These two video biographies chronicle the life and work of two legends from the dance world: Charles Weidman and Mary Wigman. You needn't be a dance aficionado to appreciate Charles Weidman: On His Own. The man was a kinetic wonder. Born in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1901, Weidman became enthralled with dance as a teenager and joined the Denishawn dance group in the 1920s. In 1927, he left the group along with fellow dance member Doris Humphries to form a new company. During the late 20s and 30s, Weidman and Humphries concentrated on creating a distinctly American form of modern dance built around a repertory of moves based on the acts of falling and recovery. Numerous film clips of Weidman and Humphries from the period, set to a catchy piano beat, highlight their unique approach to dance, and contemporary re-enactments of some of Weidman's more well known works underscore the continuing impact his work has today. Excerpts from "On My Mother's Side," a dance suite of six human portraits (including Weidman's blind grandmother) and the haunting "Lynchtown" (in which members of a mob are alternately attracted and repulsed by a lynching) demonstrate Weidman's keen insight into human character--as pure motion, Weidman's moves are aesthetically pleasing, but unlike some other dancers, his motions always carry meaning. An alcoholic during his middle years, Weidman bounced back in the 1960s, continuing to give workshops and create new dance works until his death in 1975. Mary Wigman: 1886-1973, by way of contrast, is a much less accessible film. Not only is Wigman's dance more or less devoid of traditional narrative, the filmmaker, Allegra Fuller Snyder, apparently filming during the 60s, clearly has her own artistic intentions (or pretensions). Between the pair, they manage to squeeze quite a bit of the meaning and certainly most of the enjoyment of Wigman's work out of the film. Wigman, acknowledged as the founder of German expressionist dance narrates her own story (with voiceover English translation), chronicling her work with the Laban School and her subsequent journey to America and capture of the New York stage. Title cards are occasionally inserted (Use of the Mask, The Choric Principle, Teaching Concepts: Hands) to signal that words of wisdom concerning technique are imminent. Excerpts from the multi-part dance suite "Shifting Landscape," as well as "Witch Dance," and Wigman's coda, the 1942 "Farewell and Thanksgiving" are shown and accompanied by Wigman's commentary, which is sometimes metaphysically acute, but more often comprised of the kind of mystical hogwash that would make a true philosopher blush. Charles Weidman: On His Own is highly recommended. Mary Wigman: 1886-1973 is suitable only for hardcore students of modern dance history. (Available from: Princeton Book Company, P.O. Box 57, Pennington, NJ 08534; 1-800-326-7149.)
Charles Weidman: On His Own; Mary Wigman: 1886-1973
(1990) 59 m. $49.95. Dance Horizons Video (dist. by Princeton Book Company). Public performance rights included. Color cover. Vol. 6, Issue 8
Charles Weidman: On His Own; Mary Wigman: 1886-1973
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