Expressions of Form and Gesture in Ausdruckstanz, Tanztheater, and Contemporary Dance Tonja Lara Van Helden University of Colorado at Boulder, [email protected]
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University of Colorado, Boulder CU Scholar Comparative Literature Graduate Theses & Comparative Literature Dissertations Spring 1-1-2012 Expressions of Form and Gesture in Ausdruckstanz, Tanztheater, and Contemporary Dance Tonja Lara van Helden University of Colorado at Boulder, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scholar.colorado.edu/coml_gradetds Part of the Comparative Literature Commons, Dance Commons, and the Performance Studies Commons Recommended Citation van Helden, Tonja Lara, "Expressions of Form and Gesture in Ausdruckstanz, Tanztheater, and Contemporary Dance" (2012). Comparative Literature Graduate Theses & Dissertations. Paper 10. This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by Comparative Literature at CU Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Comparative Literature Graduate Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of CU Scholar. For more information, please contact [email protected]. EXPRESSIONS OF FORM AND GESTURE IN AUSDRUCKSTANZ, TANZTHEATER, AND CONTEMPORARY DANCE by TONJA VAN HELDEN B.A., University of New Hampshire, 1998 M.A., University of Colorado, 2003 A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Colorado in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Program of Comparative Literature 2012 This thesis entitled: Expressions Of Form And Gesture In Ausdruckstanz, Tanztheater, And Contemporary Dance written by Tonja van Helden has been approved for the Comparative Literature Graduate Program __________________________________________ Professor David Ferris, Committee Chair ____________________________________________ Assistant Professor Ruth Mas, Committee member ____________________________________________ Professor Jennifer Peterson, Committee member ____________________________________________ Professor Henry Pickford, Committee member ____________________________________________ Professor Davide Stimilli, Committee member Date ________________ The final copy of this thesis has been examined by the signatories, and we Find that both the content and the form meet acceptable presentation standards Of scholarly work in the above mentioned discipline. van Helden, Tonja (Ph. D., Comparative Literature, Comparative Literature Graduate Program) Expressions Of Form And Gesture In Ausdruckstanz, Tanztheater, And Contemporary Dance Thesis directed by Professor David Ferris My dissertation examines the historical trajectory of Ausdruckstanz (1908-1936) from its break with Renaissance court ballet up through its transmission into Tanztheater and contemporary styles of postmodern dance. The purpose of this study is to examine the different modes of expression as indicated by the character, form, style, and concept of Ausdruckstanz, Tanztheater and contemporary dance. Through a close analysis of select case studies, each chapter provides a critical analysis of the stylistic innovations and conceptual problems evidenced by the choreographies from each movement. Ausdruckstanz challenged the traditional forms of dance given its necessity to convey subjective experiences and feelings through movements that were incompatible with the rigid structures and restrictive costumes of classical ballet. The problematic of this historical account follows. Expressionist principles of individuality and subjective emotion produced an inflation and exaggeration of personal identity that proved problematic given its ideological tendencies. This impasse further distanced Ausdruckstanz from engaging with the presence of movement that was concealed by historical narratives and stagnant iii forms repeated by traditional styles of classical ballet. As a result, an emphasis on mechanical and formal concepts of movement was created to counteract the lack of critical distance and superfluous emotion that was prevalent in the choreographic works of Ausdruckstanz. Oskar Schlemmer’s Bauhaus figures and Pina Bausch’s use of repetition in Tanztheater indicate the attempt to curb this individuality crisis through its formal mechanisms. However, since both of these technical styles relied on the concept of spatialization as derived from theatrical conventions, they subsequently failed to radically disrupt the representational value of dance. With the establishment of contemporary dance in the late 1950s, a significantly different experience of temporality emerged that rejected the representational value of movement. When the object of dance is dance itself, the tendency towards ideological or content oriented claims is negated. In reframing how time is experienced, the presence of movement is seen through its immediacy and rhythmic configurations. This different experience of time marks a crucial intervention in the historical trajectory of modern dance insofar that form does not predicate itself upon an ideological content. iv DEDICATION In memory of Dr. Thomas Hollweck and Dr. Larry Rosenfield for their mentorship and guidance during the course of my academic quest. I dedicate my thesis to all the aficionados of dance, who express their emotions, philosophies, ideas, passions, and experiences through their bodies by developing a physical and intellectual friendship within the skin they live. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I thank the members of my committee, Dr. David Ferris, Dr. Ruth Mas, Dr. Jennifer Peterson, Dr. Henry Pickford and Dr. Davide Stimilli. I particularly appreciate their interest, curiosity, and willingness to explore my passion for dance and expression. Sincere thanks also to Mandy Walker, Patricia Paige, Miguel Flores, and Max Bernstein for their generous support throughout this process. I also thank Ms. Gabriele Ruiz for her resourceful assistance during my research at the Tanzarchiv in Leipzig. vi CONTENTS CHAPTER INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................1 1. INTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT OF AUSDRUCKSTANZ ..........................................................5 Part I. Rhythmic Gymnastics and Freier Tanz ................................10 Part II. The Focus on the Individual .................................................16 Part III. Classicism versus Expressionism .........................................20 Part IV. The Staging of the Mechanical Figure ..................................28 Part V. The Development of Modern Dance in Europe and the United States .........................................................................35 Part VI. German Expressionism .........................................................40 2. AMBIVALENT TENDENCIES IN AUSDRUCKSTANZ: A CLOSE EXAMINATION OF VARIANT CONCEPTS, STYLES, AND MODE OF EXPRESSION ........................................................................45 Part I. Authentic Expression in the Language of Movement ...........56 Part II. Case Studies of Choreographic Differences in Ausdruckstanz Case Study A: Mary Wigman (1886-1973) ..........................56 Case Study B: Valeska Gert (1892-1978) .............................77 3. ITERATIONS OF AGENCY AND DISSIMILARITY ON THE FRINGE OF AUSDRUCKSTANZ ............................................................90 Part I. Anita Berber: Performative Trauma ....................................92 Part II. Jean Weidt: Choreography of Kultursozialismus ..............100 Part III. Oskar Schlemmer: Abstract Figuration in Bauhaus Theatre ................................................................................110 Part IV. Kurt Jooss: Early Development of Tanztheater ..................123 4. GESTURES OF DIFFERENCE: THE CRITICAL WORKS OF PINA BAUSCH .......................................................................................135 Part I. The End of Ausdruckstanz ..................................................139 Part II. Subjectivity and Individual Expression in Tanztheater ......151 Part III. Gestus, Repetition and Verfremden ....................................157 Part IV. Technical elements of Tanztheater .....................................180 5. AN ENGAGEMENT WITH CONTEMPORARY FORMS OF MOVEMENT AND TEMPORALITY....................................................188 Part I. Chance, Instant, and Variation ............................................196 Part II. Temporality in Postmodern Dance .....................................203 Part III. Deborah Hay’s Experiments in Movement.........................210 Part IV. Lucinda Childs’ Minimalist Style of Movement ................220 vii Part V. Sasha Waltz and Contemporary Tanztheater ......................228 6. CONCLUSION ........................................................................................237 7. BIBLIOGRAPHY Primary Works ........................................................................................241 List of Works Cited ..................................................................................242 viii FIGURES Figure 1. Zigaretten – Sammel Bilder der dreiziger Jahre zum Thema “Der Künstlerische Tanz” (Doris Humphrey, Rudolf von Laban, Niddy Impekoven) .................................................................................................8 2. Emil Nolde’s Candle Dancers, 1912 ..........................................................14 3. Wigman’s Ausdruckstanz...........................................................................19 4. barock-symmetrischen Theaterlandschaft .................................................20 5. Jean Le Pautre, Ballet in Versailles, 1674 .................................................24