''Expressive dance'' from German ''Ausdruckstanz'', is a form of artistic dance in which the individual and artistic presentation (and sometimes also processing) of feelings is an essential part. It emerged as a counter-movement to

classical ballet Classical ballet is any of the traditional, formal styles of ballet that exclusively employ classical ballet technique. It is known for its aesthetics and rigorous technique (such as en pointe, pointe work, turnout (ballet), turnout of the legs, ...

at the beginning of the 20th century in Europe. Traditional ballet was perceived as austere, mechanical and tightly held in fixed and conventional forms. Other designations are ''modern dance'' and (especially in the historical context) ''free dance'', ''expressionist dance'' or ''new artistic dance'', in Anglo-American countries ''German dance''. In 2014, modern dance with the stylistic forms and mediation forms of rhythmic and expressive dance movements was included in the as defined by the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of

Intangible Cultural Heritage An intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is a practice, representation, expression, knowledge, or skill considered by UNESCO to be part of a place's cultural heritage. Buildings, historic places, monuments, and artifacts are cultural property. In ...

. German Expressionist dance is related to '' Tanztheater''.

History

Expressionist dance was marked by the passage of

modernism Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

vitalism Vitalism is a belief that starts from the premise that "living organisms are fundamentally different from non-living entities because they contain some non-physical element or are governed by different principles than are inanimate things." Wher ...

expressionism Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

and a general protest against artistic stagnation and the old society. Ballet was perceived to have been superficial entertainment. The new dance would be art, both individual and artistic creation. The dance was described as the art of movement. It was a revolution. It would be more expressive, and show more spirit and emotion and less virtuosity. The dance would be improvisational, uninhibited and provocative. Future spiritual and bodily reform movements expressed themselves in a new "natural" naked dance. The women took centre stage. A key protagonist was Isadora Duncan, who around 1900 had taken from classical dance technique and costume. She had even taken off dancing shoes – "you do not play the piano with gloves on". She wanted to unite the body, mind and spirit in her art, and searched with Olga Desmond for inspiration in ancient Greek and Egyptian art, during the time of

Orientalism In art history, literature, and cultural studies, Orientalism is the imitation or depiction of aspects of the Eastern world (or "Orient") by writers, designers, and artists from the Western world. Orientalist painting, particularly of the Middle ...

. The revolutionary movements in Germany and the USA were most obvious, two countries that had no older rooted ballet tradition. The forerunners in Europe included Clotilde von Derp, Hertha Feist, Hilde Holger,

Loie Fuller Loie Fuller (; born Marie Louise Fuller; January 15, 1862 – January 1, 1928), also known as Louie Fuller and Loïe Fuller, was an American dancer and a pioneer of modern dance and theatrical lighting techniques. Auguste Rodin said of her, "Lo ...

, Jo Mihaly and especially Mary Wigman. Schools for expressionist dance had special philosophies and emphases for dance, such as naturalness, breathing, tension / relaxation etc. It was often associated with floor contact, "weight" of dance movements, and experiments with music. Body and physicality were strongly emphasized. Rudolf von Laban was a theoretical prominent figure who was based on metaphysical ideas and one of the pioneers of ''Ausdruckstanz'' in Germany. From 1913-1918, Laban operated a school for art on the colony Monte Verità in Ascona, Switzerland, which became a teaching centre for the new dance. Among his students were

Kurt Jooss Kurt Jooss (12 January 1901 – 22 May 1979)Kurt Jooss
Internationales Biographisches Arch ...

and Mary Wigman. Mary Wigman was an important trendsetter as a dancer, choreographer and teacher. In her school in Dresden (opened in 1920) she taught Europe's premier aspiring dancers

Gret Palucca Gret Palucca (born Margarethe Paluka; 8 January 1902 – 22 March 1993) was a German dancer and dance teacher, notable for her dance school, the Palucca School of Dance, founded in Dresden in 1925. Life and work Margarethe Paluka was born in M ...

, Harald Kreutzberg, Jeanna Falk, Dore Hoyer and Yvonne Georgi. Hanya Holm brought her theories to the United States, while Birgit Åkesson went her own way with her dance research. The ''Denishawn School'' in the United States was founded by

Ruth St. Denis Ruth St. Denis (born Ruth Dennis; January 20, 1879 – July 21, 1968) was an American pioneer of modern dance, introducing eastern ideas into the art and paving the way for other women in dance. She was inspired by the Delsarte advocate Gene ...

and Ted Shawn, with such students as

Martha Graham Martha Graham (May 11, 1894 – April 1, 1991) was an American modern dancer, teacher and choreographer, whose style, the Graham technique, reshaped the dance world and is still taught in academies worldwide. Graham danced and taught for over s ...

and Doris Humphrey. Its independent and pioneering dance came to form the backbone of modern dance, whose many branches stretched forth up until today.

Butoh is a form of Japanese dance theatre that encompasses a diverse range of activities, techniques and motivations for dance, performance, or movement. Following World War II, butoh arose in 1959 through collaborations between its two key founder ...

is inspired by the German expressionist dance of the 1950s. The British choreographer and live performer Liz Aggiss, who trained with Hanya Holm and Hilde Holger, has been making expressionist dance works since 1986. Her first solo show, ''Grotesque Dancer'', was inspired by

Valeska Gert Valeska Gert (11 January 1892 – c. 16 March 1978) was a German dancer, pantomime, cabaret artist, actress and pioneering performance artist. Early life and career Gert was born as Gertrud Valesca Samosch in Berlin to a Jewish family. She was the ...

. In 1992, Holger revived four dances for Aggiss from her repertoire: ''Die Forelle (The Trout)'' (1923), ''Le Martyre de San Sebastien'' (1923), ''Mechaniches Ballett'' (1926) and ''Golem'' (1937). These were first performed with Billy Cowie, as Vier Tanze, at the Manchester Festival of Expressionism in 1992.'List of Works', Aggiss and Cowie (eds) Anarchic Dance, Routledge, 2006, p.177 Sophie Constanti wrote that 'Together all four pieces danced with great sensitivity and aplomb by Aggiss...provided a fascinating insight into the lost Ausdruckstanz of central Europe.'Sophie Constanti, 'Dancing Diva: Hilde Holger's choreography reaches the British stage at last and triumphs', Arts Section, ''The Guardian'', 9 June 1993, p3-4 Indian dancer Patruni Sastry has been working on choreographic style "Indian expressionism" where the major work is focused on queer rights and other social elements

Literature

* Bergsohn, H. and Partsch-Bergsohn, I. (2003) The Makers of Modern Dance in Germany: Rudolf Laban, Mary Wigman, Kurt Jooss. Independent Publishers Group. * Robinson, J. (1998) Modern Dance in France, 1920-1970: An Adventure. Routledge. * Vernon-Warren, B. and Warren, C. (Eds) (1999) Gertrud Bodenwieser and Vienna's Contribution to Ausdruckstanz. Routledge. * Kolb, A. (2009). ''Performing Femininity: Dance and Literature in German Modernism''. Oxford: Peter Lang. * Amelie Soyka (Hrsg.): ''Tanzen und tanzen und nichts als tanzen. Tänzerinnen der Moderne von Josephine Baker bis Mary Wigman''. Aviva, Berlin 2004. * Hermann und Marianne Aubel: ''Der Künstlerische Tanz unserer Zeit.'' Die Blauen Bücher. K. R. Langewiesche, Leipzig 1928, 1935; Neudruck der Erstausgabe nebst Materialien zur Editionsgeschichte. Einführender Essay von Frank-Manuel Peter. Published by the Albertina Wien. Langewiesche, Königstein i. Ts. 2002. * Silke Garms: ''TanzBalance. Ausdruckstanz für Frauen.'' Rosenholz, Kiel/Berlin 1999. * Silke Garms: ''Tanzfrauen in der Avantgarde. Lebenspolitik und choreographische Entwicklung in acht Porträts.'' Rosenholz, Kiel/Berlin 1998. / * Hedwig Müller: ''Die Begründung des Ausdruckstanzes durch Mary Wigman.'' Köln, Phil.Diss. 1986 * Hedwig Müller: '' Mary Wigman. Leben und Werk der großen Tänzerin''. Hrsg. von der Akademie der Künste Berlin. Beltz/Quadriga, Weinheim/Berlin 1992. * Hedwig Müller, Frank-Manuel Peter, Garnet Schuldt: ''Dore Hoyer. Tänzerin.'' Hentrich, Berlin 1992.

References

{{Authority control 20th-century dance Expressionism Modern dance Dance in Germany