Though not as noted
during his time as many of his contemporaries, due to limited monetary funds as
well as his west coast location, Lester Horton contributed a great deal to the
dance field as a choreographer. Horton’s childhood interest in Native
American culture continued throughout his lifetime and perpetrated its way
into his choreography as he studied Iroquois, Red River, Penobscot, and Ojibway
tribes. Examples of pieces based on this research include the Kootenai War Dance, the Azteca Ballet, and the Spell of the Totem. However, Horton did not limit himself to
covering just one ethnic group. In fact, his skill for translating and creating
relatable ethnic dances landed him several jobs choreographing for films in the
40’s and 50’s. Horton’s willingness to explore various ethnicities and cultures
also led him to focus on social issues of the day, such as racial violence and
injustice. In fact, according to danceheritage.org, for two decades he became
known for “an individual
technique and theatrical style that embraced themes of social and political
protest as well as satire.” Much of the historical context of
America during this time was heavily focused around World War II and the fight
for civil rights, and this would make its way into Horton’s choreography.
Horton also drew
themes from stories and biblical accounts. Salome
is an example of one of his pieces, which is drawn from the Bible, and Horton
actually created several remakes of this work throughout his lifetime. Another
one of his dances that was created along these lines is The Beloved. This piece is based on the story of a man who, upon
hearing of his wife’s alleged infidelity, beat her to death with a Bible. These
are examples of another way that Horton incorporated his love of culture into
his choreography, as “his
interest in ethnic dance, culture, history, and humanity were articulated in
every facet of his work” (kennedy-center.org).
Horton also tried to
maintain a sense of uniqueness in his creations, and his approach to dance was
a key aspect of how he achieved this goal. He valued all features of a
performance, and therefore was involved in each aspect, such as costumes,
music, sets, and lighting. Horton achieved success in this endeavor of
combining all elements of the theater, and this eventually evolved into what he
named “choreodramas.” One way this concept came about was through his work with
Oscar Wilde’s play Salome, which he
directed a production of at a theater in California. His successful staging of
the play included attention to movement and positions, with one reviewer
calling it a verbal ballet. As stated in a biography of Horton, written by
Larry Warren, “Much of the work was heavily pantomimic but facial expressions
were kept blank. The drama was to come from the body or not at all. Salome may well have been the first
attempt by any modern dance choreographer to sustain a dramatic story line in
this way. It certainly was the first of many evenings of Lester Horton’s Total
Theater” (jstor.org).
From Native Americans, to life in the Midwest,
to social concerns of the day, Horton drew from a diverse
array of subjects to shed light upon through his choreography. “His fascination
with ethnic dance, human sensuality, and cultural history was expressed in a
prodigious body of work with themes ranging from the classics to melodrama,
social concerns to farce” (memory.loc.gov). While some of his works are still
being reset on companies today, Horton also left a valuable impression on the
world of dance production and how dance could be incorporated into the artistic experience.
Works
Cited: danceheritage.org, kennedy-center.org, jstor.org: Dance Research Journal,
memory.loc.gov, contemporary-dance.org
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