Mary Wigman

Mary Wigman (1886–1973) was a German dancer and choreographer who pioneered Ausdruckstanz, or German expressionist dance, and founded a school in Dresden.

Rudolf von Laban: A Hungarian dance artist and theorist who developed influential systems for analyzing movement and choreographed community dance. Laban taught Wigman and helped shape the movement ideas she developed into her own dance practice.
Ausdruckstanz: A German modern dance movement that emphasized personal expression, bodily movement, and departure from classical ballet conventions. Wigman was one of the movement’s leading pioneers and gave it a distinctive choreographic voice.
Dalcroze eurhythmics: A method of music education that develops musical understanding through bodily movement and rhythm. Wigman studied eurhythmics before turning to dance, gaining an early foundation in movement and rhythm.
Modern dance: A broad family of concert dance traditions that developed in opposition to classical ballet conventions. Wigman’s expressive choreography helped expand modern dance in Europe and influenced its later practitioners.
Hanya Holm: A German-born dancer and choreographer who brought Wigman’s dance methods to the United States and founded a major dance school. Holm studied with Wigman and became a leading transmitter of her teaching in America.
Hexentanz: A solo dance created by Mary Wigman in which a masked figure moves with ritual intensity. This work concentrates her use of mask, rhythm, and unsettling physical expression.
Monte Verità: A Swiss alternative community near Ascona that attracted artists and reformers in the early twentieth century. Wigman encountered Laban’s work at Monte Verità, a formative setting for her artistic development.
German occupation of Poland: The Nazi German military and civil occupation of Poland from 1939 to 1945. Wigman’s 1930s performance history includes a controversial appearance in Nazi-occupied Poland.
Kurt Jooss: A German dancer and choreographer whose work joined expressionist movement with dramatic structure and social themes. Jooss and Wigman were central, distinct figures in the German modern dance milieu.
Dance without music: A choreographic practice in which movement is performed without instrumental or vocal accompaniment. Wigman explored dance without music, making rhythm and expressive movement carry the performance.

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