Vortrag von PD Dr. Isabella Schwaderer:
"Of Lights and Shadows - South Asian Dancers in German Photography 1920-1938"
At the beginning of the 20th century, two relatively young arts developed in parallel and cross-fertilised each other - photography and expressive dance.
In Germany in particular, photography was a welcome means for dancers to achieve a broad impact beyond the stage. Images of bodies, often scantily dressed in leaps or expressive positions explored the limits of what was physically possible and broke with strict moral codes regarding the display of (mainly female) bodies. From film posters to cigarette collectors' cards, they were everywhere, radiating their monochrome glamour. A particular interest in art forms understood as "primordial" led to an exchange with with non-European dancers, whose art was perceived as superior because of its ancient tradition. venerable tradition. From the 1920s, South Asian artists were increasingly present on European stages and in the studios of star photographers.
An analysis of images of Indian dancers from the Weimar Republic to the Nazi era explores the origins of stereotypes and the interaction of dance movements and poses in front of the camera. This reveals a broad commercialisation of the media of dance, photography and film, but also how artists visually interacted and collaborated.