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Story: Contemporary dance

Limbs, 1978

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Limbs, 1978

Limbs dancers Mark Baldwin and Debbie McCulloch are seen here in After the rain (1979). Their positions reflect the different movement vocabularies used in ballet and modern dance training. Baldwin's airy leap, the articulation of his legs, his pointed toes and the lifted line of his arms are typical of ballet, while McCulloch's deep squat reflects the more weighty, floor-oriented modern dance. By this time many New Zealand dancers were trained in both forms. 

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, Dominion Post Collection (PA-Group-00685)

Reference: EP-Arts-Dance,modern,Limbs-01

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How to cite this page

Marianne Schultz, Contemporary dance – Modern dance flourishes, 1970s and 1980s, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/42590/limbs-1978 (accessed 24 June 2026).

Story by Marianne Schultz, published 16 September 2013.