Mary Wigman

bloody shame Wigman witch Dance Word come 1120 Through her simplification and breaking d induce of theatrical and aesthetic bound, Mary Wigman stands as one of the most inspirational figures of twentieth century dance. Her laughable physical exertion of theatrical elements such as masks, sound, costume and movement created an evolution of dance that was never seen before. Her social occasion of the character, The Witch, potpourri overd the worlds views on dance forever, and inspired a revolution of artistic quality all slightly Europe.In this essay I will discuss whether or not The Witch in Wigmans work stands as an interpretation of her role in society, and her aspirations for hereafter dance forms. Mary Wigmans Witch Dance epitomized the breaking extraneous from effected concepts and traditions. Through her modernistic choreography she developd the true essence of dance. thither was no conformity or theatricality to it. Instead, she used elements that would speak i nstantly to the interview (Muller, 1986, pp. 173-184). The archaic image of the witch expressed the elements of Wigmans own identity.She expresses her modernistic identity in her breaking aside of the social and heathen boundaries that besieged her time error. She also physically identifies herself as a witch, absorbing the viewer with the magical essence of her imagination. Through her movements she was able to personify this vigorous presence of the witch (Gunhild, 1992, pp. 35-49). She stressed the common association of the image of a witch with that of fear and apprehension of losing control over both physical structure and mind.This fear was created to be extended to the audiences watching the piece (Chritiane & adenine Finnan, 2006, pp. 76-84). superstar of Wigmans most praised techniques in dance was her use of breathing. She believed that a dancers panorama could be built to a climax simply through the whole step and tone of their breathing. Through inhalation and ex halation the dancers were able to create both tension and tranquility. In addition to this her dance techniques were also highly revolutionary.Wigman did not believe that dance should be performed merely for entertainment purposes (Chritiane & Finnan, 2006, pp. 76-84). She diverged herself from the conventional practices of dance, such as ballet, and formed her own unique dance words that stripped away the aesthetic movement that was generally accepted at the time. The movement which she used in her pieces was un restrict and she made use of rhythm section instead of traditionally orchestrated aesthetic music (Muller, 1986, pp. 173-184).This made the audience focus more on the properties of the dance itself then the external features of it. Wigmans dances hypnotized the viewer with its powerful yet highly abstractionist choreography. Her use of repetitive gestures in her choreography helped to carve their heathen roles. She broke away from conventions by pulling away from the a esthetics of ballet. She did this by avoiding following intractable choreography, dancing barefoot and using eccentric music and percussion (Gunhild, 1992, pp. 35-49).The cultural context in which Mary Wigmans lived was a very restricted and conservative society. Wigman grew up in Germany during the Weimer republic. This was a time of extreme change in Germany. Ausdruckstanz had been ubiquitous in Germany from the start of the 20th century, and there was a definite cultural and social revolution taking place. Along with this was the curb of feminism taking place worldwide. These ideologies and social changes showed up significantly in Wigmans choreography. Before Wigman, dance was earlier based on sex (Jiyun, 2007, pp. 27-437). Exoticism was instrumental in the audiences appeal to it. Wigman broke away from these ideals by performing characters which held modernistic significance (Muller, 1986, pp. 173-184). Before Wigman, women were often portrayed in dance as modest and simple characters. Wigman changed this view by primarily using womanish dancers and depicting females as strong and powerful beings. Wigmans performances challenged the static social dynamics of the time. She created an atmosphere of respect between the female dancers and herself.She allowed for a strong female subject in her pieces that provided females, who were previously oppressed, with a firm identity and place in society. Previously, male choreographers had objectified woman in their choreography. Wigman aimed at individualizing women and breaking away from the sensual image that they previously conformed to (Valerie & Lahusen, 1990, pp. 8-10). Wigmans choice of using the witch figure in her choreography was partly influenced by her attempt to emphasize the roots of dance and set off feminist ideals.Through her dances she strove to elevate her art to a new culture and change her own identity to that of a goddess. The witch figure stood as a solution to the concept of Ausdruckst anz (Valerie, 1998, pp. 298-304). This concept introduced a confliction between the desire to father their dance accepted by society but maintain a strong level of originality at the same time. Wigmans dance cogitate primarily on raw and natural movement to actually capture the fresh expressiveness of her work.Through her work she hoped to portray a new vision of life. She cherished her work to be characterized by its dark and somewhat masculine nature. She explored the divergent ways in which the body could express itself (Valerie & Lahusen, 1990, pp. 8-10). She tried to use freedom of movement in expressing her sensuality and accepted that improvisation was the early step toward composition. The important thing about Wigmans choreography was that nevertheless those who misunderstood it were inspired by the energy of her performances.The audience seldom failed to clear the energy and life in Wigmans choreography (Gunhild, 1992, pp. 35-49). The witch in Wigmans choreograp hy represented the overcoming of human mortality and deficiencies through her new worship of dance. The dances were not sets of beautifully displayed images, but were created through disfigured movement that held no consideration for the viewers enjoyment. She ripped the space apart through her dance and engaged in the emptiness and diversity of the space.In conclusion, Wigman played a truly inspirational role in the modernization of dance in the 20th century. It would seem that Kolbs statement regarding the feminist and demonic quality would be true with regards to the time error that she found herself in. The Witch not plainly represented woman as a powerful figure, but it highlighted the abstract quality of her dance. Wigman changed the face of dance forever through her diverse and irregular ways of thinking. The way she broke away from conformist ideals still serves as inspiration to the dance we have today. Works Cited