Book dossier

Modern dance in Germany and the United States

by Isa Partsch-Bergsohn

"In Modern Dance in Germany and the United States: Crosscurrents and Influences Isa Partsch-Bergsohn discusses the phenomenon of the modern dance movement between 1902 and 1986 in an international context, focussing on its beginnings in Europe and its philosophy as formulated by the pioneers Dalcroze, Laban, Wigman and Jooss. The author traces the effects the Third Reich had on these artists, and shows the influence these key choreographers had on the developing American modern dance movement through the postwar years, concentrating in particular on Kurt Jooss and his Tanztheater."--BOOK JACKET. "When America took the lead in modern dance innovation during the sixties, artists such as Martha Graham, Jose Limon, Paul Taylor, Alvin Ailey and Alwin Nikolais overwhelmed European audiences. Subsequently, the artists of the New German Tanztheater revitalized German theatre traditions by blending new content with some of the American contemporary dance techniques. Although the history of modern dance in these two countries is closely linked, the author describes how each country has kept its own unique and distinctive style."--BOOK JACKET.