Expressionist dance was marked by the passage of
modernism,
vitalism,
expressionism,
avant-garde and a general protest against artistic stagnation and the old society. Ballet was perceived to have been superficial entertainment. The new dance would be art, both individual and artistic creation. The dance was described as the art of movement. It was a revolution. It would be more expressive, and show more spirit and emotion and less virtuosity. The dance would be improvisational, uninhibited and provocative. Future spiritual and bodily reform movements expressed themselves in a new "natural" naked dance. The women took centre stage. A key protagonist was Isadora Duncan, who around 1900 had taken from classical dance technique and costume. She had even taken off dancing shoes – "you do not play the piano with gloves on". She wanted to unite the body, mind and spirit in her art, and searched with
Olga Desmond for inspiration in ancient Greek and Egyptian art, during the time of
Orientalism. The revolutionary movements in Germany and the USA were most obvious, two countries that had no older rooted ballet tradition. The forerunners in Europe included
Clotilde von Derp,
Hertha Feist,
Hilde Holger,
Loie Fuller,
Jo Mihaly and especially
Mary Wigman. Schools for expressionist dance had special philosophies and emphases for dance, such as naturalness, breathing, tension / relaxation etc. It was often associated with floor contact, "weight" of dance movements, and experiments with music. Body and physicality were strongly emphasized.
Rudolf von Laban was a theoretical prominent figure who was based on metaphysical ideas and one of the pioneers of
Ausdruckstanz in Germany. From 1913-1918, Laban operated a school for art on the colony
Monte Verità in Ascona, Switzerland, which became a teaching centre for the new dance. The
Denishawn School in the United States was founded by
Ruth St. Denis and
Ted Shawn, with such students as
Martha Graham and
Doris Humphrey. Its independent and pioneering dance came to form the backbone of modern dance, whose many branches stretched forth up until today.
Butoh is inspired by the German expressionist dance of the 1950s. The British choreographer and live performer
Liz Aggiss, who trained with
Hanya Holm and
Hilde Holger, has been making expressionist dance works since 1986. Her first solo show,
Grotesque Dancer, was inspired by
Valeska Gert. In 1992, Holger revived four dances for Aggiss from her repertoire:
Die Forelle (The Trout) (1923),
Le Martyre de San Sebastien (1923),
Mechaniches Ballett (1926) and
Golem (1937). These were first performed with Billy Cowie, as Vier Tanze, at the Manchester Festival of Expressionism in 1992. Sophie Constanti wrote that 'Together all four pieces danced with great sensitivity and aplomb by Aggiss...provided a fascinating insight into the lost Ausdruckstanz of central Europe.' Indian dancer
Patruni Sastry has been working on choreographic style "Indian expressionism" where the major work is focused on queer rights and other social elements == Literature ==