Mary Wigman is a very influential
figure in modern and still is today. She is known for the freedom she exhibited
in her dancing, which you are able to see today in Modern dance. I find Wigman’s
work to be very moving since she was not afraid to experiment with different
concepts in her work. For instance, the way she had used masks in her pieces to
create different personalities on stage. It added to the concept of her stage
dance, to create a more theatrical feel within her dances. I feel that Wigman
had shown movement contrast in the pieces she created as well. She was able to
show extreme tension and sharp angular movements, which was shown in her Witch
Dance, but she was also able to illustrate more soft and free slowing movement,
which was shown in her work, Totenmal. In my opinion it is important as a
dancer to show versatility, rather then sticking with one particular form.
Besides what I believe to have been
influential movement concepts Wigman was known to be a leading figure in dance
for other cultures as well. After WWII she reconstructed her school in Berlin,
Germany. It became the center for all modern dance enthusiasts, bringing people
in from all over the world. One of Wigman’s students, Neue Tranz, from Japan,
was very inclined by her teachings. Tranz took what he had learned from
Wigman’s school and brought modern dance to Japan. Here Tranz carried on
Wigman’s teachings and stimulated the world of modern dance in Japan. Hanya
Holm was another lineage of Mary Wigman. Holm also took Wigman’s teachings and
expanded them to the United States, opening up a Wigman’s School of Dance in
New York.
I feel she went beyond just teaching, choreographing, and
performing dance. Wigman came to inspire other dancers to expand and carry on her
work through out the world. She brought modern dance to places where there was
no modern dance and gave people a new form of movement and expression. Her
concepts of dance as well can link to dance today, especially her stage dance.
After Wigman I believe you saw more people take into account the stage part of
the dance and explore new possibilities with the set, lighting, and costuming. The
public should take note of Wigman’s teachings. She has been part of changing
the course of dance history by her concepts and bringing modern dance to other countries.
Below is one of Wigman's works titled, Totenmal, that I had mentioned above.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyNkEm-cFVk&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL824B75CA1ED32B68
I really like how you can connect to her on different levels. I too am drawn to Wigman because of her ability to move in two completely disparate ways. She can be as fluid as water in one dance, and as hard as stone in another. In terms of the lineage seen from her teachings, I was very surprised to see how international her influence has been. The fact that she was one of the pioneers of modern dance and was able to bring modern to Japan is simply amazing. Her idea of stage dance and the importance of creating a specific feeling on stage through her use of masks is something that is definitely seen today in numerous other works by famous choreographers today. She is definitely one of the most influential people in modern dance for a myriad of reasons!
ReplyDelete-Allie Rick
Yes, Mary was very influential through out the world. While learning about her in class I feel we overlooked that part of her life. Modern dance would definitely not be how it is today without Mary Wigman.
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