Pre- and Post-World War II dance: Germany, US and Europe

MARTHA GRAHAM

PARTSCH-BERGSOHN, I. (1994) The formative years: the twenties. In: PARTSCH-BERGSOHN, I. (1994) Modern dance in Germany and the United States: crosscurrent and influences. Switzerland, Harwood Academic Publishers, pp. 25-49.

PARTSCH-BERGSOHN, I. (1994) Dance in the tide of politics: the thirties. In: PARTSCH-BERGSOHN, I. (1994) Modern dance in Germany and the United States: crosscurrent and influences. Switzerland, Harwood Academic Publishers, pp.77-99.

PARTSCH-BERGSOHN, I. (1994) From the green table to journey in the fog, and beyond. In: PARTSCH-BERGSOHN, I. (1994) Modern dance in Germany and the United States: crosscurrent and influences. Switzerland, Harwood Academic Publishers, pp. 137-157.

SORELL, W. (1993) The dance theatre of Kurt Jooss. Choreography and Dance: An International Journal. 3. (2), pp. 1-7.

SORELL, W. (1981) On the cultural crisis of our time. In: SORELL, W. (1981) Dance in its time: the emergence of an art form. New York, Anchor Press, pp. 345-437.

STONE UNTURNER. (2012) Hitler Speeches with accurate English subtitles. [online]. [Date accessed 27/01/2014]. Available from:

STRAVS, R. (2011) Kurt Jooss [online]. [accessed 16/12/2013]. Available from: http://www.dance-teacher.com/2011/08/Kurt-Jooss/danceteachermagazine.

THIELE, M. (n.d) Das Warten: A Life in Dance and War PDF. Eastwest Somatics. Available from: http://www.eastwestsomatics.com/downloads/DASWARTEN10.pdf [accessed 17/12/2013]

THEJOFFREYBALLET. (2012) The Green Table – Interview between Robert Joffery and Kurt Jooss. [accessed 19/01/2014] Available from: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTciXKBpNgE

WALTHER, S. K. (1993) The dance theatre of Kurt Jooss. Choreography and Dance: An International Journal. 3. (2), pp. 7-25.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

ADAMSON, A. and LIDBURY, C. (eds.) (1994) Kurt Jooss: 60 years of the green table. Proceedings of the conference held at the University of Birmingham 17-19 October 1992. Birmingham, The University of Birmingham.

BENSON, M. and MANNING, S. A. (2009) Interrupted communities: modern dance in Germany. Drama Review. 30 (2), pp. 30-45.

BENSON, M. and MANNING, S. A. (2009) Interrupted communities: modern dance in Germany. In: ALBRIGHT, A. C. and DILS, A. (eds.) (2001) Moving history/dancing cultures: a dance history reader. North Carolina, Wesleyan University Press, pp. 218-227.

MARTHA GRAHAM DANCE COMPANY. (2010) Martha Graham Dance Company’s ‘Political Dance Project’ [online]. [07/01/2014]. Available from: URL:

COTTON, A. V. (1975) The Ballets Jooss in wartime (1944-45). In: WALKER, K. S. and HADDAKIN, L. (eds.) (1975) Writings on dance 1938-68. London, London Dance Books, pp. 137-140.

DRESDENFILM. (2009) Palucca tanzt ‘Serenata’. [20/01/2014] Available from: www.youtube.com/watch?v=glkjwKlTCME

DUARTE, N. (2011) Martha Graham Showed the World How she Felt. November 5th 2011. Duarte [online]. [accessed: 06/06/2014]. Available from http://www.duarte.com/blog/martha-graham-showed-the-world-how-she-felt/

ERDMANN-RAJSKI, K. (2001) Gret Palucca. Dance and experience of time in Germany in the 20th century: Weimar Republic, National Socialism, German Democratic Republic. Dance Research. Vol. 19 (October), pp.128-132. Available from: http://www.euppublishing.com/doi/pdfplus/10.3366/1290980 [accessed 18/12/2013]

FRANKO, M. (2012) Conclusion. In: FRANKO, M. (2012) Martha Graham in Love and War. New York, Oxford University Press. pp.174-178

Pre- and Post-World War II dance:

Germany, US and UK

Introduction:

Under the ruling of Adolf Hitler, dance was becoming more inclined to follow a certain pathway. Through rebellion, artists such as Gret Palucca, Martha Graham and Kurt Jooss were considered as ‘degenerative art’, thus limiting their artistic profession and exploration.

The most advantageous sources we have found have been desk-based. Books are allowing us to gain a contextual analysis of the historical period

• JOOSS - Anna Markard (1985)
• Martha Graham in Love and War - Mark Franko (2012)
• Individuality and Expression - Diane Shelden Howe (1996)

Journals and documents included within the books gave us primary resources with factual information. The use of the internet has permitted us access to view pieces such as American Document (1938) and The Green Table (1932), furthering our understanding and engagement towards how the artists worked.

We decided to undertake this topic for our presentation because we were all interested to see how the dance world we are working in today has evolved through the pioneers of modern dance, but also how their work was affected through the countries democracy. The effects of the war played a big part in the shape of the artists and their work, but also emotionally and psychologically. It was interesting to see the problems Graham, Palucca and Jooss faced both professionally and personally as through the research, we have been able to reflect on the similarities we can see through our own movement in modules practiced at University.

IN CONCLUSION...

(Thiele, n.d).

GRET PALUCCA

'To survive the way Palucca survived one needs very particular qualitities…. Palucca knew when and with whom to take sides; she knew when to approach for help and whom to ignore…'

Serenata (1930) was included in The Nerthus Film Company in 1933

‘degenerative art’

‘futuristic’ and ‘oriental-exotic’

Hitler saw Palucca’s work as “not beautiful enough and too philosophical”

KURT JOOSS

(Stravs, 2011).

'Jooss was trying to change something himself. Didn’t keep to traditional rules and broke conventions'

'If he says that my dance is predominantly gay and light, I consider that to be a compliment since for me the nature of dance is identical with overcoming the difficult, the oppressive, and the all too tangible reality'

(Howe 1996, pp.142-143).

Pre-World War II

FRANKO, M. (2012) Myth, Nationalism and Embodiment in American Document. In: FRANKO, M. (2012) Martha Graham in Love and War. New York, Oxford University Press. pp.14-44.

FRANKO, M. (2012) The invention of Martha Graham: Emergence and the strictures. In: FRANKO, M. (2012) Martha Graham in Love and War. New York, Oxford University Press. pp.66-96

FUNKENSTEIN, S. (2012) Picturing Palucca at the Bauhaus. In: S. MANNING and L. RUPRECHT, eds. New German Studies. Illinois, University of Illinois Press. pp45-63.

FUNKENSTEIN, S. (2012) Picturing Palucca at the Bauhaus. In: S. MANNING and L. RUPRECHT, eds. New German Studies. Illinois, University of Illinois Press. pp45-63

.

HOWE, D. S. (1996) Gret Palucca. In: HOWE, D. S. (1996) Individuality and expression. New York, Lang Publishing.KANT, M. (2004) German dance and modernity: don’t mention the Nazi’s. In: CARTER, A. (ed.) (2004) Rethinking dance history. London, Routledge, pp. 107-119.

KANT, M. (2003) German dance theather and German master workshops. In: KARINA, L. and KANT, M. (2003) Hitler’s dancers: German modern dance and the third Reich. New York, Berghahn Books, pp. 109-123.

KARINA, L. (2003) The fates of emigrants. In: KARINA, L. and KANT, M. (2003) Hitler’s dancers: German modern dance and the third Reich. New York, Berghahn Books, pp. 39-50.

MARKARD, A. (1985) Jooss. Koln, Ballett-Buhnen-Verlag.

NICHOLAS, L. (2004) Dancing in the margins? British modern dance in the 1940’s and 1950’s. In: CARTER, A. (ed.) (2004) Rethinking dance history. London, Routledge, pp. 119-132.

There is little to no activity during 1939 - 1945

Palucca and the War: 1939 - 1945

Palucca’s schools in Dresden were shut in 1939 due to her having Jewish ancestry

She became associated with artists Hitler was not pleased with which led Palucca to be banned from all practices

Post-World War II

The meaning of Lamentation transformed

- was not originally created about war

American Document – an iconic piece for exploration

- Martha Graham Company and Siti Company / reflects conflicts of today

She was able to still dance herself, but no teaching

Pre-World War II

Kurt Tucholsky’s writings influenced Jooss

The Green Table (1932)

'The Green Table [...] is a dance of death led by a marital figure personifying war, the masked diplomats who frame the scenes are exempted from death, suggesting their culpability in the perpetuation of war'

(Benson & Manning 2001, p.223).

Palucca saw herself as a pioneer

'Hitler was a dangerous tyrant, and Palucca was Jewish. Had he known, he would have had her killed. Can you just imagine Hitler honoring a Jew at the Olympiad?'

(Thiele n.d).

From 1950, Palucca’s work shifted to focus on dance education

Palucca summoned to dance in 1936 Berlin Olympics…

Early career: combining ballet and modern technique

Russian Ballet seemed to take over within these schools compared to Modern Dance – why?

Palucca’s schools were reopened after the war in 1945

Following the 1936 Berlin Olympics Palucaa disagreed with how Germany was being led

However...

She rarely commented on WW2

Palucca was awarded two awards (1983 and 1986) for her contributions

War and Graham: 1939-1945

(Franko 2012, pp.94-95).

'During the war Graham characterized Nazi society as a society of fear. Graham's main critique of Nazi culture was that it engendered fearful movement. [She explained] "How can the dance... which is freedom of thought and expression, exist in countries dominated by hate and fear?".... she construed Hitler as the Creature of Fear'

(Sorell 1981, p.387).

'After Martha Graham’s first recital in 1926 the American version of modern dance was born'

Post-World War II

(Franko 2012, p.14).

IN A LETTER TO RUDOLF LABAN...

'I would find it impossible to dance in Germany at the present time. So many artists whom I respect and admire have been persecuted, have been deprived'

American Document (1938)

'[this was] the first American modern dance to address national identity.... To like American Document became almost a patriotic duty'

(Franko p.36, 2012).

Pre-World War II

Lamentation (1930)

'She did not dance about grief, but sought to be the very embodiment of grief'

(Duarte, 2012).

Boycott of the 1936 Berlin Olympics

1930-1944 -The moral attitude has not changed for Graham BUT

Graham began including males within her pieces

1947 Jooss was granted British Citizenship

Jooss took this in his stride - Returned as director of the Folkwang school in Germany

Lacked understanding towards it worked

Did the fame over-rule her initial beliefs?

The movement altered from being contracted to theatrically dramatic works

Dartington School - 1934

Chronica (1939) & Journey of the Fog (1952)

Return to Germany

Evacuation – ‘Enemy Alien’

With the outbreak of war he lost his home, company, school and in 1940 his freedom, finding himself in camp, interned as one of the countless ‘enemy aliens’ (intellectuals, artists, and others of German Jewish origin)

Chronica (1939) & Journey of the Fog (1952)

Appalachian Spring (1944)

'The relays in Graham's work …. occludes the political and personal complexity out of which Appalachian Spring emerged...'

(Franko p.177, 2012)

Causing controversy through her defiance

In 1934, he was received generously as both an artist and a political refugee in England

By 1935, Ballet Jooss had been re-established at The Dartington School

Germany wanted him back for the Olympics

- there were conditions which the National Socialist Party refused

This could have been opportunity to analyse herself and think of how she could make a big comeback

Is this because she was unable to explore herself due to being prohibited to work?

No shift in her works

Journey in the Fog (1952)

Post-World War II

Evacuation -

With the outbreak of war he lost his home, company, school and in 1940 his freedom, finding himself in camp, interned as one of the countless "enemy aliens" (intellectuals, artists, and others of German Jewish origin)

He was summoned to leave Germany...

He forfeited what he had achieved for what he believed

Jooss refused to separate from his Jewish colleagues

“…it is suffocating to live in this brutalised Germany” (Markard 1985, p.49).

1933 - accused of having Jews in his company

Jooss was '…deeply involved in and disturbed by the frightening interlude between

the two wars'

(Sorrell 1981, p.385)

“I didn’t know and still don’t know who the gentlemen in black are, I don’t think they are diplomats. There may be one or two diplomats between them, but I think they are all the powers which can gain in a war, which in the end, through their machinations, cause a war”

(Jooss 1985, p.49.)

People can still relate to this when considering wars of a later period

Was The Green Table intended to be about war?