Weltenbummler in dance: 100 years of Palucca University in Dresden!

Weltenbummler in dance: 100 years of Palucca University in Dresden!

In the past few weeks, everything in Dresden is all about the impressive legacy of Gret Palucca and the celebrations for the one hundred years of their dance University. The Palucca University has developed into an internationally important center for modern expression dance. Like the ARD Mediathek reports, young dancers from all over the world come to Dresden to live their passion for dance. They often leave their homeland at the age of ten to devote themselves to dance and the associated discipline, pain, ambition and community.

The everyday life of these dancers is hard, shaped by constant samples and the urge to get better and better. If you accompany them over several months, it becomes clear that in this pursuit not only self -doubt, but also pride and a deep enthusiasm for the art of dance. This shows the fascinating image of an institution based on the ideas and understanding of Gret Palucca. Her credo, "You have to dance with your head and think with your legs!" Is reflected in the training and goes far beyond mere technology.

The story of Gret Palucca

Gret Palucca was born on January 8, 1902 in Dresden as Margarete Paluka and decisively shaped the modern expression dance. Her career began with ballet lessons in Dresden, where she quickly realized that the traditional shapes did not promise her. The MDR Culture describes how she saw the appearance of Mary Wigman, one of the pioneers of the expression dance, and decided to dance in their group. Their dance performances were acrobatic, impulsive and testified to powerful creativity.

With the founding of her own dance school in 1925, Palucca emerged from the shadow of traditional ballets and relied on innovative, modern expression dance. But the political landscape in Germany brought about challenges. During the Nazi era, she received restrictions and her dance school was closed in 1939 as a "alien". Nevertheless, she remained true to her art and school, even when it was nationalized in the GDR in 1949. Her influence as a teacher, even if characterized by ideological conflicts, remains noticeable. Although Palucca died on March 22, 1993 at the age of 91, her school received university status only a few months after her death.

the expression dance and its meaning

The expression dance, which became popular in Dresden in the 1920s and 1930s and beyond, has established itself as an important part of the dance culture. Originally referred to without the term "expression dance", this style developed as an answer to the frozen forms of classic ballet. As the Wikipedia describes, the expression dance stands for individual design and improvisation and encourages dancers to express their feelings and thoughts through movement. Gret Palucca was one of the key figures of this movement, together with dancers like Mary Wigman and Harald Kreutzberg.

Today, young artists and enthusiasts are happy to be part of this lively tradition that Palucca has created. The urge to move the world with dance and tell life stories remains a central topic in today's dance pedagogy.

in Dresden, where Palucca once dreamed and danced, your legacy continues and also inspires the next generation. A piece of cultural history becomes alive, which has an effect far beyond the limits of the city.