Ausdruckstanz (German expressionist dance)
Ausdruckstanz, or German expressionist dance, arose early in the twentieth century as a reaction against classical ballet and flourished from the 1910s to the 1930s, above all in Germany. Rudolf von Laban ran a summer dance school at Monte Verità in Switzerland from 1913, where his pupil Mary Wigman worked; in 1920 she opened her own school in Dresden.
The style prized the personal expression of feeling over virtuosity, working with weight, breath and floor contact, often barefoot. Wigman sometimes danced in silence or to percussion, and her pupils included Gret Palucca. Institutions linked to this heritage today include the Palucca Hochschule für Tanz in Dresden, Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen, and Trinity Laban in London.
Sources
- Expressionist dance (Ausdruckstanz) - Wikipedia
- Mary Wigman - Encyclopedia.com
- Wigman, Mary - Historical Lexicon of Switzerland
- Rudolf von Laban - Wikipedia
- Geschichte - Palucca Hochschule für Tanz Dresden
Organisations connected with this dance
- Palucca Hochschule für Tanz Dresden
- Folkwang Universität der Künste
- Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance
Listed as references; being listed is not an endorsement by or of the organisation.