Tag: Tanztheater

History Quiz: Kurt Jooss

1. When did Kurt Jooss meet Rudolf Laban? 2. In 1927, Jooss began his tenure as the head of what school in Essen, Germany? 3. Why was this school innovative? 4. Jooss worked with Laban to flesh out his system for recording and classifying movement. What are the categories that served as the foundation for […]

The Founding Father of Tanztheater: Kurt Jooss

On the brink of World War II, German choreographer Kurt Jooss arrived in New York with his company to perform. Before curtain, Jooss learned that some black audience members had been barred from their seats. Jooss told the theater administration that unless they amended their whites-only policy, there would be no show. The theater obliged […]

Pina Bausch: Embodying Tanztheater

Following World War II, modern dance in Germany experienced a shift. Out of Mary Wigman and Rudolf Laban’s Ausdruckstanz, or expressionist dance, a new genre grew: Tanztheater (dance theater). Poetic and pedestrian movement mixed with text, drama and sets to form highly theatrical works. German choreographer Pina Bausch is most associated with Tanztheater, and her […]