Dance Research in Denmark

Author(s): Erik Aschengreen and Henning Urup

Source: Dance Research Journal, Vol. 27, No. 1 (Spring, 1995), pp. 73-75
Published by: Congress on Research in Dance
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1478447
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 Research in Dance: Worldwide

DANCE RESEARCH IN DENMARK and spontaneous dance gatherings, in patterned movement. Her current
Jutland (particularly in Thy and West project has primarily a sociological per-
Dance research in Denmark is con- Jutland) but also in other parts of Den- spective. It deals with Greek urban
nected to a number of places and indi-mark and in the Faroe Islands. The col- music, lyrics, and dance as performed
vidual researchers. The activities are lections comprise 135 videotapes during the first half of the twentieth cen-
dependent upon the researcher's creativ- (Christensen 1991). Another research tury within the so-called Rebetika mi-
ity and the available resources. project of the Folklore Archives con- lieu.
Characteristic for Danish dance re- ducted by Svend Nielsen focused on After twenty-six years of dance re-
search during the last decade is the tran- "clapping-songs" and on song-dances search at the Institute of Ethnography
sition from isolated, individual researchand games as performed at meetings of and Folklore in Bukarest (Romania),
to the formation of settings where re- the Indre Mission (The Home Mission), dance ethnologist Anca Giurchescu
searchers have started to discuss meth- in school yards, and elsewhere (Nielsen settled in Denmark in 1980. In her work,
ods and results. Danish dance research 1981, and 1984, with a a total of twenty-
she bridges the Eastern European struc-
can still be characterized as being in a five videotapes). In 1981 the dance eth-tural approach to the Western anthro-
beginning phase, but with a number of nologist Lisbet Torp conducted inter- pological perspective on dance. Thus,
established researchers and some well views about dance in context in the with support from the Danish Research
documented works, Danish dance re- Faroe Islands (copies of which are kept Council for the Humanities, she stud-
search is on its way to a fruitful period at the Folklore Archives), and in 1983 ied dance as a means of communica-
with contacts to international and espe- Svend Nielsen conducted field research tion in contemporary social contexts,
cially Nordic dance research. At home in the Faroe Islands in cooperation with and the use of dance as a symbol for
it is characterized by greater contact Bjarni S0rensen. This work resulted in legitimation of political power (1985,
between the different dance forms and fifteen videotapes documenting the 1987). Since 1986, she has conducted
the research that follows from that. song-dance tradition at a number of research in collaboration with the Dan-
dance events, with additional inter- ish folklore archives on the role of danc-
Research in folk views.
ing among the Vlachs of Northeast
and traditional dance The Folk Music House in Hogager Serbia who settled in Denmark. Her
The work by the Danish Folklore Ar-(Folkemusikhuset i Hogager, address: current project concerns relationships
chives (Dansk Folkemindesamling, DK-7500 Holstebro) was founded in between Romanian and Hungarian
address: Birketinget 6, DK-2300 1971 by the archivist Thorkild Knudsen dance traditions in mixed villages of
Copenhagen S.), in the area of dance as a special part of the Danish Folklore Transylvania in Romania. The complex
research is primarily the documentation Archives. A fundamental idea is that
documentation is kept at the Folklore
of dance on video supplemented by au- "musical folk culture" (dance, song, and Archives.
diotape recordings. The recordings of- music) must be reproduced through a The American dance ethnologist
ten feature a local music milieu around "master-apprentice" relationship, and William C. Reynolds, who settled in
a musician, and an essential criteria for that "the people" themselves must be Denmark in 1980, has carried out theo-
the collection is that the dance and the encouraged to research their own cul- retical and methodological studies on
music are preserved in a living folk tra- ture. "To understand is to use" is one various systems of dance notation, with
dition. of the ground rules of the Folk Music focus on Labanotation and on the pro-
Since 1979 video and sound record- House.
cess of improvisation (1989). His cur-
ings have become an integral part of the Dance ethnologist Lisbet Torp was rent projects involve dance iconography,
field research activities of the Danish active in the international folk dance dance structural analysis, and the his-
Folklore Archives, especially conducted movement in Denmark during the tory of Danish dance traditions. He is
by ethnomusicologist and archivist 1970s, her main interest being the chain
the editor of the ICTM Study Group on
Svend Nielsen in collaboration with and round dances. Since 1976, she has
Ethnochoreology Newsletter.
Anders Christensen, Svend E. Ottosen, conducted fieldwork in the Balkan The Danish National Committee of
and Judy Ryslander Schomacker. The countries in general, and in Greece andthe ICTM is named Dansk Selskab for
focus of this work is to document dance Bulgaria in particular, where she has
Traditional Musik og Dans, The Dan-
as a part of an uninterrupted tradition studied and documented dance in ritual ish Association for Traditional Music
in various social contexts, where the and traditional contexts. In 1990 her and Dance (address: Dansk Selskab for
presence of active musicians has been doctoral dissertation, "Chain and Round Traditional Musik og Dans, Institute of
a precondition for the preservation of Dance Patterns-a Mehod for Struc- Musicology, Klerkegade, DK-1302,
the local dance tradition. To record re- tural Analysis and Its Application Copenhagen).
to The chairman is Lisbet
gional differences in dance repertoire European Material," was published. Torp. The association was established
and its performance, research has been This work was the result of a highly in 1981 with the purpose of offering a
conducted both in purposely organized theoretical approach that sees dance as
forum for discussions and studies of tra-

Dance Research Journal 27/1 (Spring 1995) 73

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ditional music and dance in various cul-
tures. The activities, in which dance eth-
nology is well represented, include pub-
lic lectures, debates and seminars (see
ICTM Bulletins from 1987 and 1990).
The society holds meetings annually in
ICTM subject areas and in 1988 ar-
ranged the "15th symposium of the
ICTM Study Group on Ethnochore-
ology." The resulting report is "The
Dance Event: A Complex Cultural Phe-
nomenon," edited by Lisbet Torp,
Copenhagen 1990.
Further information about Danish
dance research in traditional dance is
presented in an article, "Folk Dance
collections and Folkdance research in
Denmark and the Faroe Islands" by
Lisbet Torp and Anca Giurchescu, in
Yearbookfor Traditional Music, vol. 25
(New York: 1993), pp. 126-135.
Dance Research and education
at the University of Copenhagen.
Of five universities in Denmark it is the
University of Copenhagen (the oldest
and largest) that has contributed to from New Now Dancers.
dance research. In 1989, a one-year 4) The last of the four courses
course in Dance Aesthetics and History
was started (address: Dance Aesthetics
and History, Institute for Nordic Phi-
losophy, University of Copenhagen on
Amager, Njalsgade 80, DK-2300
Copenhagen S). The course was estab- America; a course following a produc-
lished by Erik Aschengreen whose doc- tion with New Danish Dance Theatre
toral dissertation, Jean Cocteau and the aimed at giving the students a chance
Dance, was published in 1986. to see how a dance performance comes
The theme for the course is theatri-
cal dance in the western tradition from
about 1600 until today. The subjects
taught are ballet history, dance analy-
sis, dance criticism, and technique (bal-
let and modern), and it is also open to
other areas and periods. The program
consists of four courses running over
two terms. Each course consists of three
hours of teaching a week for thirty
weeks, making a total of ninety hours
of teaching for each course. The aim of
the program is not to train dancers, but
to train and develop future critics, writ-
ers on dance, administrators, historians
and people who can spread information
and knowledge about ballet and dance.
The four courses offered are:
1) Ballet and Dance History.
2) Aesthetics and Criticism: analy-
sis of style, structure, performance,
writing about dance.
74 Dance Research Journal 27/1 (Spring 1995)
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3) Technique: a classical and mod- research methods in related fields suc
ern class is taught each week in order as anthropology, folkdance, sociolog
to try out the different styles and estab- of the theatre, and analysis of film.
lish a movement vocabulary. Classes The Danish State Institute of Physi
have been offered in Bournonville and cal Education (Danmarks H0jskole fo
Balanchine styles as well as basic clas- Legems0velser, address: N0rreAlle 51
sical training, and on the modern side, DK-2200 Copenhagen N) offers
classes in Graham, Lim6n, Horton and courses in dance, gymnastics and spo
Cunningham techniques as well as jazz as a part of the Bachelor of Arts stud
and flamenco. While the dance history Head of the courses is Maj-Brit
and aesthetics classes are taught by uni- N0rgaard. At the Center for Sport R
versity-trained people, the technique search (address: Jagtvej 155 B, 1, DK
classes have been taught by professional 2200, Copenhagen N) dance has be
teachers (dancers from the Royal Dan- the subject of projects by Bjarne Ibse
ish Ballet and modern dance groups in and Jytte Kristensen.
Copenhagen). Ballet teachers over the Danish Dance History Archiv
years have been Dinna Bj0rn, Sorella (Dansk Dansehistorisk Arkiv, addres
Englund, Benedikte Paaske, Flemming Institute of Musicology, Klerkegade 2
Ryberg and Arlette Weinreich from the DK-1308 Copenhagen K)is headed b
Royal Danish Ballet and Paul Boos archivist Henning Urup. The Archive
from New York City Ballet. The mod- located at the Institute of Musicolog
ern dance teachers have been Bill at Copenhagen University. The ma
Holmberg, Mette R0nning and Warrenpurpose of the Archive is to stimulat
Spears from New Danish Dance The- Danish dance research and to build u
atre; Susanne Frederiksen from Com-a centre where documentation and ma-
pany, Nanna Nilson and Jens Byberg terial dealing with the development
dance in Denmark can be collected.
Materials are intended to embrace all
changes from year to year, opening the forms of dance, including folk dance,
possibility to teach what is of current social dance, and ballet.
interest. Topics taught over the first The Dance Archive was established
years have been: Expressionist Dance; by Henning Urup in 1979. Since little
the New Dance scene in Europe and research had been done on Danish danc-
ing schools this subject was chosen as
the initial research project of the
Archive. In 1984 the project was ex-
tended to embrace the historical devel-
into existence; Balanchine; opment of dance in Denmark, rather
Bournonville; and Dance Dramaturgy.
than just dance schools, and the inter-
Teachers have been: Monna Dither, relations
Ole between dance and music in
the context of common cultural life. The
N0rlyng, Anne McClymont, and Marie-
Louise Kj0lbye. project was supported by the Danish
Research Council for the Humanities,
It is worth noting that the University
of Copenhagen, besides providing andthe is carried out by Henning Urup.
Source material includes music, dance
program with library and video facili-
ties, has established a wonderful dance
descriptions, pictures, and both manu-
studio, actually the best studioscripts
in and printed materials. Because
the project covers all dance forms, it
Copenhagen outside the Royal Theatre.
makes comparative analysis possible.
Private sponsors were also helpful when
Documentation of dance on video is
the new program was about to start. The
program offers many activities an important task for the Archive.
and
operates in close connection with Among
the holdings are a lecture-demon-
stration
actual dance scene in Copenhagen. on the Bournonville classroom
by Dinna Bj0rn, reconstructions of
Dance groups have come to the univer-
sity to perform for and discuss withdances
the from the Bournonville reper-
students, and there has been a series of performances of modern ballets,
toire,
older ballroom dances (the dancing
guest lectures with topics not included
in the program, but of vital interestschool
for tradition), folk dances of Jutland,
the study of dance, such as notation,theor
end-of-the-season ball from the
All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
dance
dance school
schoolofofBendixen,
Bendixen,
historical
historical
dances
dancesperformed
performedbyby
thethe
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Archive
study
study
group,
group,and
andtraditional
traditionaldance
dance
andand
music
music
in
in S0nderho,
S0nderho,Fan0
Fan0Island.
Island.
The Dance Archive works with his-
torical dances in a study group. Among
the most active persons in connection
with the reconstruction of historical
dance forms are J0rgen Schou-Pedersen
and Henning Urup.
Since 1983 the Archive has arranged
one-day conferences about dance and
dance research. Themes for the confer-
ences have included methodology in
dance research, dance notation, histori-
cal dance, classical and modern ballet,
dances in folk tradition, and
Balletbogen 1-2, by Erik
Bournonville research. A yearbook,
"Meddelelser fra Dansk Dansehistorisk
Arkiv," (Information from the Danish
Dance History Archive) is published by
the Archive. The first issue was pub-
lished in 1981. (For further information
see Dance Research Journal 22/1, pp.
57-58.)
Bournonville research
During the last fifty years dance re-
searchers have worked individually with
Arkivet for folklig dans, Dansmuseet,
a number of subjects in both Danish and
Wallingatan 23, S-11124 Stockholm)
foreign dance. Naturally, Bournonville
was established in 1977. Its purpose is
research has a special place. The ap-
to coordinate and support studies in
proaches have been from theatrical his-Nordic dance traditions. The association
tory, style analysis, the history of ideas,
publishes an annual journal (Brev).
and sociology. In the 1980s interest has
NFF's most important project until now
centered on the reconstruction problem,
was that which resulted in the report
especially by Knud Are Jiirgensen.
The Bournonville research comes
from several directions: the university The Nordic Forum for Dance Re-
milieu, individual researchers, and the
search (Nordisk Forum for
Royal Theatre, which in the summers
of 1985-92 held the Bournonville Sum-
mer Academy, where dancers and re-
searchers taught alongside each other.
An essential feature of Bournonville re-
search has been the interaction between
researchers and active theatre people
from Denmark and abroad, where re-
search results have been used in new
stagings.
Recent works in this area are:
Bournonville Tradition and Recon-
struction, edited by Ole N0rlyng and
Henning Urup. Copenhagen, 1989.
The Bournonville Ballets. A Photo-
graphic Record 1844-1933, by Knud
Arne Jiirgensen. London, 1987.
The Bournonville Heritage. A Cho-
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reographic
reographic Record
Record 1829-1873,
1829-1873,by
by DANCE AND RESEARCH IN VEN-
Knud Arne
Arne Jurgensen,
Jurgensen, notated
notatedby
by EZUELA: TALENT AND PERSIS-
Ann Hutchinson
Hutchinson Guest.
Guest. London,
London, TENCE
1990.
Although not everything that one would
Bournonville Ballet Technique, by
like for the arts happens in Venezuela,
Knud Arne Jirgensen and Vivi
Flindt. London, 1992. one can affirm that the dance panorama
in the country is encouraging due to the
Bournonvilleana (Danish and En- arduous effort of its creators. In past
glish editions), by Marianne Hallar decades, attitudes of the government
and Arlette Scavenius. Copenhagen and the private sector were marked not
1992.
only by indifference, but were plagued
Billedhuggeren og Balletkunstneren, by incoherent decisions that stemmed
by Charlotte Christensen, Bjarne from predilections and favoritism of
J0raes and Ole N0rlyng. Copenhagen those in authority, rather than choices
1992. based on knowledge and deserved mer-
its. During the past five years of gov-
ernment, the financial situation has im-
Aschengreen and Ole N0rlyng.
proved considerably, although it has not
Copenhagen 1992.
always been accompanied by clear cri-
teria. Consequently, culture, the arts,
Nordic cooperation in dance research
and dance, have been deeply affected
During the last twenty years an inten-
by the lack of a harmonious develop-
sive cooperation between the Nordic
ment and vision for the future. Yet there
countries has been very stimulating for
the dance research in these countries. is no scarcity of creators, of projects
lovingly and energetically supported,
The Nordic Society for Folk Dance
even when quite young in their devel-
Research (Nordisk Forening for
opment. With the objective of outlining
Folkedansforskning, NFF, address:
the most promising and vibrant of the
dance panorama in Venezuela, I will try
to describe where we are and what we
are doing.
Presently in Venezuela, performance
groups include the National Ballet of
Caracas, whose artistic director is
Vicente Nebrada. It has a carefully se-
lected contemporary repertoire, coun-
Gammaldans i Norden, Trondheim,
1988. terbalanced by versions of universal
masterpieces such as Romeo and Juliet,
Don Quijote, Coppelia and Swan Lake.
Also constituting part of the classical
Danseforskning, NOFOD, address:
ballet in Venezuela is the Ballet Clasico
NOFOD c/o Teater og Dans i Norden,
de Camara, directed by Polish-born
Vesterbrogade 26.3, DK-1620,
teacher Nina Novak, and the Ballet
Copenhagen V) was established in 1990.
Contemporaneo de Caracas, under
NOFOD is an organization for dance
research in the Nordic countries with theMaria Eugenia Barrios, which recently
toured the country with an energetic and
purpose of stimulating the cooperation
colorfully didactic piece for children
between researchers from all areas of
titled "Come to Dance." The Ballet
the dance. The following congress re-
Nueo Mundo de Caracas, active since
ports have been published by NOFOD:
1981, has as its artistic director the in-
Kollekolle Rapporten NOFOD 1990,
comparable star Zhandra Rodriguez, de-
Copenhagen, 1991 and Dansens
Dimensjoner, Trondheim, 1993. veloping a new avenue for contempo-
rary ballet in alliance with the Cleve-
land-San Jose Ballet. It is currently try-
ErikAschengreen
ing to negotiate a similar relationship
University of Copenhagen
with the company Rjatabladanza, di-
Henning Urup rected by dancer and choreographer
Danish Dance History Archives Adreinu Womut with resident choreog-
Dance Research Journal 27/1 (Spring 1995) 75
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