Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2024 - 29

explored different themes and ideas,
and individual dances were linked thematically.
These themes could be creation
myths or use a poem as an origin,
but they always had a central connection:
the tenets of the fellowship itself,
which prioritized originality, and the
singular pursuit of art over the " ratrace "
and common desires of the " regular
man. "
" During the preceding 10 years, the
thrust of the dances had changed, " said
Amin. " The Gurdjieff movements were
gradually deleted from the program and
replaced by dances representing epics
choreographed by Iovanna. Some
of those epics had religious contents.
Some had an artistic theme, such as
Primavera, Botticelli's painting where
some performers ended a dance ending
in a posture shown in the painting. The
Dallas demonstration was reviewed in
The Dallas Morning News by the notable
theater critic John Rosenfeld. His
balanced review recognized the serious
effort invested in the work. He wrote
that Iovanna did not make dancers out
of all student architects, but she taught
them how to dance " (Amin 1989).
As the narrative scope and ambition
grew, so did the costume design.
The earliest movement performances
were clothed in loose white garments,
interspersed with a few richly decorated
garments. But as the dance performances
grew, Heliose Crista designed more
costumes and supervised their creation
by
other
teachings also attracted a jeweler who
crafted metal headdresses and accessories
for the dances.
Yet, the tensions inside the fellowship
grew as the 1950s continued. The
architectural practice became very
busy, with many apprentices occupied
with the work of producing the various
drafts and documents needed to finalize
a building for construction. This left
less time to devote to rehearsals for the
springtime Dance Festivals.
This all changed with the passing of
Frank Lloyd Wright in April 1959. After
this time, Mrs. Wright " made the sacred
dances even more central to the fellowship.
The Taliesin Festival of Music
and Dance was expanded to five performances
each spring. Now everybody
took part-dancing, singing playing, and
making beautiful sets and ornate costumes.
Iovanna was forever summoning
apprentices out of the drafting room.
Rehearsals went on throughout the
night. For three months every year, the
drafting room more or less shut down "
(Freidland & Zellman 2006, 548).
The diverse range of skills in the
apprentices. The Gurdjieff
fellowship supported a real do-it-yourself
aesthetic. Their mindset was that
any idea could be solved and any effect
could be achieved. Creating custom scenic
effects and scenic units became a
regular occurrence. " 'A Winter's Dream'
was inspired by Botticelli's paintings,
'Birth of Venus' and 'Primavera'. For
the former, we constructed a large
shell; when closed, it completely concealed
Venus. At the touch of a button
by a passing dancer, the shell opened
to reveal Venus, who then stepped out.
It was a lovely moment " (Nemtin 2009,
18). Lighting solutions were also addressed
and the focus became more
aesthetic. " Lighting and stage design
also underwent
steady
revision and
fine-tuning until it was generally agreed
that we had achieved our artistic vision "
(Nemtin 2009, 15).
ISSUE 2, 2024 | THEATRE DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY | 29
http://usitt.org
Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2024
