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Existential Meaning and Interpretation of German Modern Dance in the 20th Century

MalborgKim 1,  ji-won Lee 1

1이화여자대학교

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ABSTRACT

Opposition to Positivism and Rationalism, Existentialism was born out ofsocial unrest and, a futile and unreasonable reality that pierced the 20th century. Starting from Kierkegarrd, Niche, Heidegger, and to Sarte, humanity wasdisappointed and suspicious within the relative faith. So the focus of existentialismis on looking toward the inner self, establishing a true human character and goingback to our ego. As Sarte once said, where everyone faces death, being human is achoice between life and death. Actionable movement, where we know theproperties of life, choose life’s problems on our own, and take responsibility for it,encounters the art, movement, and worries of the modern society of moderndancers. Dances of early modern dancers can be explained in several characteristicswhen interpreted with Existentialism. First is that they stand strongly againstrationalism that ignores one’s true identity, will and emotion. They are also againsta uniform beauty that combines all other specific characteristics of individuals witha rational standard and they have made their own new beauty. This is an emotionalside or of their experience and identity. Second is men’s irrational existence in astruggle that started with anxiety of living and emptiness of life to find one’s trueself expressed in death. The various interpretations and development of death is aface of transcendent humanity that confronts reality, does not lose hope and showsstrength. The third is a recreation of open construct, space and time. Existentialistportrayed one’s unique value in thought of space, time and images of color, andrefused a fixed frame or limitations utilizing open endings. Representative of this philosophy was the German dancers Wigman and JoossAbstractwho depicted active men in their work. They did not portray someone in astereotype or within a set of values but showed ones’ self with the results of whatthey experienced. Wigman expressed with the body an existential being through awitch who realized her destiny with her own will and at the same time anincomplete being who sought self-salvation while denying traditional rules. Joossalso made experienced confessions and autonomous movement by creatingdivergent interpretations and characters of death. Their s are a confession ofsubjective thought, truth, introspection and action that leads to limitations ofexistentialism and conquest. This research dealt with early modern dance but has limits to encompassingthe existential being dominantly seen today. One hopes that diverse interpretationsof dance will be achieved upon the conceptual properties of Existentialism.

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* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.

This paper was written with support from the National Research Foundation of Korea.
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