ABSTRACT
Over the course of the twentieth century, the art world saw several shifts in artists’ approach to their practice. In part, these upheavals were motivated by a rejection of the established forms of the past, including the traditional understanding of the relationship between the arts and the appropriate use of their media. Dance performances partook of these changes, and their effects can be seen clearly in dance practice today. Among the artists whose activities found a central position in this rethinking of art are two whose work will provide the case studies for this chapter: my discussion is based around Lamentation (1930) by Martha Graham, and Nearly Ninety (2009) by Merce Cunningham.
