Individuality and Expression: The Aesthetics of the New German Dance, 1908-1936

While much has been written about the visual artists and playwrights of early twentieth-century Germany - Nolde, Kandinsky, Kokoschka and others - their equally innovative contemporaries in dance have not been studied so extensively. The development of the New Dance, also called Ausdruckstanz, paralleled that of expressionist art and drama. This study focuses on nine choreographers whose theories, work, aesthetic values and artistic intent convey the variations and commonalities of this dance form. They are Mary Wigman, Gret Palucca, Harald Kreutzberg, Yvonne Georgi, Vera Skoronel, Berthe Truempy, Niddy Impekoven, Grete Wiesenthal, and Valeska Gert.