Documentation of Dance
offers a representative overview over dance in Germany since the early 70’s.The 70’s, Dance Theatre Bremen
> Expansion of the Collection,
Focal Points
> Reconstruction and Conservation
of old AV-Material
> Supply of Audio-Visual Documentation of Dance for Scientific Research
> Viewing Media Library
> Data Base
The beginning of our collection of videos is closely connected to the Dance Theatre Bremen. Thus the archive has an almost complete documentation of the works of the main protagonists of the early dance theatre, such as Johann Kresnik, Reinhild Hoffmann and Gerhard Bohner.
The time period from the end of the 60s to
the beginning of the 70s, when dance experienced its greatest changes
and HANS KRESNIK was the artistic director of the Dance Company at the
Theatre Bremen, was a contributing factor to the birth of the .
Heide-Marie Härtel and Pierre LePage created their first amateur
shootings on double 8 film of the piece “Kriegsanleitung für
Jedermann! (Instructions to War for Every Man) in 1970.
The newly developed video technology allowed for a more intensive method of audio-visual documentation, which was ultimately integrated into the rehearsal structure. The newly established Media Centre at the University Bremen offered technical advice which facilitated basic recordings of pieces by the Dance Theatre Bremen and other companies.
Beginning
of the Collection:
The 70s,
Dance Theatre Bremen
Thus
began a private collection of videos, which was to become the basis of
the
in the late 80s.
Our institute’s staff had documented REINHILD HOFFMANN’s works since her choreographic beginnings at the Folkwang Dance Studio in the 70s. This intense co-operation led to first TV-productions (“Solo mit Sofa” (Solo with Sofa), “Callas” NDR 1984) and to a feature-length portrait about the artist and her work (“Die Sinnlichkeit des Boxhandschuhs” (The Sensuality of a Boxing Glove) ZDF 1986).
All the pieces, which were created with Reinhild Hoffmann’s artistic direction at the Dance Theatre Bremen, were documented and archived on commission by the Theatre Bremen. Likewise a retrospective was kept of her work in Bochum.
At the same time that Reinhild Hoffmann was accompanied by video, the documentation of SUSANNE LINKE’S work at the Folkwang Dance Studio in Essen also began in the early 70s. These were simple black-and-white recordings of her first pieces (e.g.: “Puppe” (Doll) 1975, “Der Tod und das Mädchen” (Death and the Maiden) 1976).
A regular co-operation with our institute was intensified when Susanne Linke worked as the artistic director of the Dance Theatre Bremen from 1994 to 2000.
Das Since then the has
been documenting all the new works of the choreographer within the republic.
Gaps in the documentation, especially missing pieces from her work abroad,
were filled by Susanne Linke’s own collection of video-material,
which she contributed to the institute to be copied and archived.
For example: Our institute owns 11 different recordings of the piece “Im Bade wannen” (Bath Tubbing) from 1980. This means that more than 25 years of performances at nine different locations in Germany and abroad are documented.
In the course of the years, the collection began to comprise the whole range of different forms of dance.
From classical ballet to modern tendencies in dance – we now keep a record of various different styles and schools in Germany and also abroad.
Expansion
of the Collection:
From Classical Ballet to Modern Tendencies in Dance
Part of our collection is concerned
with the audio-visual documentation of the work of dance pedagogues, dance
academies and different educational institutions.
Dance Pedagogics
A
large part of our collection consists of material from the private archives
of choreographers, film-makers and different festivals, who donated their
documentation to the
for reconstruction and filing.
While new material is continuously created
within the context of our institute’s work, the private collection
of Heide-Marie Härtel is growing simultaneously.
Focal
Point:
The Reconstruction of
Institutional and Private
Archives
Theatres and choreographers place
specimen copies at the institute's disposal.
Specimen Copies
About half of our collection consists of video material which is ready to be broadcast. Our institute records between 40 to 60 performances each year on camera. Thus our collection is continuously growing and kept up-to-date with the latest productions.
Focal Point:
Documentation of Pieces
Conservation
of old AV-Material
Our institute has specific technical equipment which enables us to record old video-systems and films onto a desired norm, securing the historical inheritance of dance. by saving old documents from disintegration.
Documentation of Dance for
Scientific Research
Our audio-visual material and our viewing- and work capacities are available for scientific research, seminars and congresses, pedagogic research projects and dance festivals.
Our Reference Video
Library is open to the public. Dancers, choreographers, dance pedagogues,
expert journalists, dance scientists and students use this facility to
gain comprehensive information.
You can find our opening hours at
SERVICE / CONTACT
Keyword: Using the Archive
The institute's data base has been developed in co-operation with the University Bremen and has been constructed to serve the specific needs of research into dance.
It contains information about the archived tapes, about choreographers and their oeuvre, about individual performances, theatres and other institutions of dance.
The data base is continuously updated with publicised data about dance from other archives.
For reasons of copyright, individual users may view the material only on our premises.
Some recordings in our archive need a special viewing permission by the choreographer or author.
Back to the Top > Examples from the Collection