Biography of Mary Wigman

Mary Wigman lived from 1886 to 1973, and was the leading force of the German Modern Dance Movement for over 50 years. Wigman first studied under Delcroze, and then with Rudolf van Laban when she was almost 24 years old.  Mary became Laban’s assistant in developing his dance notation system. In 1920, her school in Dresden first opened. Eventually the school grew and developed branches all over Germany, including one in New York headed by her student, Hanya HolmWigman taught her technique, which was based on structured improvisations in her school. She also excelled at solo choreography. Her two most famous works,  “Witch Dance” and “Monotony Whirl” were both created in 1926. Mary Wigman considered herself an expressionist, and was heavily influenced by expressionist painter Emil Nolde. Wigman believed that Art grows out of the basic cause of existence. She is responsible for the development of the Absolute Dance form. Her German Heritage, training, and personality influenced her work as well as the atmosphere of Pre-Nazi Germany. After World War II, Wigman re-established her school in West Berlin and continued teaching until she retired in the late 1960s. With the rise of Tanztheater, a style associated with Pina Bausch, Mary Wigman’s work was revived in the 1970s.