Pearl Primus's beginning works were largely influenced by the racism of the times. In the early to mid 20th century, segregation and Jim Crow laws governed the lives of African-Americans and other people of color. Despite the freedom of African-Americans from slavery, there still remained a reconstruction period far beyond the years of the Civil War. More opportunities began to arise for African-Americans, however these successes did not come without backlash from the majority. From lynching to burning churches, this time period put America's social and racial issues to the forefront, particularly those issues related to the segregation of African-Americans. Pearl Primus's work was heavily influenced by the social issues of the times and are quite obvious when seeing works like "Strange Fruit" and "The Negro Speaks Like Rivers."
The 20th century was also a time when Africa was experiencing heavy colonization in some countries, as well as freedoms from colonizations in others. With every freedom from colonization, the African culture was put more in the forefront. Pearl Primus was able to live amongst many different African cultures during this political time and bring a positive image to the American people. The art of African dance was able to be displayed, performed, and received well by audiences because of her work during this time period.
Pearl Primus's style of dance was a style that many artists in modern times could relate to. The stepping away from ballet to modern was obvious by Pearl's teachers (Martha Graham, Hanya Holm, Charles Weidman, and Doris Humphrey), however she was moving in a direction similar to Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn. Pearl was infusing other cultural dances with modern and ballet movement. Pearl, along with Katherine Dunham and others, was looking to give the African and Caribbean cultures a voice and respect in the world of dance. She achieved that goal and her works were created at a time when many artists were stepping out of normal dance traditions.
Where in Africa did Primus do most of her research? Did she use these traditional steps/rhythms in her dances? How important was the fact that she was "trained" by the legion of modern greats...Graham, Holm, etc. Do you think it made her more accepted by audiences? From the film in class, it appears that Primus is at the center of the civil rights movement. Were there any other black choreographers doing this at the same time?
ReplyDeletePearl Primus traveled to the Gold Coast, Angola, Cameroons, Liberia, Senegal and the Belgian Congo. It was in the country of Nigeria that she experienced the most acceptance and, as a result, spent a lot of time among the people in the community.She took what she learned in these countries and infused them not only in her dances, but in the classes she taught. Some of the traditional dances she learned were performed without much mixing like the Funga. Her training with other was important as it gave Pearl tools to create dances after not being a dancer at all. Along with other black choreographers like Katherine Dunham and Alvin Ailey, Pearl was infusing different techniques to put black dancers and their work in a respectable place in America. At the same time, the story of black people in America was being told from a number of perspectives
ReplyDeleteI had no idea she was in so many countries in Africa. Was this over a long period of time, or several trips? I am still curious to know if you have discovered any other choreographers who performed at civil rights gatherings in the 60's.
ReplyDeleteShe studied in Africa over a course of 18 months. However, she took trips back and forth. She also studied in the West Indies, where she later met her husband. I have not necessarily found choreographers that were at specific 60s events. However, I found information about other black choreogrpahers that were influenced by Peral Primus in that they used their dance to be a social and political voice for African-Americans. These dancers include people like Carmen de Lavallade, Eleo Pomare, and Talley Beatty. Additionally, some vehicles for their battle were organizations like the Black Choreographers Association, founded by a group of choreographers and dancers that also included Eleo Pomare, as well as Rod Rodgers, and Carole Johnson.
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