Mary Wigman

Routledge Performance Practitioners is a series of introductory guides to the key theatre-makers of the last century. Each volume explains the background to and the work of one of the major influences on twentieth and twenty-first-century performance.

A dancer, teacher and choreographer, Mary Wigman was a leading innovator in expressionist dance. Her radical explorations of movement and dance theory are credited with expanding the scope of dance as a theatrical art in her native Germany and beyond. This book combines for the first time:

• a full account of Wigman’s life and work
• detailed discussion of her aesthetic theories, including the use of space as an ‘invisible partner’ and the transcendent nature of performance
• a commentary on her key works, including Hexentanz and The Seven Dances of Life
• an extensive collection of practical exercises designed to provide an understanding of Wigman’s choreographic principles and her uniquely immersive approach to dance.

As a first step towards critical understanding, and as an initial exploration before going on to further primary research, Routledge Performance Practitioners are unbeatable value for today's student.

Routledge Performance Practitioners is a series of introductory guides to the key theatre-makers of the last century. Each volume explains the background to and the work of one of the major influences on twentieth and twenty-first-century performance.

A dancer, teacher and choreographer, Mary Wigman was a leading innovator in expressionist dance. Her radical explorations of movement and dance theory are credited with expanding the scope of dance as a theatrical art in her native Germany and beyond. This book combines for the first time:

• a full account of Wigman’s life and work


• detailed discussion of her aesthetic theories, including the use of space as an ‘invisible partner’ and the transcendent nature of performance


• a commentary on her key works, including Hexentanz and The Seven Dances of Life


• an extensive collection of practical exercises designed to provide an understanding of Wigman’s choreographic principles and her uniquely immersive approach to dance.

As a first step towards critical understanding, and as an initial exploration before going on to further primary research, Routledge Performance Practitioners are unbeatable value for today's student.

Mary Anne Santos Newhall is Assistant Professor of Dance at the University of New Mexico. She is also research director for the American Dance Legacy Institute at Brown University.