German dancer Prof. Henrietta Horn gave insight into the process of her reconstructing expressionist Mary Wigman’s “Dance of Death II” together with Prof. Susan Barnett at a cross-boundary forum at TNUA in May.

Prof. Horn noted that the reconstruction of the work from static images or dance notations was a process of creation involving the sensitivity of the choreographer. She said the reconstruction and the staging of the reconstructed work at TNUA gave her a better understanding of Wigman’s original dance.

She also said she is looking forward to the next collaboration with TNUA – a project to reconstruct “The Rite of Spring.” Prof. Horn and Prof. Barnett completed the task of reconstructing “Dance of Death II” based only on some photos, Wigman’s manuscript, and drawing of the dance by German Expressionist artist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner.

The reconstructed dance was staged at TNUA in May. At the forum, Prof. Chiang Mei-Hsuan from TNUA’s Department of Filmmaking, discussed German Expressionism in film, citing “Dracula,” “Madame Dubarry,” and “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” as examples. Prof. Chiang said post-World War I resentment to realism gave rise to a form of expression that reflected the sense of insecurity and skepticism about reason and civilization.

Prof. Chang I-Wen from TNUA’s Department of Fine Arts, discussed expressionism and the death motif in fine arts. She also pointed out the intrinsic conflicts in Germany.