Modern Dance in Germany and the United States

The United States took the lead in modern dance innovation during the 1960s when artists such as Martha Graham, Josse Limbon, Paul Taylor, Alvin Aeiley and Alwin Nikolais overwhelmed European audiences. Subsequently, the New German Tanztheatre revitalized German theatre traditions with its new content and application of some of the United States modern dance techniques. This book discusses both parallels and distinctions between the history of modern dance in the United States and Germany. This work examines the phenomena of the modern dance movement between 1920 and 1968 in an international context, focusing on its beginnings in Europe and its philosophy as formulated by Dalcroze, Laban, Wigman, and Jooss. The book traces the effects of the Third Reich on these artists as well as their influence on the developing American modern dance movement through the postwar years, with a particular focus on Kurt Jooss and the Tanztheatre.