German Expressionistic Dance: its origin and development through the 20th century An Honors Thesis (HONRS 499) by Angeline M. Ratts Thesis Advisor Ball State University Muncie, Indiana May, 98 graduation May 9, 1998 Srcoll av er'5,i"t0 -7h('c:.1S Table of Contents 1.3:; f· -'<3B I. Introduction ................................................................................. 2 II. Artist's Statement ........................................................................ 4 1. Deceptions III. Expressionism ............................................................................ 6 1. 18th century Origins of Expressionist Art 2. Developing into a movement 3. Expressionist Paintings before 1914 4. Expressionist Paintings after 1914 IV. Expressionist Dance ................................................................... 16 1. Origins of Expressionist Dance 2. Expressionist Dance Develops in Germany !- 3. Mary Wigman's Dance V. Expressionist Dance: WWII and Beyond ........................................... 27 1. Nazi Germany and Expressionism 2. Expressionism's Introduction in America 3. Martha Graham's Dance VI. Conclusion ............................................................................. 34 1. "Joint Compound" an example of Expressionist Dance 2. The Purpose 3. The Theme 4. Movement Style Introduction This thesis began as a personal search to understand my choreographic style. I have done quite a bit of choreography during my time in the Ball State dance department, and after a certain amount of time, I began to notice that my work often had very similar qualities. As a part of a senior dance project, I was required to choreograph a dance, audition and teach it to dancers and present it in a show with the work of the other senior dance majors, called Senior Dance Projects. The dance which I created was titled "Joint Compound". It was set to the music "Providence" by King Crimson, and had five dancers in it. I was very happy with the work, and consider it a choreographic success. At the same time, I was working on an independent research project over the origins of Expressionist dance in Germany. I wanted to know what had motivated dancers like Rudolf von Laban and Mary Wigman to break with tradition and search for a new type of dance. The research was exciting and educational to me, and I was also very happy with the end result of my efforts. .- This semester, as I searched for a topic for my senior honors thesis, I realized that "Joint Compound" could be qualified as an Expressionist work. It was then that I started to wonder about the far-reaching effects of historical developments on the dance of today. I thought that it would be fun to look at the historical influences that effect my own work, and try to do a search into the developments that Expressionist dance has gone through the 20th century. The major question that my research tried to answer was: "How did Expressionist dance survive through the decades and spread across the world to appear in my work, a young dance student in Muncie, IN?" I believe that I have found the answer to this question, and that my thesis has become a short history of Expressionistic dance in relation to my own life. This is by no means an all-encompassing account of the history of Expressionism, but rather an attestation of the effects of history on everyday life. In order to avoid misunderstanding, and to give a clear idea of what I am referring to when I use the term "Expressionistic Dance", I have begun with a general history of the Expressionist movement in art which led to the developments in dance. This leads into the discussion of Expressionist dance, its influences and its development, through the first half of the 20th century in Germany, up to its eventual introduction in America. In 2 conclusion, I have done a short analysis of "Joint Compound" which shows the qualities I - that make it an Expressionist work. This has been a personally fulfilling and fun experience for me. I have learned quite a bit about my own artistic temperament, and I hope that it will be as fun and educational for the reader as it has been for the author. I - 3 ,- Artists Statement "Joint Compound" The inspiration for my dance, Joint Compound, originally came from the poem "Deceptions" by Philip Larkin. The first time that I read this poem, I was truck by the power of what the writer was expressing solitude, humiliation, confusion, sadness, and outrage. In my mind I saw the image of a woman alone in a room, overcome with waves of emotion, feeling completely separated form the outside world, and wondering how and when she will ever feel better. These mental images were so strong that I immediately knew that they would one day be expressed in a dance. A few months later, as I was starting to form ideas for my senior dance project, a friend played the song "Providence" by King Crimson for me. As I listened, the images from "Deceptions" returned to my mind, and I knew that it was time to make the dance that I had earlier envisaged. At the same time, however, I felt the desire to somehow tum - all of that pain into something positive, and to bring a sort of hopeful ending to the dance, to take my interpretation of the poem a step further. As I thought it over, I realized that one way of ameliorating pain and loneliness is to understand that there are others that have similar problems and concerns. Realizing that one is part of a community gives incredible strength and has the power to conquer personal sorrows. This what I have tried to express in my dance. It begins with five women; all so absorbed in their lives that they fail to realize the presence of others. They are slowly brought together, however, mostly thanks to their realization that the others are feeling some of the same things. The second half of the dance is about the strength that this realization has given them, both in dealing with themselves and others. 4 Deceptions 'Of coarse I was drugged, and so heavily I did not regain my consciousness till the next morning. I was horrified to discover that I had been ruined, and for some days I was inconsolable, and cried like a child to be killed or sent back to my aunt. '-Mayhew, London Labour and the London Poor Even so distant I can taste the grief, Bitter and sharp with stalks, he made you gulp. The sun's occasional print, the brisk brief Worry of wheels along the street outside. Where bridal London bows the other way, And light, unanswerable and tall and wide, Forbids the scar to heal, and drives Shame out of hiding. All the Unhurried day I - Your mind lay open like a drawer of knives. Slums, years, have buried you. I would not dare Console you if I could. What can be said, Except that sutTering is exact, but where Desire takes charge, readings will grow erratic? For you would hardly care That you were less deceived out on that bed, Than he was, stumbling up the breathless stair To burst into fulfillment's desolate attic. --Philip Larkin 5 EXPRESSIONISM Various scholars and critics have defined expressionism in many different ways. Expressionistic art was born out of the personal and social turmoil resulting from societal changes in the nineteenth century. It should not be considered a style, because of the huge stylistic differences between those artists who have been labeled Expressionists, but rather a movement that brought together artists with similar beliefs and rebellious tendencies. It was most popular in German and Russian art of the first 30 to 40 years of the twentieth century. Although this movement is most closely associated with German painting, it encompasses all art forms, including literature, drama, music, painting, architecture and dance. Two of Expressionism's most dominant traits art the focus on the individual and the rebellion against traditional, typically bourgeois values. f - th 18 Century Origins of Expressionist Art In Germany at the end of the nineteenth century, society had gone through a complete transformation. Every aspect of life had changed, including man's view of himself. The two most important political and economic changes effecting the way man looked at himself and his environment were the Industrial Revolution and the German unification. Because of these changes, traditional concepts that had governed the organization of society, such as religion, the small community and the skilled tradesman were weakened or rendered obsolete. Replacing these were the Spirit of the Machine "der Geist der Maschine", urbanism and big business. Many felt sad and fearful towards the present and hopeless in the face of the future. The German Industrial Revolution took place at an amazingly fast pace. Within 20 years, it went from a largely agricultural state to a state dominated by large cities and 6 industry. Thanks to better medical care and hygiene, peace since 1815 and a major I - decline in epidemics since the end of the 19th century, there was also a population explosion, which caused severe overcrowding in these cities. The German railroad surpassed the English railroad within twenty years of its founding. This industrial growth not only brought about changes in the economy, but also reorganized the social structure. Two new classes were born: an under-privileged often exploited working class, and a class of aggressive, profit-oriented industrial bosses, the bourgeois. The small-town community, which previously had been based upon private farming and the work of skilled tradesman, was overrun by the work of big business, which had the machines to do the work faster and cheaper than ever before. This created a dichotomy in which machines made work quicker, cheaper and easier than it had been in the past, facilitating many facets of life, while the masses were often treated like these machines that had replaced them,.