Netherlands’ first professor of dance: “We don’t learn to read the language of dance at school”
According to Gabriele Klein - the first professor of dance and ballet at the UvA and in the Netherlands - dance should not be missing from our cultural memory. On Thursday, she will give a talk. “Dancing rock ‘n’ roll created an understanding of sexuality and desire.”
Gabriele Klein (1957) is not the kind of person who likes to be on stage. Even as a small child, she didn’t want to be “the girl in the tutu.” She preferred to play soccer. Yet in her hand movements and enthusiasm there is indeed a love for dance.
That love began at 18 when she was captivated by the innovative dance theater of Pina Bausch, a choreographer and dancer from Germany. “I was shocked, overwhelmed. At the same time, I couldn’t place it at all. It was fantastic, but why? That’s what I wanted to understand.”
That was the reason Klein became one of the co-founders of dance studies in Germany, where she was given one of the first chairs in dance and performance. Now, toward the end of her academic career, Klein has been appointed the first professor of dance and ballet in the Netherlands. Last year, the National Opera & Ballet Foundation established the Hans van Maanen Chair at the UvA.
Why is a separate chair for dance and ballet needed?
“Dance is a very specific art form where the body is the instrument. To describe dance you need other concepts such as flow, synchronization, time, energy, and form. It’s a language all its own, one we don’t learn to read in school. Unlike sports, dance is about aesthetics. It’s very specific.”
Why was a chair for ballet and dance not created in the Netherlands until last year?
“Universities need time to respond to social and cultural developments. Dance science is still a very young discipline, having only existed worldwide since the 1970s. Unlike at the court of Louis the XIV, the “Sun King” in France, dance was not promoted by the Dutch monarchy. Dance did not fit into the Calvinist tradition of the Dutch. Only after World War II did this change with the revolutionary dance of ballet dancer and choreographer Hans van Maanen. With him and other innovative choreographers, Dutch dance gained world fame in the decades that followed. But the independent dance scene was also on the rise. In the 1980s, I myself got to know the Amsterdam dance scene as a student. Amsterdam was the place to be.”
What changed after the 1980s?
“Cities like Amsterdam have become incredibly expensive. Young dancers often don’t have the money to live in the city. There are few rehearsal spaces. The same goes for Paris and, to a lesser extent, Berlin. That’s why dance schools need government support. Who is responsible for dance? And who are the players? I am in the process of mapping the situation in Amsterdam and will now begin conducting interviews to gain more insight.”
What else will you research?
“Dance is not only about what you see in the theater but also about the importance of dance in everyday life. The Netherlands has a vibrant hip-hop culture and tango community. Why do people dance the tango? Why are there many more young people in ballet in Amsterdam than in Hamburg? How do we conserve dance for the future? There are hundreds of questions.”
When you talk about the social and cultural context of dance, are you also talking about transgressive behavior in the dance world?
“There is a huge lively discussion going on in the dance world about black facing, sexual harassment, and the question of how dancers, teachers, dance students and choreographers work together. That discussion also touches on whether we can still perform some nineteenth-century ballets that stem from a feudal white tradition. Can the white swan also be played by a black woman or gay man? Dance science plays an important role in this public discourse because it provides scientifically based knowledge.”
What is your wish for the future of dance studies?
“That dance become its own academic discipline, like theater studies. I would also like to see a little more social and cultural acceptance of dance. Dance is not just entertainment but also a powerful form of knowledge production and cultural memory. When you dance, your body understands itself and others in a whole new way. For example, rock ‘n’ roll dancing was a revolution for the body. It created a new understanding of sexuality and desire. The same was true of Hans van Manen’s ballets. Dance can clarify power relations. The tango, for example, has a very different gender role than the waltz. So you dance yourself into a certain gender role. This knowledge and experience should not be missing from our cultural memories.”
Gabriele Klein delivers her talk “What is, and to what end do we study Dance Studies?” in the Aula (Old Lutheran Church) on Thursday, September 21st, at 4:30 pm. The speech will be in English and free to attend.
