Lecture 4 Flashcards
movements in german expressionism
hands very wide and dramatic, body in very dramatic poses
what are 2 other strands of modernism
- expressionism
2. social realism
characteristics of expressionism
psychological, introspective, realistic
how was german expressionism different from just expressionism
had all the same characteristics, plus a fascination of death and fate
how was expressionism introspective
looking deep into the psyche
- era of freud and psychology
- interest in complex emotions and the inner workings of the psyche
characteristics of social realism
commenting on current social and political issues in art
what was modern dance referred to as in germany
expressive dance
did modern dance in germany develop before or after that in america
at the same time
who were the 3 prime movers of german modern dance
- rudolph labam
- mary wigman
- kurt joos
rudolph laban
dance and choreographer
who was the first to develop the concept of german expressive dance
rudolph laban
what was rudolph laban’s dance company
dance-theatre laban
dance-theatre laban
toured, was successful, laban performed with
what kinds of movement was rudolph laban interested in
all kinds of movement - not just that that was commonly performed in a theatre
who was the first to use the term dance theatre
rudolph laban
who created movement choirs
rudolph laban
movement choirs
many bodies moving together, like a choir of singers
- large scale
- performed in the community
who performed in movement choirs
non professionals and amateurs
ex of movement choir
one in vienna, 10,000 performers
how many schools dance did rudolph laban establish in germany
4
what is the reading on rudolph laban about
dance in education
who did rudolph laban primarily work with
he worked with professionals through his dance company but also non-professionals through his movement choirs
what was rudolph laban’s major contribution to 20th century modern dance
himself as a theoretician
- he was the first artist to give modern dance a solid theoretical foundation
what 2 things did rudolph laban develop to give modern dance a theoretical foundation
- theory of movement
2. system of dance notation
what was rudolph laban’s system of dance notation
labanotation
- still around today
- takes 4 years to fully learn
what are the 4 main categories in rudolph laban’s theory of movement
- body
- effort
- shape
- space
body category in rudolph laban’s theory of movement
- the initiation of movement from specific body part
- connection of body parts to each other
- sequencing of movements between parts of the body
effort category in rudolph laban’s theory of movement
movement qualities and dynamics, described in poetic terms as well as 4 specific types of efforts
4 types of efforts
- space
- weight
- time
- flow
space type of effort
direct vs. indirect
- going straight to something vs. meandering
weight type of effort
strong vs light
time type of effort
quick vs. sustained
- fast movement vs. slow movement
flow type of effort
bound vs. free
- ends somewhere vs. just keeps going, had no borders, extends into space
effort actions
combinations of space, weight, time and flow
ex.s of effort actions
float: indirect, light, sustained
punch: direct, strong, quick
shape category in rudolph laban’s theory of movement
body shape and the changing body shape as it goes through movements
space category in rudolph laban’s theory of movement
relationship between the body and 3D space
- where is the movement going, what path does it take, is it high or low level
movement scales
help warm up the bod and become more aware of the 3D space
where were movement scales performed
within an icosahedron (20 faceted, 3D geometric object. 24 points in space - 8 direction and 3 levels each)
what was practicing within an icosahedron particularly important for
places behind the dancers
what is the only form of movement notation that can notate ANY form of movement (not just dance)
labanotation
what is the major dance notation today
labanotation
how is labanotation different from musical notation
musical notation is simple - children can learn it
labanotation is complex and takes 4 years to learn
who has used labanotation
dancers, athletes, actors, researchers, sociologists, psychologists, therapists, educators
why does labanotation have such a wide application
because it can be used to notate any form of movement
who was laban’s most influential pupil
mary wigman
wigman and laban
she collaborated with him, helped him demonstrate in class
how did wigman meet laban
through a friend
what was wigman obsessed with
3D space
what was wigman one of the major contributors to
the development of modern dance in europe in 1920s
who was wigman a student of
jacques dalcrose
jacques dalcrose
developed dalcrose eurthymics, an approach to music education through movement so children could understand and embody movement
t or f: dalcrose eurthymics lives on today
true, still taught today as part of dance music education particularly for children
besides wigman who else was influenced by dalcrose
marie rambert
why was marie rambert brought in to help najinsky
because of her strong influence from dalcrose
how did wigman see dalcrose’s approach to movement
as limiting, she didn’t want to always be tied to music
- he always treated music as the most important rather than movement
wigman took laban’s theories of movement and developed her own form of expressive dance as…
a solo performer who choreographed her own dances and as a choreographer of group dances as well
wigman’s works
serious and introspective
ex of wigman’s works
witch dance dance of sorrow lament death call dance into death
how can wigman’s work be described
ecstacy of gloom
what did wigman often use in her choreography
masks, felt it allowed the dance to change from being an ordinary person to being a new character, allowing them to go through a metamorphosis
what was wigman particularly innovative in
her use of music - she performed in silence, to percussion (drums) and to the spoken word
how did wigman approach the relationship between music and movement
explored music to movement rather than the other way around
t or f: wigman opened her own school in germany
true
- 4 year curriculum in dance AND other arts
- successful
what was wigman’s school influential in
ensuring the continuation of expressive modern dance in europe in the 20th century
- trained the next generation of expressionist dancers in germany
hanya holm
one of wigman’s pupils that came to america and continued the german expressionist dance tradition
kurt jooss
laban’s assistant and one of his principle dancers
laban and kurt jooss
studied with him, performed in his company, demonstrated in his class
what was kurt jooss strongly influenced by
laban’s ideas
t or f: kurt jooss started his own company
true, called Jooss Ballet
why did kurt jooss start a school too
in ordet to train the dancers in the style needed for his company
what did kurt jooss based the training of his dancers on
the work of laban and ballet technique
before jooss, how was ballet seen in germany
there was no tradition of ballet in germany prior to him
what did kurt jooss change in ballet
he extended the range of expression
what was kurt jooss most successful work
the green table
the green table
a satirical, classical protest ballet against uselessness of war
- diplomats discussing war around a green table, and the after that the repercussions of the decision to go to war
what happened to the green table
its still performed today by ballet companies in europe and NA
how was war symbolized in the green table
as the figure of death
what did kurt jooss’s ballets always reflect
current concerns of society
social realism
commentary by the artist through their work, it’s social/political, dealing with current events, they make a point/commentary
what did kurt jooss’s ballets do
made a social statement
- think social realism
what was the social realism behind the green table
that everyone suffers to some extent other than the diplomats
