Performance Poetry

History of Performance Poetry

The foundations for contemporary performance poetry can be dated to the early 20th century, as poets such as Basil Bunting pushed for poetry to be perceived as something closer to music than writing on a page, arguing that a poem cannot be fully understood until spoken. In the 1950s and 60s, some poets began composing poems orally with a tape recorder, including Allen Ginsberg.

Performance events rose to popularity through the Beat Poetry movement, during which many poets from the Beat Generation held jazz and poetry reading nights. The Beat Generation, also popularised recording poetry. For instance, both Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac released audio recordings of their poetry. In the 1960s, David Antin held improvised poetry performances which he named ‘talk poems’.

Although performance poetry can be found throughout history, it became a genre in its own right during the late 20th century. The term was coined by Hedwig Gorski in 1982 in the ‘Litera’ column of the Austin Chronicle. Gorski used the term to separate her experimental spoken word from performance art.

Performance poetry was performed with music, similar to Gorski’s work with the band East of Eden Band, which reached a height of popularity in the 1980s, particularly in New York and San Francisco. Interestingly, Austin, Texas, was the third most dominant scene for performance poetry, featuring Hedwig Gorski among other notable artists such as Roxy Gordon.

Performance poetry-focused cafes and clubs were established, paving the way for slam poetry. This resulted in the performance poetry genre splitting into two forms. The first form focused on recording and broadcasting poetry, in place of publishing it in the form of written word. The second form was centred on performing poetry for intimate live audiences.

Performance poetry remains popular today, with performance poets performing at large festivals such as The Edinburgh Fringe and specific poetry events such as The New York City Poetry Festival.

Performance Poetry and postmodernism

Performance poetry refers to poetry composed with the intention of being performed, or composed during a performance in front of a live audience. This style of poetry developed as part of the postmodernism literary movement.

Performance poetry went against the standard structures and forms of traditional poetry – such as sonnets. Instead, this genre of poetry experimented with different rhythms to engage the audience and convey the poem’s meaning.

Performance poetry: examples of poets

Performance poets are artists who specialize in the art of delivering spoken word poetry in live performances. They skillfully combine the written word with elements of theatre, music, and storytelling to create a compelling and impactful experience for the audience. They use their voice, body language, and stage presence to bring their poetry to life, using rhythm, tone, and emotion to engage and connect with the listeners.

As we noted in the overview of performance poetry's history, poetry performances took place before the term was coined in 1982. Take a look at the four examples below and see whether you can spot any differences between the examples of performance poetry before and after 1982.

Robert Frost's reading of 'The Gift Outright' (1941) at President John F Kennedy's Inauguration in 1961

In 1961, Robert Frost became the first poet to perform at an Inaugural ceremony. After this performance, spoken word recordings by Robert Frost became more popular.

'The Gift Outright' was first recited by Frost in 1941, and first published in 1942. The poem itself is written in a simple form, consisting of a single sixteen-line stanza. The simple form of the poem is reflected in Frost's simplistic, steady tempo as he reads the poem aloud.

Fig. 1 - Robert Frost is well known for his poems 'Fire and Ice' and 'The Road Not Taken'.

Allen Ginsberg at 'The International Poetry Incarnation' in 1965

In 1965, Allen Ginsberg performed Beat Poetry at 'The International Poetry Incarnation' at the Royal Albert Hall. As he reads to the audience, Ginsberg emphasises some words, stretching them out as he pronounces them. He also uses physical movement and varied intonation to portray different emotions as he reads.

Fig. 2 - Allen Ginsberg was a prominent poet of the Beat Generation.

Roger McGough performs 'The Sound Collector' (2012)

In 2012, Roger McGough gave a reading of his poem 'The Sound Collector' for BBC Two's Let's Write Poetry: The Big Slam. As Roger reads, a visual performance is given by the shadow of a man, who represents the 'stranger' in the poem.

John Cooper Clarke performs 'Smooth Operetta' (2014)

In 2014, John Cooper Clarke performed at BBC Radio's 6 Music Festival in Manchester. In his reading of 'Smooth Operetta' he uses rhyme, repetition, and colloquial language to create a rhythmic poem which is engaging to listen to.

Types of Performance Poetry

Poetry performance has been around for centuries, and over time it has developed into different types including; poetry reading, spoken word, slam poetry, and jazz poetry.

Poetry reading

Poetry reading refers to poems originally published and experienced in a written form, which are later performed aloud to an audience. Usually, this form of performance will be less experimental with sound and rhythm, not going beyond what the author wrote on the page.

Spoken word

This type of performance poetry refers to poetry produced with the intention of being performed. Spoken word poetry may be written down and published, or it could be only presented in its oral form.

Music can be incorporated into spoken word, from hip-hop to rock, alongside theatrical elements such as movement and expression.

Common features of spoken word poetry are repetition, rhyme, and word-play. Often, spoken word poetry is written with a rhyme and repetition so the poet may improvise around what they've already written while performing.

Traditionally, spoken word poetry focused on political issues, raising awareness through verbally and visually engaging performances.

Slam Poetry

Slam Poetry is a type of poetry performed at poetry slams, a spoken word poetry contest. This type of performance poetry will typically reflect the atmosphere of most poetry slams; i.e., lively, loud, and full of energy. The intention of poetry slams is to make poetry accessible for everyone, rather than being confined to academia.

The first poetry slam was held at the 'Get Me High Lounge' in Chicago in 1984, organised by Marc Smith. In 1999, the first National Poetry Slam was held and covered by The New York Times. Today, poetry slams have officially moved poetry into the 'mainstream'.

Unlike 'performance poetry' as coined by Hedwig Gorski, slam poetry can not involve props or music. Instead, all of its theatrical elements have to come from the way in which the speaker moves and speaks.

Jazz Poetry

Jazz poetry is a type of performance poetry that has a similar improvised feel to jazz music. For instance, Langston Hughes' poem 'The Weary Blues' (1925) is written in free verse and holds a similar sound and rhythm to the jazz and blues music of the 1920s. Hughes' utilises repetition, rhyme, and varied sentence lengths to create this sound.

Some later jazz poetry, written by poets associated with the Beat generation, even incorporated jazz music into the reading of the poem itself.

Features of Performance Poetry

Performance poetry holds many features similar to written poetry, utilising techniques such as rhyme, rhythm, and imagery to convey a message to the reader. However, there is one key difference, performance poetry is spoken aloud, allowing for new, sound and visual-focused features.

Emotive speech

As performance poetry is spoken aloud, the most notable feature which makes it different from written poetry is the emotions the speaker is able to put into their speech and movement.

Emotive speech, performance poetry techniques

• Tone: variation In the poet's voice to portray their perspective.
• Gesture: Body movements to highlight certain meanings.
• Dynamics and register: Use of different volumes and registers.

Rhythm

While rhythm is a feature of all types of poetry, in performance poetry the poem's rhythm is often experimented with. In some cases, the poet may have a musical accompaniment or backing track. Alternatively, they may choose to change the poem's rhythm as they read aloud to emphasise certain points.

Rhythm, performance poetry techniques

• Pace: The speed at which the poet speaks.
• Pauses: Leaving space between certain words or lines to emphasise certain things or create suspense.
• Beatboxing / Singing: Incorporating different sounds and styles into the performance.

Improvisation

Sometimes, performance poets will write a 'skeleton' version of their poem before going on stage. This 'skeleton' version will contain the poem's general narrative and structure but will allow room for improvisation on stage. Alternatively, some performance poetry is completely improvised and made up on the spot in front of a live audience!

Improvisation, performance poetry techniques

• Audience involvement: Involving the audience by asking them to clap to the rhythm or repeat key lines.
• Call and response: Asking the audience to respond to certain words or phrases.