Yvonne Rainer, a dancer, choreographer, and filmmaker, was born in 1934 in San Francisco, California. A key figure in American post-modern dance, she is known for redefining the image of the dancer by rejecting virtuosity and physical expressivity. She was a member of the collectives The Judson Dance Theater and The Grand Union before turning to experimental filmmaking in 1972.

Initially aspiring to become an actress, Yvonne Rainer moved to New York in 1956. Married to abstract expressionist painter Al Held, she was immersed in the visual arts scene and connected with artists such as Robert Morris, Robert Rauschenberg, and Alex Hay. In 1957, at the age of 23, she took her first dance classes with Edith Stephen. By 1959, she was studying with Martha Graham and Merce Cunningham, while also training in classical techniques, and decided to fully dedicate herself to dance.

In 1960, she attended a workshop led by Anna Halprin in California and, upon returning to New York, enrolled in Robert Dunn’s composition class. These experiences proved pivotal in shaping her choreographic approach. Anna Halprin emphasized the concept of tasks and a focus on the process of action, while Robert Dunn explored structuring dance through simple concepts or chance-based processes.

Simone Forti, Steve Paxton, Trisha Brown, David Gordon, and Deborah Hay also participated in Robert Dunn’s workshops. These dancers, then in their early twenties, were deeply engaged with the New York avant-garde art scene. Under Dunn’s guidance, they presented some of the works created during the workshops at a dance concert held on July 6, 1962, at the Judson Memorial Church—a seminal event in post-modern dance history.

During this period, Yvonne Rainer also performed for choreographers such as Simone Forti, James Waring, and Aileen Passlof.

Source: Centre national de la danse