Maureen Fleming
Encyclopedia
Maureen Fleming is an American
dancer, performance art
ist, and choreographer from New York City
. She studied butoh
dance and is known for her meditative, dreamlike http://www.maureenfleming.com/pages/reviews_pages/199809_clevelandfree.html solo dances, which include elements of contortion
, and in which she often performs unclothed (sometimes with her body painted white). The New Yorker
magazine has called her "perhaps the foremost American practitioner of Butoh."http://www.maureenfleming.com/pages/reviews_pages/20040412_newyorker.html
lieutenant
http://www.maureenfleming.com/pages/about.html who was part of the Occupation of Japan, and grew up in Yokohama.http://www.maureenfleming.com/pages/reviews_pages/20020301_bostonherald.html She was injured in an automobile accident at the age of two, following which she lost the disc
between her fourth and fifth vertebrae. Only learning of this accident many years later, she believes this experience to have shaped her career in dance, particularly her affinity for moving her body in a slow, deliberate fashion. She moved with her parents to the United States when she was three years old, and began dancing at approximately age seven.
with Cecchetti method
master Margaret Craske (1892–1990), and performed briefly with several New York City-based dance companies. She was first exposed to butoh in 1984 when she met butoh dancer Min Tanaka
in New York City
, joining his company, Maijuku, for a time. Following this, she studied butoh in Japan with Tanaka, and later with one of the art form's founders, Kazuo Ohno
, with whom she remains in contact.
s in her dances, and believes the female nude
to be a universal artistic image. She has stated that "the flesh is the costume of the soul."
About her work, she has said the following:
She has stated that it often takes her ten years to create a new dance.
works with playwright David Henry Hwang
, composer Philip Glass
, photographer Lois Greenfield
, and ikebana
artist Gaho Taniguchi.http://www.maureenfleming.com/pages/about.html She has toured with Min Tanaka, as well as Yoshito Ohno, the son of Kazuo Ohno.http://www.maureenfleming.com/pages/reviews_pages/20020224_bostonglobe.html
She has also performed with the dancer Jean Erdman
, and knew her husband, Joseph Campbell
.
She also directs the Maureen Fleming Company, and has created several evening-length works, among which Eros is the best known. Her first major work, Axis Mundi, was premiered in 1989 at the La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club
in Manhattan
.
and the New York University
Tisch School of the Arts
.
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
dancer, performance art
Performance art
In art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
ist, and choreographer from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She studied butoh
Butoh
is the collective name for a diverse range of activities, techniques and motivations for dance, performance, or movement inspired by the movement. It typically involves playful and grotesque imagery, taboo topics, extreme or absurd environments, and is traditionally performed in white body makeup...
dance and is known for her meditative, dreamlike http://www.maureenfleming.com/pages/reviews_pages/199809_clevelandfree.html solo dances, which include elements of contortion
Contortion
thumb|upright|Contortionist performingContortion is an unusual form of physical display which involves the dramatic bending and flexing of the human body. Contortion is often part of acrobatics and circus acts...
, and in which she often performs unclothed (sometimes with her body painted white). The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
magazine has called her "perhaps the foremost American practitioner of Butoh."http://www.maureenfleming.com/pages/reviews_pages/20040412_newyorker.html
Early life
She was born in Japan, the daughter of a United States NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
http://www.maureenfleming.com/pages/about.html who was part of the Occupation of Japan, and grew up in Yokohama.http://www.maureenfleming.com/pages/reviews_pages/20020301_bostonherald.html She was injured in an automobile accident at the age of two, following which she lost the disc
Intervertebral disc
Intervertebral discs lie between adjacent vertebrae in the spine. Each disc forms a cartilaginous joint to allow slight movement of the vertebrae, and acts as a ligament to hold the vertebrae together.-Structure:...
between her fourth and fifth vertebrae. Only learning of this accident many years later, she believes this experience to have shaped her career in dance, particularly her affinity for moving her body in a slow, deliberate fashion. She moved with her parents to the United States when she was three years old, and began dancing at approximately age seven.
Dance studies and first exposure to butoh
Fleming studied balletBallet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
with Cecchetti method
Cecchetti method
The Cecchetti method is a ballet technique and training system devised by the Italian ballet master and pedagogue Enrico Cecchetti . The Cecchetti method, is a strict training system with special concern for anatomy within the confines of classical ballet technique, and seeks to develop the...
master Margaret Craske (1892–1990), and performed briefly with several New York City-based dance companies. She was first exposed to butoh in 1984 when she met butoh dancer Min Tanaka
Min Tanaka
is a Japanese actor and dancer. He won the award for best supporting actor at the 26th Japan Academy Prize for The Twilight Samurai.-Filmography:* The Twilight Samurai * The Hidden Blade * House of Himiko...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, joining his company, Maijuku, for a time. Following this, she studied butoh in Japan with Tanaka, and later with one of the art form's founders, Kazuo Ohno
Kazuo Ohno
was a Japanese dancer who became a guru and inspirational figure in the dance form known as Butoh. It was written of him that his very presence was an "artistic fact."...
, with whom she remains in contact.
Artistic outlook and process of creation
Fleming has stated that she attempts to create archetypeArchetype
An archetype is a universally understood symbol or term or pattern of behavior, a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated...
s in her dances, and believes the female nude
Nudity
Nudity is the state of wearing no clothing. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic. The amount of clothing worn depends on functional considerations and social considerations...
to be a universal artistic image. She has stated that "the flesh is the costume of the soul."
About her work, she has said the following:
She has stated that it often takes her ten years to create a new dance.
Works and performances
Fleming has performed in North America, Europe, and Asia, and collaborated in her multimediaMultimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
works with playwright David Henry Hwang
David Henry Hwang
David Henry Hwang is an American playwright who has risen to prominence as the preeminent Asian American dramatist in the U.S.He was born in Los Angeles, California and was educated at the Yale School of Drama and Stanford University...
, composer Philip Glass
Philip Glass
Philip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
, photographer Lois Greenfield
Lois Greenfield
__notoc__Lois Greenfield is a photographer made famous by her ability to capture the human form in motion and her use of it as a compositional element in her art...
, and ikebana
Ikebana
is the Japanese art of flower arrangement, also known as .-Etymology:"Ikebana" is from the Japanese and . Possible translations include "giving life to flowers" and "arranging flowers".- Approach :...
artist Gaho Taniguchi.http://www.maureenfleming.com/pages/about.html She has toured with Min Tanaka, as well as Yoshito Ohno, the son of Kazuo Ohno.http://www.maureenfleming.com/pages/reviews_pages/20020224_bostonglobe.html
She has also performed with the dancer Jean Erdman
Jean Erdman
Jean Erdman is a dancer and choreographer of modern dance as well as an avant-garde theater director.-Early years:Erdman was born on February 20, 1916 in Honolulu, Hawaii...
, and knew her husband, Joseph Campbell
Joseph Campbell
Joseph John Campbell was an American mythologist, writer and lecturer, best known for his work in comparative mythology and comparative religion. His work is vast, covering many aspects of the human experience...
.
She also directs the Maureen Fleming Company, and has created several evening-length works, among which Eros is the best known. Her first major work, Axis Mundi, was premiered in 1989 at the La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club
La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club
La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club is an off-off Broadway theatre founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, and named in reference to her. Located on Manhattan's Lower East Side, the theatre grew out of Stewart's tiny basement boutique for her fashion designs; the boutique's space acted as a theatre for...
in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
.
Teaching
She has taught at the Juilliard SchoolJuilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
and the New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
Tisch School of the Arts
Tisch School of the Arts
Tisch School of the Arts is one of the 15 schools that make up New York University ....
.
Awards
She has won a fellowship from the National Endowment for the ArtsNational Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
.