In 2005, the United Nations General Assembly officially declared January 27th as International Holocaust Remembrance Day, dedicated to commemorating the victims of the Holocaust, a genocide in which six million Jews and numerous members of other minorities, were killed by Nazi Germany between 1933 and 1945. This year's remembrance day coincides with heightened tensions, witnessing a resurgence of anti-Semitism and ongoing wars, like the Israel-Gaza conflict, triggered by Hamas-led massacres in Israel last October that left some 1,200 dead and around 250 people taken hostage.
According to the UN, over 25,000 people died in the Gaza Strip after Israeli strikes launched in retaliation while 62,681 Palestinians have been injured so far.
On Friday the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague ordered Israel to "take all measures within its power" to desist from killing Palestinians, in accordance with the Genocide Convention, and to prevent and punish the incitement of genocide and enable the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Amidst this tense backdrop, art, particularly a ballet named "The Green Table" by Kurt Jooss (with music by Frederick Cohen), may offer inspiration.
Premiered in 1932 at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées for the "Concours international de chorégraphie" (International Competition of Choreography), the anti-war ballet addressed the futility of conflicts and foreshadowed the horrors of World War II. Jooss used the ballet to introduce politics to the stage.
The performance unfolds in eight scenes, depicting various characters succumbing to Death in different circumstances, symbolizing the consequences of war.
The piece opens with a group of diplomats or politicians negotiating around a green baize covered table. They wear grotesque masks and discuss animatedly while moving with falsely polite grand gestures that call to mind the movements of the characters from the Commedia dell’Arte. These puppet-like figures dance on a musical background that sounds like a playful tango and that hints at comedy or light entertainment. Jooss' intent in this first scene was indeed showing the futility of all debates about peace. Towards the end of the scene, oblivious to the consequences of their actions and decisions, the indifferent and hypocritical men, pull out their guns; a bullet shoot signals a war declaration.
A statuesque figure then enters the stage: the attire of this figure - made up like a skeleton, wearing a helmet and performing almost robotic steps - immediately reveals us that this figure represents Death who becomes the protagonist of all the scenes that follow.
In the scene titled "The Farewells," the Standard Bearer calls men to enlist, witnessing their departure from families, leaving mothers and sweethearts behind. Simultaneously, the Profiteer, a figure sporting a bowler hat, acknowledges Death with a salute, indicating a familiarity between them.
Moving onto "The War," individuals succumb one after another, with the Profiteer entering to inspect the fallen bodies, searching for potential items to pilfer. In "The Refugees," Death encounters a group of women, inviting the Old Mother to dance with him.
Transitioning to "The Partisan," a woman fighting for freedom strikes a rear-guard soldier, but ultimately she succumbs to Death when captured. In "The Brothel," the Profiteer hands the Young Girl to other men, leading to a near rescue, but her beloved misses her, resulting in Death catching her and engaging in a duet.
"The Aftermath" sees the Standard Bearer finally succumbing, revealing his vulnerability. Death unites all victims, while the Profiteer escapes, clutching his bowler hat. As discussions around the green table resume, hinting at another war and more deaths, an endless cycle of despair unfolds. The sole victor in this narrative is Death, devoid of compassion and neutrality, and patiently waiting for his victims.
The ballet, lasting less than 30 minutes, was subtitled "A dance of death in eight scenes". It is indeed inspired by the Medieval Danse Macabre tradition and it is divided in 8 tableaux. Death becomes everyone's partner, effectively seducing the other characters into his dance. At the end of the ballet they appear and dance in a linear formation lifted from the processional nature of "The Dance of Death".
In terms of costumes, the production incorporates intriguing elements. Hein Heckroth designed grotesque masks for diplomats: the masks help the dancers embodying their characters and turning into caricatures. This addition allowed Jooss to infuse a satirical twist into the choreography. For Death's costume, Heckroth introduced a modern approach featuring chest straps resembling ribs, a sort leather apron for a pelvis, and a dark-crested helmet highlighting Death's features. Accessories and props play a crucial role in character identification, with the flag representing hopeful soldiers, and a red dress paired with a white scarf symbolizing the partisan.
Regarding the choreography, Jooss was inspired by traditional ballet steps, including demi-pointe and arabesques. Yet no movements are executed on pointe, eliminating the traditional grace of ballet. Instead, the emphasis shifts to expression and gestures, with the position of the hands playing a significant role. The choreography is conceived more as a form of dance-theatre, evolving from a libretto (by Jooss himself).
Through the choreography, Jooss delivers a political statement. Each movement conveys a message imbuing every step with significance. Death's movements are characterized by triumphant, sharp and relentless steps as this character forcefully stamps people down. The choreography often includes a leg stretched sideways, extending Death's figure into the surrounding space, symbolizing a scythe. It is noteworthy that Jooss performed the role of Death himself, standing out in the depiction.
Jooss honed his innovative technique through his foundational education as a student and assistant to Hungarian-born dance theorist Rudolf Laban. Together they studied the relationship between space and the body, exploring how different movement qualities could reflect varying mental states and emotions. Notably, "The Green Table" stands out as the first work fully notated using Labanotation, a system originated by Laban for recording human movement.
This dramatic performance wields a terrifying power, addressing a multitude of themes within a brief duration - injustice, suffering, oppression, freedom, political corruption, militaristic policies, loneliness, and misery. Observing the futile peace negotiations within the performance you immediately think about the harsh realities of present-day conflicts, where the prioritization of power over people results in civilians paying the highest price, mirroring the characters in "The Green Table".
Over the decades, "The Green Table" has been frequently staged by various companies, including the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago (images 2 to 8 in this post are taken from their staging of the ballet in the mid-'40s, from the archives of The New York Public Library; at the end of the post you will find a video of the rehearsals for the 1967 Joffrey Ballet performance). The Dutch National Ballet also staged it often, choreographed by Jeanette Vondersaar who, as a dancer performed in the part of the partisan. Vondersaar collaborated on new renditions of the ballet with Anna Markard, Jooss's daughter, until Markard's passing.
Talking about The Green Table, Markard once stated that when her father created it, "most modern choreographers were interested in expressing themselves and searching for their personal individuality," her father instead "was interested in broader problems of society."
A new generation of choreographers should carry "The Green Table" into the future: it would actually be inspiring to see a global series of performances of this political ballet staged on the same day across different cities, emphasizing the human need to dance - rather than to fight - for peace.
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