Orientalism in Early Modern Dance

Doris Humphrey is a renowned pioneer of early American modern dance, and her contributions to the art form are widely recognized as a starting point for generations of modern dancers. She grew up in Oak Park, and there is even a street here named after her family.

Though many of her works are considered masterpieces and still preformed today, Orientalism can be clearly seen in some of the lesser known pieces she choreographed.

Humphrey would go on long trips to many different countries in Asia and return with new "inspiration" for her dances.

Though the intention behind these pieces was not to mock or disrespect a certain culture, the works are still problematic. Humphrey was a white American who thought that she had the right to recreate dance she saw from other cultures, when it was definitely not her place to interpret these cultures and show her interpretations to an American audience. Her audience probably had little to no actual experience with different cultures and countries in Asia, so Humphrey's representation of them was the one of the only examples they saw. Clearly, it is a big problem when the person who exposes people to a different culture is not actually part of that culture. An American visiting an Asian country, observing their dance styles, and creating a new dance to show other Americans that is based on their own interpretation is not an accurate representation.

The tricky thing about Orientalism is that it does not always purposefully disrespect an Asian culture. Many times, like in Doris Humphrey's situation, it comes out of a love for a culture, but it is shown in a problematic way that makes the Asian country it represents seem distant, mysterious, exotic, and different.