Dance Techniques 2010

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Historical Context
Relevant Theoretical
Discourses
For Muller, dance is a language—a means of communication.
As such, she shares, with many modern dance artists
of that time, a rather distanced position to the modernistic
art discourse according to which form and material were
seen as more relevant than the representational function of
art. 8 For Muller, the body can do nothing else other than
communicate.
In conversations, Muller repeatedly mentions the ‘humanistic’
concerns of her art. She finds dance a deeply
human endeavor, and understands ‘humanism’ as the need
for peaceful co-existence. 9 She points to her belief that all
people are created equal; this was particularly poignant at
the beginning of Muller’s artistic career, at a time when African
American citizens were marginalized. For her artistic
work, this translates into the recognition and acceptance
of differences, a need to make the working environment
harmonious, and to present a dancer onstage who does
not represent superhuman, historic characters (as she experienced
in the works of Graham and Limón). She prefers
to focus on the individual of today. 10
In addition, Muller’s understanding of ‘humanism’ is
rooted in her reflections on the Asian philosophy of nonintervention—which
she sees as the opposite of a Western
tendency toward, and need for, control. Asian philosophy,
first and foremost the writings of Lao Tse like the Tao Te
Ching and I Ching, does not view the body as complete in
and of itself, but as something that, through its energy, is
permanently connected to the environment.
Current Practice
Muller Technique is taught daily in her studio, either by
Jennifer herself or by long–standing members of her company,
The Works. Technique classes prepare Muller’s dancers
for her choreographic work, which is distinguished by
a high energy and virtuosity. When Muller or an authorized
company member rehearses her repertoire for other
companies, technique classes serve to help these dancers
understand the fundamentals of the Muller Technique.
Dancers who have completed the Muller Technique
teaching program have taken the method around the
world, which has opened up a second career for many. In
the meantime, the Muller Technique has inspired others to
develop their own work or technique. A great number of
her former dancers have taken teaching positions at American
universities (in California, Florida, and Massachusetts,
for example), and others teach regularly in Europe,
Asia, and South America.
Muller also applies her ideas and theories outside of
the dance field—for instance, at schools or when working
on community projects. These projects are less about the
technique itself than they are about the development of
dance and creativity within a specific group.
Individual Approach
Muller’s technique stemmed from a need to help dancers
train with less tension, and from a desire that dancers be
able to credibly embody human emotions and movement
onstage. Beyond the objective of preparing the dancer for
Muller’s artistic work, the technique has a variety of applications.
While there is no specific information as to how teachers
and choreographers are using the technique, the following
aspects lend themselves to a broader application by
individuals, to those practicing other techniques, and for
performance situations:
1. Achieving an energized and clearly structured body;
2. Clarity in placement—especially a consciousness
for hip placement;
3. The development of a supple, ‘useful’ plié;
4. Creating a ‘sculpted body’—muscular shaping for a
body that works without too much tension;
5. An efficient use of movement;
6. Strengthening the connection between body and mind,
and preparing for performance;
7. Imparting fundamental social values, for example,
acknowledging the individual and respecting others,
thus enabling dancers to learn and grow in a supportive,
motivating environment—which characterizes the
general atmosphere in a Muller Technique class.
8 Under the influence of what was known
as abstract expressionism in the U.S., the
cultural theoretician and art critic Clement
Greenberg identified abstraction and / or
the self–referentiality of art to its own medium
(for example, brush work) as the fundamental
attribute of modern art. Accordingly,
modern art was characterized by the absence
of any clear mimetic function and was not
interested in realistically depicting the world.
Because a great part of modern dance cannot
be easily explained within this theoretical
framing, an extensive debate broke out about
the modernism of modern dance in dance
studies. (See for instance: Mark Franko:
Dancing Modernism / Performing Politics.
Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1995;
Sally Banes: Terpsichore in Sneakers: Post-
Modern Dance. Middletown: Wesleyan University
Press,1987) The 1960s can in no way
be considered completely under the yoke of
a modernistic artistic discourse as defined by
Clement Greenberg and continued by Michael
Fried, among others (Michael Fried: Art and
Objecthood: Essays and Reviews. Chicago
/ London: University of Chicago Press,
1998.) For instance, Pop Art and some postmodern
dance distanced themselves from this
type of discourse (although differently than
Muller has done). They were more interested