European Dance Theater: An Overview of its Past and Present

The story of the avant garde Dance Theater ("Tanztheater") past, present and future, is told here through filmed performances, commentary and interviews with critics and choreographers. Tanztheater, which had its roots in the 1920s and the work of Rudolf Laban, strives to reflect the social and cultural climate of the time using many artistic elements, including dance, drama, and poetry. In the words of Pina Bausch, Tantztheater is "not how people move but what moves people." Unfortunately, the movement is now in serious crisis, having stagnated into repetitive themes of male/female conflict. Critic Jochen Schmidt believes that in the future, young choreographers must develop new content and images to appeal to TV-influenced audiences. A printed supplement would have been helpful to the uninitiated (some of the work presented here will not be familiar to American audiences), and a timeline would have added historical clarity to a program which does not present facts in chronological order. Still, this is recommended primarily for sophisticated arts collections. Aud: C, P. (J. Reed)