The Green Table Analysis

Meredith Monk’s construction Quarry presents a critique on the rise of a dictatorship through the eyes of an innocent and distant child. Similarly, The Green Table by Kurt Jooss depicts the inhumanities and corruption of war as seen by the people experiencing it first hand. Both of these works concern the rise of the Third Reich and the events that took place in WWII. However they differ in method of execution and technique as a result of differing time periods in which the two performances were premiered, as well as the specific stylistic choices implemented by their respective choreographers. With that said, both of these works dramatize the way destructive impulses have been discharged throughout history and show us the detrimental impact …show more content…
It was originally created in 1932 for the International Competition of Choreography in Paris, where it was awarded first place. The work itself is a ballet that is pacifist in nature and depicts the dehumanization and corruption involved in war (Seigel). Its structure does not focus on the struggles and redemption of victims. It also does not seek out a nobler fate for mankind. Each scene in The Green Table utilizes a variation of the central theme. Jooss uses archetypal characters facing the dehumanization that robs them of their individual preferences. Audience members couldn’t help but empathize throughout the epic as they are considering the pointless horror that war has sparked throughout history consistently throughout the …show more content…
During this era, militaristic policies were questionable and political corruption was apparent. The style of the performance can be related to Ausdrukstanz, German expressionist dance. This characteristic is something that arose out of Jooss’ formative training with Rudolph Laban. In their technique, movement qualities reflect different states of mind, as well as feeling. The disciplinary ballet training of Jooss allows for a technique that uses an expressive body as greater than the sum of its parts. The Green Table incorporates relevant elements of classical ballet, and is therefore a mature example of this well developed expressionistic technique. The essence of each movement is captured in its style and is a representation of an aspect of the metanarrative of the performance. For example, death caused by the oppression of Jews and other minorities all throughout WWII is combated through sharp, direct and strong movements that cut through space at a sustained