Next, I want to focus on the choreographic choices Fosse made during this piece. Fosse took the stereotypical view that the Weimar Republic of this time was the “hedonistic capital of avant-garde culture.” Under this approach he exaggerated the sexualization of the female dancers by providing choreography that placed an emphasis on the shaking and swaying of their buttocks and bosom. The choreography also exhibited females being self-indulgent as they were seen spanking themselves and feeling their upper thighs. In addition, Fosse’s choreography was primarily based on the principle of unison. These “Tiller Girls,” both in the piece and in Weimar culture became known for their signature synchronization. The group was created as a way of responding to the industrialization of America. As a result, the choreographic elements were inspired by the creation of factories. Fosse’s choreography was inspired by these events as he adhered to strict machine like formations of dancers within the piece. Each formation was linear and showed order.
In addition to this order and unison, the later part of the Weimar period was known for being strict and repressive, as fascism developed under the Nazi regime. Female sexuality was often repressed as their sole purpose was to bear healthy children to uphold the Aryan
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race. So in order to make Fosse’s sexualized choreography of female self-indulgence allowed on stage, he had to “other” them. The white female body was literally masked by extravagant and gaudy makeup caked onto their faces, acting as a mask. This mask concealed the woman’s true form, as they were seen as nothing more than an object for male desire. The mask allowed the woman to pretend to be something else, a meaningless object of desire and lusted by men. Another important element during the Weimar Republic was the expressionism movement. This movement was developed at the end of World War I as German artists turned their backs on traditions, naturalism, and realism, instead pursued the progressive, experimental and avant-garde (Falconer). Many of these elements used during this movement were seen within Fosse’s chorography of this piece. Some included, theatrical costumes and garish makeup, artificial looking sets on stage, relating narratives through subjective viewpoint of characters, color that was used in a symbolic manner and props that were used to reflect the outside world (Falconer). In reference to these characteristics Fosse used the colors red, black and yellow of the dancer’s costumes to symbolize the colors on the German flag. Another element was the relationship of the narrative through subjective viewpoint of characters. In this case, it was the female dancers who directly told their “story” through movement, each motion could be easily read by the audience as to what they were telling. In addition, the canes were used to reflect the outside world. This happened as the dancers were seen using the canes as guns, to reflect the political turmoil outside of the club. Another important aspect to touch upon was the club which hosted the cabaret.
This was called the “Kit Kat Klub.” It is important to understand what reputation this club held and its purpose. Cabarets were often used to satire and mock politics and popular culture. It was a way of making serious topics less intense. This explained all the laughter from the audience when the dancer’s changed their persona and mood to reflect soldiers. In addition, Fosse added his own exaggeration. At the opening of Cabaret, the audience was seen laughing and having a good time and by the end of the show, the audience was quiet and was seen replaced by the presence of Nazi tan
uniforms. Fosse’s stereotypical understanding and approach to historical background played an important role in the image presented. Christopher Isherwood wrote Goobye to Berlin in 1939. This work contained the stories that inspired Cabaret providing insights into the Weimar decay. Within Fosse’s piece, flashes outside of the club provided insights into the terror of Germany at the time. Fosse provided an “errie and sensual Klub where his growing obsession with the dark side of humanity grew” (Brengle, 154). Throughout the short piece “Tiller Girls” Fosse was seen directing the camera to scenes of Germany. This was his way of showing his viewer where his movement and ideas were coming from historically. It was also a reminder to the viewer of the world outside the “Klub.” It was also important to remember that without the medium of film, which Fosse was using, he could not accomplish this task.
The next work of the program, Courtly Airs and Dances, is a multi-movement work composed by Ron Nelson. The piece is split into six movements: Intrada, Basse Danse, Pavane, Saltarello, Sarabande, and Allemande. Each of these present distinct characteristics that separate it from each other movement, yet all are united by being a style of dance. The first movement, Intrada, presents a fanfare-like opening to the multi-movement work. The trumpets and brass section as a whole lead this, as they create a sense of nobility. The key is major and the tempo is one that could be described as allegretto—it is not a fast tempo, yet more brisk than an andante pace. The texture is homophonic, as there are different parts being performed by different
Throughout the years, America has pursued the performing arts in a large variety of ways. Theatre plays a dramatic and major role in the arts of our society today, and it takes great effort in all aspects. Musical Theatre, specifically, involves a concentration and strength in dance, acting, and singing. This is the base that Musical Theatre is built upon. For my Senior Project, I helped choreograph multiple scenes in a community musical “Thoroughly Modern Millie”. Choreography is a way of expressing oneself, but it has not always been thought of for that purpose. Agnes de Mille’s expressive talent has drastically affected how people see choreography today. Agnes de Mille’s influence in the world of dance has left a lasting impact in the Performing Arts Department, and her revolutionary works are still known today for their wit, lyricism, emotion, and charm.
Both the Nazi Political Movemen,t in Germany, and the post World War II/Cold War attacks on homosexuals, were driven by similar goals. The Nazi movement arose after Germany had lost World War 1 and was being restricted heavily by the Treaty of Versailles. The country faced major inflation and extremely high unemployment rates. The Nazi party came to power and targeted homosexuals in their push to cleanse the country because homosexuals could not reproduce to add more followers to their movement, and also because they were afraid that homosexuals would draw other young men from reproducing. Later in the movement, in 1936, Himmler labeled homosexuals as a threat to the German race (Plant). After that, it was not about population growth; homosexuality was seen as an active threat to the Germans. The Nazis aimed to clean up the mess Germany was experiencing after the first World War and saw homosexuality as a symptom of societal moral decay and as a threat to the growth of their movement.
Men and women were seen to live in separate social class from the men where women were considered not only physically weaker, but morally superior to men. This meant that women were the best suited for the domestic role of keeping the house. Women were not allowed in the public circle and forbidden to be involved with politics and economic affairs as the men made all the
The Impact of Nazi Policies on the Position and Role of Women in Germany, 1933-39
I am here today to discuss how gender played a critical role in the construction of the Nazi State, prior to 1938. Specifically, I would like to focus my analysis on how and why the Nazis constructed a conception of motherhood that defined the mother in relation to the state. For our purposes today, we will examine two ideal German mothers and explore their similarities in order to understand how and why the Nazis perceived mothers as public agents of the Volksgemeinschaft, or German community of people. Primary documents will allow us to examine first-hand experiences of mothers written within the context of Nazi Germany.
My first choice was a ballet piece named La Sylphide. La Sylphide is a story about a young Scottish man named James who is soon to be wed. He falls asleep and has an intricate dream about a beautiful sylphide, which is a spirit. In his dream they dance and he soon falls in love with the sylphide. When he awakes, he soon forgets about the sylphide and focuses on his fiancée.
Cabaret provides for its audience an animated and a uniquely exciting dramatization of Berlin, Germany just before the Second World War. The story of many Germans living in an uncertain world is shown through just a few characters. Life is a cabaret, or so the famed song goes. After watching "Cabaret," you'll agree to an extent, but also realize how unsettling the assertion is. Taking place in the early 1930s, a portrait of life in decadent Berlin, is both uplifting and grim. Not your typical musical, it is comedic and dramatic, realistic, very tasteful, and ultimately thought provoking.
Nazis constructed marriage to define their “community of people” by associating the relationship with modeled public male and private female roles. In the Nazis perspective, marriage was no longer a physical or emotional attraction between a man and a woman, yet it became a small system within a larger system that would sustain both the German households and the German society. Marriage soon became defined as a modeled system when Hitler depicted the Nazi‘s preferences in a speech to the National Socialist Women‘s section on September 8th, 1934.
Overall time helped demonstrated the masses’ movement unity as they moved with the time and the individual’s struggle as she moved contrary to the group’s time. The dance began with a lively Bach movement, which created a feeling of excitement as the mass of dancers moved with increasing speed. The short duration needed to complete movements, regularity of the music, and repetition of dance patterns of the group established their synchronization with time. In contrast, this allegro tempo created a nervous, rushed feeling for the individual woman, which established her contradiction to the groups perception of time. The sharp, sudden adagio tempo change in Part 2 created an uneasy mood, while establishing distrust and tension between the individual woman and the masses. The stillness of the mass dancers in response to the woman in Part 2 exemplified this segregation. As the tempo slowed in Part 4, an element of sadness and isolation was apparent in the individual woman’s movement. In contrast, this tempo change for the group created an intimacy between the individual heterosexual couples. This intimacy further isolated the individual women and demonstrated her movement against groups perception of time. The changes in tempo of music and dance movement complimented the third element of dance, dynamics or
Adolf Hitler and the Nazis esteemed Aryan women as heroes in Nazi Germany because of their ability to procreate. Women had no place in such an industrial society so they were encouraged to focus on their role as a dutiful wife and mother. They contributed to the Volksgemeinschaft by constructing the future generation and making more of the Aryan race. Thus, since all women were valued as the creators of the nation’s most important product—pure Aryan people—there were no restrictions on their sexual orientation. Women were allowed to become homosexuals while men were prosecuted and imprisoned for partaking in any homosexual offences. The Nazis were fervent in preserving the concept of the ideal family within the Volksgemeinschaft, and thus they reinforced masculinity within men and instilled the significance of maternity within the women.
My primary source is a speech by the Nazi Minister of Propaganda and ‘Public Enlightenment’, Joseph Goebbels. The speech was given in 1933 at the opening of an exhibition in Berlin a mere six weeks following Hitler’s seizure of power. The speech’s goal was to lay out the foundations of womanhood under National Socialism. This essay will highlight the demographic and ideological principles related to women in Nazi Germany. However, it is essential to note that under Nazi ideology, gender relations were always second to those of race.
Many associate the Berlin Dada movement with Raoul Hausmann, Johannes Baader, Hans Richter, George Grosz, John Heartfield and Weiland Herzfelde, and very few associate the art movement with Hannah Hoch. Although Hoch was overshadowed by her male contemporaries, she did not hesitate from being an active member of the Berlin Dada creating timeless and critical artworks. She is best known for being a pioneer in photomontage, a technique that was instrumental not just for Hoch, but for many Berlin Dadaists. Her most well-known photomontages are satirical and political commentaries on Weimar’s redefinition of the social roles of women, also known as the concept of the “new woman”. If during her early years she would create artworks that attempted to portray the concept of the “new woman”, in her later years she began creating artworks that responded to this new Weimarian
27 May 2014. The "Nazi Eugenics" Alpha History: Nazi Germany. N.p., n.d. Web.
The topic I decided to choose to conduct my Capstone Research on is Copyright in Choreographic Works. Choreography is “Choreographers use dance performances to express ideas and stories. There are many types of dance, such as ballet, tango, modern dance, tap, and jazz (bls.gov). Choreography is also something that should be made from the heart, it’s not something that should be taken from someone else because at that point, it wouldn’t be considered your choreography and it wouldn’t be something you made from your own mind and creativity. Dancing is something you have a passion for and you show your emotions through your movements, so there shouldn’t be a need to copy. The problem now is, many choreographers are starting to steal choreography