ABSTRACT
A structural analysis of George Balanchine's Serenade and Doris Humphrey's Passacaglia, two paradigms, demonstrates that both choreographers' de-emphasis on the production elements of scenery, costume and storyline challenges the viewer with the interrelated elements of movement, time and space and, therefore, asserts the central role of dance in both works. Examining the Sonatina and Passacaglia sections specifically, six common choreographic stages emerge: "still frame," "movement vocabulary," "vocabulary in motion," "spatial rhythm," "accumulation," and "disintegration." Both choreographers are revealed as formalists who reflect the structural qualities of their chosen musical scores.
