.

The subject matter of the documentary, lmagem in Motion: Modern Dancers &
Their Companies, should attract people who are involved with or are interested in
dance. However, what about the overall appeal to an audience? Once an
audience has started watching it, will they continue? Will they enjoy it?

The intended audience for this documentary is young dance students. Two
groups of dance students from two different dance schools were interviewed
about dance. Their placement in school ranged from eighth grade to twelfth
grade. Three of the five sections the producer put in the video were a result of
responses from these interviews. These sections are: “Performing,”
“Physicality,” and “Relationships.” Because these subjects were brought up and
spoken of positively, these dance students may be more apt to continue to watch

and enjoy this video than if it did not have these sections.

33

Performing

Performing can be a major part of involvement in dance. Part of the reason
some people may be involved in dance is for the performing aspect. The section
called “Performing” in the documentary may be of interest to student dancers.
This can be backed up by looking at responses concerning performing that were
given during the interviews with the student dancers.

There were responses that indicated that the students liked performing.

Some of the students were specific about their inner feelings that were a result of
performing. One student spoke of it making her feel good about herself and
another said, “Its a rush.” Two others spoke positively of the performing aspect.
One of them said, “...the only thing I’ve have to say besides taking dance classes
is, like little companies. Like, I’m in Children’s Ballet Theatre and then Academy
of Dance. Those are two small companies or studios that work on performance I
guess throughout the year and I enjoy doing that just because its a lot more fun
than just taking classes because it’s more learning on how to perform rather than
learning on or learning all the techniques and things that are involved in dance.”
Another student said, “...I guess it’s it’s kind of that kind of butterflies in your
stomach kind of thing you get when you are nervous before a performance and
when you walk off stage and know that you did a great job and you made
someone else appreciate that performance you did for them and it just makes

you feel so good about it...”

34

Physicality

The physical aspect of dance is an obvious one. Dance students mentioned
the physicality of dance during the interviews. Both positive and negative
aspects were spoken of. Some of the students spoke of it keeping the body in
shape. Coordination in relation to dance was also brought up. Someone
mentioned “Challenging the mind.” When asked about taking dance classes, one
of the students said, “...I like the overall feeling I get from my body...” Injuries
were also brought up as well as dance being “hard on your body.“

Relationshipg

Dance can be more than just a physical activity that evokes positive feelings.
There is a social aspect too. Whether someone is merely taking dance classes
or is in a company, they are involved in a social situation. Unless of course, they
are a one man company or take classes through videos. The aspect of
relationships in relation to dance was also spoken of in the interviews. When
asked about dance classes, one student said, “...I like being able to have a lot of
friends in the class and it’s a bonding experience.“ Some of the other students
spoke about relationships in regards to dance companies. One of the students
spoke of people becoming “part of your family.” She also spoke of “really tight
friendships.” One of the students spoke of personal experience concerning a
company she was in. “...we’ve become really good friends and really close...”
Not all the discussion in terms of relationships was positive. One of the students

thought there would be jealousy present within a company.

35

There are two other main sections of this documentary that are not results of
this formative research. One of the sections is called, “What We Do.“ The name
for this section was suggested by the creative consultant for the documentary.
The other section is called “The Companies.”

Because there are sections in the documentary that correspond to things that
were spoken about by student dancers from two different dance schools, the
documentary may hold the attention of student dancers. They may also enjoy
the documentary because of these aspects. Because the interviewed dancers
had these things on their mind, it may be something student dancers want to
hear about. Although not all of the responses were in regards to dance
companies, that does not mean that student dancers would not positively relate
to this documentary because these areas are covered in the video.

Although student dancers are the intended audience, they are not necessarily
the only people who would be interested in this documentary. Anyone could find
it interesting. However, a filmmaker who has done formative research on an
intended audience can use the information gathered to help structure his
creation. His gathered data will perhaps give him some confidence in a possible

audience, so he will not be completely riding on hope.

36

CONCLUSION

Documentary film is a form of media that can display reality in both an
objective and subjective way. People may view documentary films as films that
give us information and show us the world as it is. Although this may be true,
documentaries may also provide a way of viewing the inner workings of part of
humanity. Someone from behind the scenes is responsible for what we see in
the film. This includes the choices of footage and what is added for the overall
affect of the film. For instance, if a documentary is made about African animals
and music is added to the film that is not music that would generally be
associated with the wild, this music goes beyond the reality these animals live in.
However, the director may have wanted to add it to represent something and/or
give the documentary a certain feel. This music then gives the viewer somewhat
of a look at the director. The music was something the director wanted to add to
his creation. Also, the director would decide what footage to use from what was
shot

The producer’s familiarity with the subject matter of the film may also be a
significant factor in the production and overall effect of the documentary. A film
may not be made at all if a filmmaker does not have an interest in it. In addition,
if a filmmaker is involved or has been involved with the subject matter, perhaps
he can bring something to the film that others can not.

The documentary, lm_agery in Mop'on: Modern Dancers & Their Companies,
is about what it is like to be a modern dancer in a modern dance company. In

the video, the viewer can see the dancers as part of a company and hear parts of

37

interviews from people who are part of the company. However, the viewer also
has the opportunity to experience elements in the video that the producer/editor
added, which were not necessary, but add to the presentation. Such elements
are in the form of music, montages and graphics. The producer’s own
impressions and experiences of modern dance as an ethereal and uplifting
endeavor resulted in the use of music of Enya and a color scheme emphasizing
blue, lavender and green. The montages in the documentary give the impression
that being in these companies is an experience that is gratifying to the soul. The
producer has left a personal mark on the documentary through the addition of
these elements.

Young dance students are the intended audience for this documentary. Three
of the sections in the documentary were devised from formative research
involving student dancers. Dance students from two different dance schools
were interviewed about dance. Their responses helped the producer develop
part of the structure of the documentary. The use of this information gathered
through formative research is likely to improve the effectiveness of the
documentary in reaching its intended audience.

This documentary can help steer student dancers one way or another in terms
of a career decision. Those, who are considering becoming professional
dancers, can use the information in this video to help determine whether they
want to pursue that career. Student dancers, who do not intend on pursuing
professional dance as a career, may change their mind after seeing this

documentary.

38

In looking at the documentary itself, some things could have been done
differently that might have improved it. Documentaries display the world and
provide information. A better grasp of the world of the dancers in the video might
have been more accesible if additional footage was shown.

Rehearsal footage of the Peter Spariing Dance Company other than in the
montages could have functioned in giving the viewer a better look at the
company. It also might have made more sense of its use in the montages. The
same goes for footage of Happendance company members warming up and
Peter Sparling Dance Company dancers putting on make-up. It would have
made more sense to have footage of these things in other parts of the video in
addition to the montages. In doing so, the montages might have more meaning.

Also, for the section titled “Relationships,” when one of the dancers from
Happendance speaks of people in the company doing things together outside of
the company; it would have added to the “world” the video was showing if
footage of that was shown. Footage of the dancers from this company
interacting while with the company would have contributed to displaying their
occupations as well.

This documentary gives a glimpse of what it is like to be a professional dancer
in these companies. Someone, who wanted to do a documentary on this subject
in the future, could use this video as a building block to create a documentary
that is more in-depth.

The effectiveness of the video in reaching its intended audience has not been

measured in this thesis project. A posttest would need to be done to determine if

39

the effectiveness. The most ideal situation might be if the same student dancers
were interviewed again that same year and asked questions pertaining to the
effectiveness of the addition of these sections, after watching the video.

The producer/editor of this documentary learned that dance can be enjoyed in
ways other than through performing it herself. The enjoyment of dance is not
limited to physical movement. It can also be enjoyed by observing the creative
process through the artistic medium of video. Something that is so much a part
of her can be appreciated on a small screen in addition to having the experience

of performing on stage.

40

APPENDIX A
IMAGERY IN MOTION: MODERN DANCERS 8r THEIR COMPANIES

SCRIPT

LISA: I knew that I wanted to do
something in the arts, I’ve always known
that—

STACY: What’s appealing to me about
being a professional dancer at all, is that
I’m a professional dancer (laughs) and I
can say that and I can tell people that
and I get paid for what I do and that in
itself is a rarity.

PETER: You’re doing a work that has a
life of its own, that takes you places and
that leaves you at thee end with this
sense of fulfillment, a conclusion.

LISA: I just didn’t know I wanted to do it
as a profession until I got to college and
then I decided that that’s what I wanted
to do...

MICHAEL: Performing onstage for me
is like um you know like when when you
jump into cold water on on like a ninety
degree day

STACY: I can not imagine doing
anything else, at all.

STACY: What is it like for me
performing in a company piece? It’s
bliss. I love it. Its the best its the best
thing in the world. It’s the best feeling in
the world. Um. You, you know, I hate
to nnn. I don’t want to say like a cliche
remark but, for you (pause). It depends.
Um, I think it depends on each individual
dancer, but for me its like I’m the king of
the world (laughs). I’m up there, I’m

41

onstage, I’m doing what I love to do. I’m
hopefully affecting the audience in some
way. I’m just pouring my heart and soul
out and it’s just the best feeling in the
world to be out there with the lights on
you with the audience watching and just
you know (pause) just (laughs) I have
no words for it. Just um, giving it your
all. It’s just it’s wonderful. Love it, love
it.

MICHAEL: Its like a release, where like
You’re giving everything you have
Physically, emotionally, mentally,
everything. You’re giving it to the
audience and you’re like displaying
yourself from the inside out through
movement

and to me that’s what performing is, you
know, giving of yourself to the audience.

LISA: It feels great. Absolutely
exuberating. Awesome. I

can’t think of any other (laughs) It’s
wonderful. (laughs)

JANE: I think thee audience uh can
give you energy as you’re as you’re out
there moving...

STACY: What I hope to achieve with
the audience when I perform is some
type of bond, any kind of bond to

set. Even if even if they say she moves
wonderfully, even if they say her
expression is wonderful, even if they say
uhh you just you inspired me in any
way, shape or form that’s what I try to
get acrossed is to make the person
who’s sitting in that seat, get up and
walk out of there feeling a little bit
different, inspired, moved by something
that I’ve done.

JANE: A lot of times I try to almost

42

sometimes tune the audience out ‘cause
I’m trying to get so far into myself and
what I’m doing and but I guess if they
react or if they’re reacting, I will I will
react to that or you will feel that I don’t I
guess I don’t think a whole lot about the
audience when I’m out there performing
um just because you’re you’re so
involved with dancing with the other
dancer or feeling what you need to feel
in that particular piece.

STACY: I, you know, love to perform.
The rehearsal is grueling, but most most
dancers will agree that the pay off is the
performing and is affecting the audience
in the way that you do...

JANE: ...the types of performances we
do in this company are our annual
winter concert which is usually, we call it
winter concert but its usually thee edge
of winter near spring.

And we perform lecture demonstrations
in the schools usually either on
Wednesdays, mostly on Fridays uh for
starting in January and ending in June
when the school year is over, so we’re
very busy especially with our school
shows.

LISA: ...we have a contract which binds
us to whatever dates we decide on
touring and performing and then we also
do lecture demonstrations for schools...
A big time commitment is towards the
summer festival. That’s our big
performance in the summer every year,
usually in June or July.

PETER: The company is very much of
the tradition of American modern dance
uh as opposed to broadway, jazz,
showdance, MTV. Uhm. The work that
I do comes out of a tradition of of

43

serious con creative movement of uh
works that are created the same way
that poetry is created or uh something in
the visual arts: uh Picasso, oh
Kandinsky uh, so that you have a
serious uh approach to using movement
to express the human condition. Now
that might sound a little heavy, but I
think what it what it means is that dance
uh the dance that Peter Sparling Dance
Company does reveals thee the
happiness, the joy, the ecstasy, the s
the tragedies, the sorrows that are part
of being human. So we dance dances
about being human. We also dance
dances about that celebrate music.

JANE: Our school shows are based on
uh children. They They’re dances that

children are really going to we feel turn

‘em on.

We do a lot of liter uh children’s
literature

Our latest one that we’re doing
right now is called Stellaluna, which is a
book by Jenelle Canon.

...our winter concerts that we do
are based more on um adult dances or
more serious works.

PETER: And even within thee the
program I mean for the mature
audiences, we have works that can be
done with local orchestras, such as the
Four Seasons.

We then have works that are

more serious or more adult, they’re
they’re a little more complex or abstract.
There are works to popular music, so
they’re very accessible to a general
public.

So thee other aspect of having a

modern dance company is that your you
have to be you have to have a range of
works that appeal to a broad range of
audience members, so that you you
have the flexibility to program, so
hopefully you have something that will
please everyone. And if there’s a piece
that totally confuses or baffles someone
or if you have a piece that people are
violently reacting to, that’s ok, that’s
what art is, but at least you give them a
range of things, so that they’ve got
something that they’ll take home and
say “yeah I really like that."

JANE: Dancing is good for your body
because it not only str I think it not only
stretches you um it also strengthens
yourbody

PETER: ...it strengthens you, it
coordinates you, you have to find your
center of gravity, you have to know
where your center is physically.

STACY: Dancing professionally in this
company affects my body in a good way
because uh we’re there three or four
days a week. Um. I don’t necessarily
have to do much if I don’t choose to
outside of it to keep myself in shape.
We dance a lot. We have class

JANE: ...it also works your mind, I think
that’s what’s so different with dance
than just doing um just any exercises, I
think it’s because if you’re working with
music or even just with any kind of
rhythm, you’re really you’re also using
your mind and your body at me same
time...

PETER: Dance is not for dumb people.
(laughs) Dance is for for very intelligent
people, who can coordinate their
physical bodies with their mental

45

facilities with their with their with the
imaging of movement in the mind as it
sends the message to the body.

STACY: ...affecting my body in a bad
way with the company is is your average
you know you get injuries, you know. I
haven’t had anything major, knock on
wood, but just strain, stress, on your
body.

JANE: I have had an injury. In fact, I’m
nursing an injury right now. My foot is
wrapped. I’m going uh uh to see a
doctor and I’m having physical therapy
done on my foot. I sprained my foot
during one of my rehearsals.

PETER: ...part of being a dancer is
learning to prevent injury, to maintain
the body, but also to heal if and when an
injury occurs, so it’s all in all it’s an
incredible education as to living in one’s
body.

STACY: ...the relationships with the
other dancers in the company um are
really good uh overall.

MICHAEL: ...we all get along really well

STACY: ...there’s not a lot of uh
cattiness where maybe you know
because of competition like oh she’s
better oh, you know what I mean? I
wanted that part.

LISA: ...everybody’s pretty close I
would say...

JANE: ...there just seems to be a
warmth between all the dancers...

PETER: There’s so much giving.

There’s so much love. There’s so much
uh um compassion and empathy for

46

each other because you depend on the
other person so much. I depend on my
dancers. They depend on me. They
depend on each other too for the show
to to go well.

MICHAEL: ...we’re really supportive of
each other, you know people are doing
other projects and working on other
things and so we like to support each
other; go to other performances, you
know, things like that...

STACY: We go and we do things
together when we’re not dancing. You
know, we’ll go and eat lunch, go and
eat dinner and chit chat an an hang out
when we’re not in the company.

DIANE: Oh its you know the same mix
of relationships you find in real life.
There are certain kindred uh
experiences that you share that will
always bind you, but there are certainly
personality clashes.

...no matter what the clashes are
everyone knows what the common goal
is, and we get over it or we work it out.
We may still never be bosom buddies
with this person or that person, like we
are with another person in the company,
but it doesn’t seem to effect the overall
because we are professional. We really
do understand that our goals are similar
and we will get there.

PETER: ...tonight’s performance is, and
you can read in the program, is
supported in large part by Michigan
Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.
Yes, they are doing something. Yes,
they are allowing us to be here.

(laughs) Uh...

PETER: Most of our funding comes
through Michigan Council, through our a

47

membership drive that we do every
year. We’re a non-profit corporation, so
that we can take in contributions. We
seek funding from corporations.

JANE: ...I think if a dancer wanted to uh
come in and join our company, um they
would uh come in and enjoy the fact that
they would uh come in and enjoy the
fact that they would get free classes and
paid rehearsals,

paid perfonnances,...

DIANE: ...The people who work in our
company over the years, many, many,
mana many of them have wanted a life
and didn’t see dance in the old-
fashioned tradition of you must be
young, you must be anorexic and you
must not be married or you how could
you call yourself a dancer because you
know your your life as a as a athlete is
so short-lived.

STACY: I enjoy the fact that I’m not
ninety-eight pounds and still get good
parts (laughs) and they you know, they
give me parts on my ability and not the
frame that l have, which a lot of
companies would turn me right away,
once they saw me. I’m not thin enough.

DIANE: Our niche has always aimed at
there are meaninng performing artists
no matter what they’re age as long as
they’re training and they’re upholding
professional standards, then they
certainly can be married and have
children and participate at the level they
feel comfortable.

PETER: ...in my company, we’re a
smaller company and everyone gets a
lot of work to do. Uh. So there’s a
there’s a fair distribution of roles and of
of featured parts,...

48

STACY: at least with this type of
company because its small and
because its not in some big city and you
know there’s fifty of us uh, it really
makes a difference as to (pause) what
comes out of our hard work. Um. If uh,
its not just about going in there and ok
you show me how to dance an an you
show me what to do and I’ll do it. This
way it makes it much more of a uh uh
mental and physical connection, you
can You know what I mean? We all are
educated in dance and we all can say
ok choreographically, this is what I think,
or musically, this is what I think an or
costuming this is what I think, so it’s it’s
puffing our minds together with our
bodies and not just going out there and
being a a body for them to use.

MICHAEL: I think being a dancer in the
company is is giving your full
commitment um, physically, emotionally.
Um you know a lot of effort goes goes
into you know in a rehearsal being
there, you know, learning what you’re
supposed to be learning or when it
comes to performing, like doing the best
you can and really dancing for yourself,
but you also are dancing for you know
seven other people and we’re a unit,
you know. We’re, I’m only one part of
like a nucleus that we have together that
can create all these different things and
so you know I think it takes all of us to
put out what we do.

49

APPENDIX 8
RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Group #1
Please tell me your name and grade in school.
How did you first get involved in dance and how old were you?

What types of dance classes are you currently taking and which one is your
favorite?

Why do you continue to take the dance classes? What is it you like about them?

What other ways are you involved in dance? And why are you involved in these
ways besides just taking dance classes?

What type of exposure have you had to professional dance?

Has anyone gone to see a professional dance performance from a company?
Now, why do you continue just to be involved in dance in general? Not
necessarily the classes, but just dance, why do you want to be involved in it?

What is it you just like about dance? What does it do for you?

Ok, what else? Think about why you come to class everyday. Think about why
you dance with the dance team. What does it do for you inside?

Can anybody think of anything else?

How does it feel when you start incorporating movement with music? Think
about actually being out here just dancing, the act of dancing.

How do you feel like when you finally accomplished a step correctly? Describe to
me the feeling.

Do you see you guys, do you see yourselves in the future involved in dance in
some way and then why or why don’t you want to be?

What are your opinions of professional dance companies? Like, what do you
think it is like to be a professional dancer in a company?

What’s involved in it?

Any other ideas? Anyone else have any main opinions on dance companies?

50

What do you think would be the urn pros and cons to being a dancer, 1 mean
the main pros and cons?

Ok, now when I asked you this question, what type of company are you
talking about? Besides professional, are you thinking of you know, as far as
location and how would you classify the type of company you’re talking
about?

You know how there’s different classifications of different types of dance
companies?

Ok, so like a full-time dance company in a major city is what comes to your
mind?

Ok, are you aware of any other types of dance companies that are maybe on
a smaller scale? And what their characteristics might be?

Ok. Would something like this appeal to any of you, as opposed to the other
type of company you were talking about?

If you had to pick just one thing about dance that you absolutely love the
most, what is it? What is it that just really keeps you connected to it, if you
had to pick that one thing?

Ok, if you could ask a professional dancer in a professional company one
question about what it’s like to be a professional dancer in their company,
what would you ask them?

Is um is there anything else that you can think of that I’ve left out that we
talked about that you’d like to add?

...what does it feel like for you when you’re actually performing onstage in

front of an audience? I mean is it something, is it a good feeling, a bad
feeling?

Group #2

Ok, so first of all just to start out, please tell me your name and your grade in
school

Now, how did you first get involved in dance and how old were you?

...what types of dance classes are you currently taking and which one is your
favorite?

51

Ok, why do you continue to take dance classes? What is it you like about taking
dance classes?

...what other ways are you involved in dance and why are you involved in dance
these ways besides just taking dance classes? You know like dancing in
musicals or dance teams, or that kind of thing.

...what type of exposure have you had to professional dance?

Why do you continue to be involved in just dance in general? What is it you like
about it? Not necessarily just the classes, the idiom of dance. Why do you keep
dancing?

Describe to me the urn feeling it, what it feels for you to be incorporating
movement to music. You know, when you’re out on stage or in class. How does
it feel—just the act of dancing, being one with the music?

Describe to me the feeling you feel when you execute a dance movement
correctly. Let’s say it’s something you had a hard time, you’d been working on it
and oh, you finally got it.

Ok, um do you see yourself in dance some way in the future and why or why
don’t you want to be?

Now for the two of you who are going to go on, be more specific about how you
are going to try to be professional dancers. You know as far as Broadway or
companies, teaching

What are your opinions of professional dance companies? What do you think it’s
like to be a professional dancer in a dance company?

Specifically what do you think are the main pros and cons of being a professional
dancer in a dance company?

Ok, now what type of companies come to your mind when you were answering
those questions, were you thinking in terms of you know professional, full-time
company in a major city or were you thinking in terms of a part-time regional
company in Michigan or What do these characteristics apply to? Do you think it
applies to all types of companies?

Ok, so you wouldn’t separate the companies as far as their characteristics?
...what is the one thing about dance that you absolutely love the most, the one

thing that just keeps you connected to it, the one thing that just gets you right
here?

52

If you could ask a professional dancer about what it’s like to be a professional
dancer in a company, what would you ask them? What one question?

53

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Anderson, Jack. Ballet 8 Mogern Dance: A Caoncise History. Princeton, New
Jersey: Princeton Book Company Publishers, 1986.

Anderson, Jack. The World of Modern Dance: Art Without Boundaries. Iowa
City: University of Iowa Press, 1997.

Ansen, David. “Madonna Lets It All Hang Out,” Newsweek, 13 May 1991, 66—67.

Barnes, Bart. “Modern Dance Legend Martha Graham Dies.“ The Washington
Post, 2 April 1991, see. A.

Bamouw, Erik. Documentary: A History of the Non-FMpn Film. New York:
Oxford University Press, 1974.

Bawden, Liz-Anne, ed., The Oxford Companion to Film. New York and London:
Oxford University Press, 1976.

Bego, Mark. Madonna: Blonde Ambition. Updated edition. New York: Cooper
Square Press, 2000.

Berman, Bruce. “documentary film.“ In Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia.
Grolier, Inc., 2001. <http://gme.grolier.com> (4 April 2001).

Bohn, Thomas W., Richard L. Stromgren, with Daniel H. Johnson. Light 8:
Shadows: A Histonr of Mot_ion PICtIflS. Port Washington, NY: Alfred
Publishing Co., Inc., 1975.

Bone, Jan and Ron Johnson. Understanding the Film: An Introduction to Film
Appreciation. 5th ed. Lincolnwood, Illinois USA: NTC Publishing Group,
1996.

Campbell, Mary. “Martha Graham: An American Original.” Dance Magazine,
March 1999, 72-75.

Cousteau, Jacques. Window In the Sea. Vol.4 of The Ocean World of Jagues
Cousteau. New York: World Publishing, Times Mirror, 1973.

Crowther, Bosley. “The Silent World.” In The New Yprk Times Guide to the
Beast 1.000 Movies Ever Made, by Vincent Canby, Janet Maslin, and the Film
Critics of The New York Timaa, edited by Peter M. Nichols. Times Books, a
division of Random House, Inc., 1999.

54

Dick, Jeff. “Documentary Delivery: 20 Videos for Library Collections,” Librag
Journal 119, no. 9 (1994): 38-40.

Dugan, James. Undersea Explorer: The Story of Captain Coustefl. New York
and Evanston: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1957.

DuTemple, Lesley A. Jacques Couste_au_. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications
Company, 2000.

Ground Zero Dance Company. <http://www.groundzerodanceomgp (6
November 2001).

Hacker, Diana. A Writer’s Reference. 4th ed. Boston and New York:
Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1999.

Handman, Gary. “Quick Vids: Videos on a Timeless Topic.” American Libraries.
June/July 1999, 138.

Hardy, Forsyth, ed. Grierson on Documentary. Revised ed. Berkeley and Los
Angeles: University of California Press, 1966.

Johnson, Brian D. “Unmaking Madonna: She Bares All in 3 Documentary.”
Maclean’s, 13 May 1991, 50.

Kallen, Stuart A. Earth Keepers. Edited by John Shepard. Edina, Minnesota:
Abdo & Daughters, 1993.

Kraus, Richard. History of the Dance in Art and Education. Englewood Cliffs,
New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1969.

Krueger, Richard A. Focus Groups: A Practical Guide for Applied Research.
2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, London, New Delhi: SAGE Publications,
International Educational and Professional Publisher, 1994.

Madsen, Axel. Qo_usteau: An Unauthorized Biography. New York: Beaufort
Books Publishers, 1986.

Mertes, Cara. "Documentaries: Stories Beyond the Facts.” Qaifl, July 2000,44.
Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia Deluxe 99, s.v. “Grierson, John.”

Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia Delpxe 99, s.v. “Nanook of the North.”

Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia Deluxe 99, s.v. “The Silent World.”

Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia Deluxe 99, s.v. “Weidman, Charles Edward, Jr.”

55

Monaco, James and the editors of BASELINE. The Eacyclopedia of Film.
New York, NY: A Perigee Book, The Putnam Publishing Group, 1991.

Munson, Richard. Cousteau: The Captain and His World. New York: William
Morrow and Company, Inc., 1989.

Rhode, Eric. A Histog of the Cinema from its Origins to 1970. New York: Hill
and Wang, A Division of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1976.

Robinson, David. The Hislnv of World Cinema. New York: Stein and Day
Publishers, 1973.

Ryan, James. “Cameos: Director: Alex Keshishian.” Premiere, June 1991, 31-
32 and 35-36.

Simon, John. “Immaterial Girl.“ National Review, 12 August 1991, 34.

Sinnott, Susan. The World’s Great Explorers: Jagues-Yves Cousteau.
Chicago: Childrens Press, 1992.

Sherman, Sharon R. Documenting Ourselves: Film, Video, and Culture. The
University Press of Kentucky, 1998.

Sochen, June. From Mae to Madonna: Women Entertainers in Twentieth-
Centum America. The University Press of Kentucky, 1999.

Stephen Pelton Dance Theater. <http://www.dnai.coml~peltdancl> (7 November
2001)

Wilkinson, Peter. “Madonna’s Favorite Filmmaker is One Smart Alek Director.”
Rolling_Stone, 16 May 1991, 52.

Woods, David L. “John Grierson: Documentary Film Pioneer.” The uarterl
Journal of Speech LVIl, no. 2 (1971): 221-228.

56

 

w--—-"