Free dance group

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As independent dance group dance groups are called, which are organized outside the city or state stage operation.

Mark

Typical characteristics of independent dance groups include:

  • the close connection with one (or more) artistically highly active personality (s);
  • the project character of the artistic work;
  • the limitation of the secured funding to the next project;
  • small ensembles with frequently changing cast;
  • Interplay of different art forms such as music, drama or video installations; such as
  • taking up current trends (e.g. hip-hop ) or traditional ethnic dance forms.

Another essential characteristic is the international composition of the dance groups in many cases, which means that a restriction to the German-speaking area does not do justice to the activities and effects of independent dance groups. Separately, soloists who work as choreographers and dancers in personal union should not be referred to as a dance group.

Other features can be enumerated that are not characteristic of independent dance groups, but are part of the everyday life of independent dance groups: Unclear legal form and the insured status of the participating artists, technicians, etc. a .; Retirement provision must be made privately and often cannot be provided due to the low income; a high degree of awareness of the artists within the dance scene; Financing very different, e.g. B. by the federal states, institutions ( Goethe-Institut , British Council etc.), or private sponsors; as the groups cannot afford storage space, the set is often a mixture of light, fabric and other means available on most stages such as tape, cardboard, chairs etc .; a free dance group can serve as a stepping stone into the established dance industry.

Link with artistically active personality (s)

In the German-speaking area

Vera Skoronel was one of the first active dance personalities in the German-speaking world to found a free dance group . In the following, some personalities are named who were or are artistically active with a free dance group in the German-speaking area, without claiming to be exhaustive:

  • William Forsythe: The Forsythe Company : William Forsythe was the most influential choreographer of the 80s and 90s and provided numerous choreographers with a dance language that was equal to classical ballet in terms of precision and aesthetics. After the Ballet Frankfurt was dissolved in 2004, Forsythe founded the Forsythe Company in cooperation with the federal states of Hesse and Saxony.
  • Jai Gonzales and Bernhard Fausers: UnterwegsTheater : Jai Gonzales (Peru) and Bernhard Fauser founded UnterwegsTheater in 1988, which is still active in Heidelberg today. In a former car repair shop they set up the Pro-B stage, which until it was demolished was one of the most important addresses for art in Heidelberg.
  • Jean Renshaw: Tanzwerk Nürnberg : The English choreographer Jean Renshaw founded the Tanzwerk Nürnberg in 1994. In 1998 she became the head choreographer at Theater Dortmund .
  • Rodolpho Leoni: rodolpho leoni dance : The native Brazilian has been working as a freelance choreographer in Germany since 1989, founded the rodolpho leoni dance Company in 1996 and has been a lecturer and choreographer at the Folkwang Hochschule in Essen since the 2006/07 winter semester.
  • Robert Poole: Robert Poole's Moving Words : The native English was a soloist with the Ballet Frankfurt under William Forsythe before he choreographed for his dance group Robert Poole's Moving Words. From 1998 to 2003 he was a choreographer at the Landestheater Linz, Austria.
  • Stephanie Thiersch: MOUVOIR : Stephanie Thiersch founded the dance group MOUVOIR in 1997.
  • Amanda Miller: Pretty Ugly Dance Company : In 1992, American-born Amanda Miller founded the Pretty Ugly Dance Company. Along with Robert Poole and Jacopo Godani, she belongs to the generation who, as dancers and choreographers, were significantly influenced by William Forsythe. 1997-2004 the company was engaged under the name Ballett Freiburg Pretty Ugly at the Freiburg Theater . From January 2005 to May 2009 Amanda Miller was the artistic director of pretty ugly tanz köln.
  • Rui Horta: SOAP : One of the most famous choreographers of the 90s alongside William Forsythe was the Portuguese Rui Horta. In Mousonturm in Frankfurt he choreographed for the dance group SOAP until the group was dissolved in 1998.
  • Cathy Sharp: Cathy Sharp Dance Ensemble : The American founded her ensemble in Basel in 1991, which to date has performed over 20 productions choreographed by Cathy Sharp and has worked with numerous guest choreographers.
  • Naoko Tanaka, Morgan Nadine: Ludica : The Japanese visual artist Naoko Tanaka and the Italian choreographer Morgan Nadine have been working together under the name Ludica since 2001.
  • Peter Schelling, Béatrice Jaccard: compagnie drift : The Swiss Peter Schelling (acting, director) and Béatrice Jaccard founded the compagnie drift in Zurich in 1992.
  • Anselmo Zolla: AZet Dance Company : The Brazilian Anselmo Zolla founded the dance group AZet Dance Company in 1994 , which was active for four years.
  • VA Wölfl, Wanda Golonka: New dance : The Austrian painter and photographer VA Wölfl founded the dance group Neuer Tanz in 1986 with Wanda Golonka.
  • Gerda König: DIN A 13 dance company : Founded in 1995 by Gerda König, the dance group is one of the few mixed-abled ensembles in the world.
  • Sasha Waltz: Sasha Waltz & Guests : Together with Jochen Sandig, Sasha Waltz founded her company Sasha Waltz & Guests.
  • Britta Lieberknecht: Britta Lieberknecht & Technicians : In 1989 Britta Lieberknecht founded the dance group Britta Lieberknecht & Technicians together with Reinhard Gerum, which specializes in dance projects in connection with installations.

In Europe

Independent dance groups that are active outside of the German-speaking area but are also known in Germany:

  • Akram Khan: Akram Khan Company : The native Englishman with Indian roots combines modern dance forms with traditional Indian dance and founded his company in 2000.
  • Wayne McGregor: Random Dance : Random Dance is probably one of the most successful independent dance groups in Europe. Founded in 1992 by Wayne McGregor, Random Dance is now a dance group that is known worldwide.

Project character of the artistic work

Many independent dance groups are financed by sponsors, mainly the federal states, but also cities, cultural institutions and companies. As a result, dancers and choreographers often migrate to the city stages, where they find greater financial security and a better supply situation. Dance pieces are adapted to current financial and artistic possibilities; a fixed repertoire can rarely be offered over a longer period of time. The art form dance, already a fleeting, ephemeral art form by its very nature, has an even more pronounced character of the unrepeatable in independent dance groups. Many dance groups only come together for one or a few productions.

financing

Three groups of sponsors can be distinguished: the cities and federal states, institutions for the promotion of international relations such as the Goethe-Institut or the British Council and finally companies and private individuals.

Reasons for free dance groups

In view of the organized dance business of urban stages, the question arises as to what contribution independent dance groups make. In addition, it must be taken into account that urban stages still have a repertoire that is heavily dominated by classical ballet, while independent dance groups represent a variety of dance styles, from contemporary dance to hip-hop or dance forms influenced by national folklore (e.g. Akram Khan). While in recent years many urban ballet companies have also offered contemporary dance pieces, in the 1980s and 1990s, at most, neoclassical dance pieces were possible. This was due in particular to the influence of the subscription audience, which was composed primarily of older theater-goers and those belonging to the middle class. Since the theaters have increasingly wanted to interest the younger generations in going to the theater, art forms such as contemporary dance have also had a place in the city's theater business.

Another development is the fact that many projects do not fit into the traditional division of a city theater because they incorporate different art forms in one project. Some dance groups take this into account by not calling themselves a dance group but an artist collective (e.g. Ludica, Sasha Waltz & Guests).

Individual evidence

  1. ^ [1] : With his CD-ROM "Improvisation Technologies: A Tool for the Analytical Dance Eye" (Hatje Cantz Verlag), which is used in professional ensembles, dance schools, universities, in the postgraduate training of architects and also in schools , Forsythe literally reinvented the teaching of dance improvisation in 1994.
  2. ^ Http://www.theforsythecompany.com The Forsythe Company
  3. ↑ http://www.leoni-dance.de/ rodolpho leoni dance
  4. ↑ Archive link ( memento of the original from March 26, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Sasha Waltz & Guests  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.sashawaltz.de
  5. ↑ http://www.britta-lieberknecht.de/kuenstlerische-arbeit/index.html Britta Lieberknecht & Technicians
  6. ↑ http://www.goethe.de/kue/tut/cho/cho/deindex.htm Goethe-Institut: 50 choreographers