MODERN Dance Germany-Poland-Israel 4003-TAMO-OG

In this project, students will conduct original research on discovering Polish modern dance through source analysis and the construction of performative lectures, both individually and in groups. The project outcome will be a video document featuring their presentations, including editing and narration about the project. The video document, with open copyright, will be available on YouTube on the TANIEC TV channel.

Polish modern dance is based on Dr. Jacek Łumiński's concept "Theater of Dance – Inspirations, Variations, Places, Concepts," further developed in Iwona Wojnicka's doctoral dissertation "Choreographic Response to the Dance Biography of Nata Lerska" under the supervision of Prof. Monty Adkins at the University of Huddersfield in the UK.

Modern dance evolved in the Weimar Republic, with Rudolf Laban as its precursor. It eventually became known as Freiertanz, or free dance, and later as Ausdruckstanz, a term used by Mary Wigman. In subsequent decades, through Pina Bausch's influence, it became known as Tanz Theater, or dance theater. Due to political reasons, free dance, whose main figures had Jewish roots, was erased from history, e.g., Pola Nirenska emigrated to England, and Gertrud Kraus to Israel. Dancers who survived in Poland changed their dance styles – Natalia Lerska became a soloist in Spanish dance, Irena Prusicka began writing children's books, and the doyenne of expressive dance, Ruth Sorel, was eliminated from the labor market. In Israel, Gertrud Kraus's intensive activities laid the lasting foundations for a movement revolution that led to contemporary Israeli dance.

Students will learn about European pioneers of modern dance and their works through archival content. In each workshop, they will select a dance element that speaks to their imagination and then present their selections with justifications. Based on the chosen topics and presentation methods, they will form workshop pairs to develop performative presentations.

The next step will involve creating materials for recording, working with a camera and cameraman, and learning the technology of creating image and sound, focusing on the communicative aspects of self-presentation. Equally important will be developing participants' awareness in handling lighting, selecting scenery, and costumes to create a convincing and attractive message for the audience.

Iwona Wojnicka. A dancer, choreographer, and performer, with a passion for creating audiovisual content online. She graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy and Sociology at the University of Warsaw and completed Postgraduate Studies in Dance Theory at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music. She completed a four-year course in Laban Movement Analysis at Eurolab in Berlin and studied dance during a three-year internship at Codarts. She recently submitted a practical doctorate titled "Choreographic Response to The Dance Biography of Nata Lerska" at the University of Huddersfield in the UK.

Piotr Gardecki. Graduated from the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design in Wrocław, Faculty of Painting and Sculpture. He defended his diploma in the studio of Professor Krzysztof Skarbek. As a scholarship recipient, he studied at Edinburgh College of Art in Scotland and Vrije Academie Den Haag (Independent Art Institute) in the Netherlands. He exhibited his works in Poland, Germany, Scotland, the USA, and frequently in the Netherlands, where he ran a studio for 5 years. He currently lives and works in Wrocław.