This black-and-white photograph shows ten Springfield College gymnasts forming a Tableaux titled “The Machine Age.” A note on the back says, “Tableaux to depict in movement the Machine Age.”
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Publisher:
Springfield College
Notes:
The Tableaux as used in gymnastics performances was created by Springfield College alumnus Leslie J. Judd (class of 1920), who went on to become a famous gymnastics coach at his alma mater (1921-1956). Tableaux, essentially, means living picture, and it is performed by costumed actors who remain silent and motionless. In the case of this Tableaux, however, old footage reveals that it involves repetitious movement. Tableaux have been used throughout theatrical history, but Judd transformed the idea. Coach Judd and Coach Frank Wolcott, his successor, created Tableaux that expressed ideals and commemorated moments in history. Tableaux are still performed by Springfield College gymnasts.
