The green table during social events

Nazi Germany: 1933-1945
World of war 2: 1939-1945

Both events were happened during the showcase of "The green Table", like I said on previous post, there are some connections between The green table with Nazi Germany and World War 2, Kurt was forced to flee his homeland since he was not willing to purge his company and thus he is a Germany so he need to deal with this tragedy for himself. So, The Green Table must be under the reflection and influence of these two events. Also, he drew from these own sad experience into The Green Table. Furthermore, the main idea of this dance is death and life, the death which points to the war so the death is to against the war and also for the restrain the rise of  Nazi Germany and World War 2. And for the life, I think it should inspire the people who were under the influence of war, they might lost their freedom and homeland, but this dance can give them the hope to fight for themselves and also their relatives. So I think those are the influence of historical events based on The Green Table Dance.

"Death" and "the soldier"

Opinion from NewYorkTimes about Green Table

Here is a link about the Green Table dance choreographed by Kurt Jooss, after read this review I highly agree with three points with this critical review and I will claim my point in the following context. Here is the link.<---------Click me!




At first, the New York Time said" "The Green Table", Kurt Jooss' 1932 anti-war masterpiece, is one of few dances to have assumed a political identity, albeit shifting, outside of the theater. " I agree with this point because this ballet had some connections with Second war of world. In 1933, Kurt Jooss was forced to flee Nazi Germany  because he refused to purge his company, and also from the scene of dance, it seems to say the only victory of war is death and  the only survivors are corruptions since its ending is same as its beginning with a man stand in on the middle of table.

At the second, the review said "The Green Table" was influenced by medieval dances of death, and it unfolds as a series of tableaus in which Death takes the life of his quarry. " The movement is as stylized as the form. The scenes evolve into a series of vivid tableaux, the carefully composed images at times seeming to be frozen for an eternity. The stage is bare and the music is played on a piano only. 

His life experience does inspire myself.

“kurt Jooss began his career in the 1920s and from 1920 to 1924 studied under and danced lead roles in the choreography of Rudolf von Laban".He is really young when he began his dancing career and became the leader of dance, all we know that the leader of a dance is the most important role in a dance and since he was so young to become a leader he must be talented and well-studied. Now I am near the same age with him when he became the leader and I am still learning and playing. So from his life, it really inspires me to working hard. Sometimes, I am too lazy with studying and working, then now I know that no pain no gain, you will get paid if you really hard-work.

More than that, "Kurt Jooss, fifteen years younger than Charles Weidman, came to
America as a choreographer seeking to develop contemporary drama in theater, and he put his energy into choreographic compositions, relying for impact on his well-trained dance ensemble." There are some similar points between us, I came to America alone when I am young, the aim of studying abroad is to studying knowledge and technology from the modern country to apply them in out homeland and accelerate their development. Sometimes , I feel sad and helpless but his history really inspires myself and now I believe I could do it. That's the why I choose him as my topic and I'd like to say thanks very much.

The green table-anti war ballet

(overall introduction of The Green Table)
The Green Table is the masterpiece of German choreographer Kurt Jooss, and his most popular work, depicting the futility of peace negotiations of the 1930s. It was the first play to be fully notated using Labanotation (we have covered it on class :) ) . It is in the repertoire of ballet companies worldwide, where it has been staged by Jooss himself. 
The Green Table
Choreography: Kurt Jooss
Music: Fritz Cohen
Design: Hein Heckroth

Scene shot from The Green Table (PHOTO: Marty Sohl)

History:
The Green Table was created in 1932 in Paris, in which Jooss had been invited to participate. The originality of the piece won him the first prize and marked an important step in his career.The Green Table is concerned neither with the individual's struggles and redemption, nor with working out a nobler fate for mankind. Jooss dramatizes the way destructive impulses are released, and shows us the consequences.
He left Essen in Germany, where since 1927 he had directed the Folkwangschule dance department and experimental dance group and, since 1930, the ballet company of the Opera as well. He founded the Ballet Jooss( a new name of the Folkwang Tanzubunhe) , a private company which toured Europe and performed his dances, including The Green Table.

Outline of The Green Table:
It's basically eight dancers dance around a green table that's why they named it. The dancers are masked  because the original dancer include female role of dancers. The music is choose interesting by the composer and the dancers of two sides are never touched. 

At the end of tape Kurt Jooss said " I am firmly convinced that art should never be political, that art should not dream of altering peoples convictions... I don't think any war will be shorter or avoided by sending audiences into "The Green Table." 

These are two videos that we have watched in class 

Here is another version 

Kurt Joose Background

Kurt Jooss was a very famous ballet dancer and choreographer mixing classical ballet with theater; he is also widely regarded as the founder of dance theater. Jooss is noted for establishing several dance companies. (We have watched videos which is choreographed by him, the most impressed one is green table) 

(Starting)
From a young age he was interested in singing, drama and visual arts, he also played the piano and was a keen photographer. He began his career from 1920 to 1924 studied under and danced lead roles in the choreography of Rudolf Laban (who was a trained visual artist and developer of dance theory).
Jooss used narratives and modern theater styles to make performable works of Dance Theater, further developing the work of Laban and his system of notation.
(The image on the left is Jooss were studying from Laban.)






(Developing)
In 1933 Jooss was forced to flee Germany when the Nazis asked him to dismiss the Jews from his company and he refused. Then Joose took refuge in the Netherlands before resettling in England.

In 1934, whilst in England Jooss added new works to his repertoire, including Pandora (1944), contained disturbing images of human disaster and tragedy, which was later interpreted by some as foretelling the dropping of the atom bombs on Japan a year later.

(Teaching)

Jooss left England in 1949 to return to Essen, Germany. Jooss continued to teach and choreograph for 19 years.

(Ending)

He retired in 1968 and died 11 years later in 1979 from injuries sustained in an automobile accident.

                                            A video about Kurt Jooss, please begin with 2m10s