We always wish to develop a conscious path of innovation, keeping in mind the traditions and roots that offer us great working creative tools and a deeper awareness in movement.

Through this research we focused to the modern dance history, studying the method of Hans Züllig (1914-1992), a Swiss dancer  and a professor of dance by the Folkwang University of the Arts. 

The research project “Dance Vocabulary, 1920 – Hans Züllig” yielded many positive results, including:

1. The Folkwang University of the Arts Archive gave us the opportunity to consult and study historical material dedicated to Hans Züllig;
2. Subsequently, we were able to examine the material found and to physically repeat many of the original sequences taught by the master  Lutz Förster, who was a student of H. Züllig, to learn and repeat many of their original sequences;
3. The third part of the research was based on the identification of the basic movement principles of the Master Züllig, in order to enable a better understanding and development of the teaching methodology on a theoretical and practical level. In the same period of time, a new interpretation of a historical dance solo by Doris Humphrey “ƏCSTATIC” was presented at Villa Wigman e.V. in Dresden. In that occasion, thanks to the continuous research carried out during this scholarship project, it was possible to realize a refined and conscious choreographic work;
4. The final part of the project dealt with the fragmentation and recomposition of the material itself, in order to obtain examples of lessons for an “open level” of various kinds, from the basic exercises on the barre to the more dynamic and virtuosic ones exercises in space (with turns, jumps and so on). We wanted to share and spread this work of H. Züllig and make it especially relevant for our dance students, and it was possible to transfer the work we did during our dance classes, to bring new ideas, a new direction, and a new quality of movement. This has been one of the most positive impacts of the research: the immediate realization that there was a  complex, refined, and extremely useful work to be learned and passed on to our students.

Dancers: Francesca Mommo, Olimpia Scardi.

When: 01.02.2022 – 31.05.2022

The scholarship was funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media in the program NEUSTART KULTUR, aid program DIS-TANZEN of the Dachverband Tanz Deutschland.

It was kindly supported by the Folkwang University of the Arts and the Pegasus Theaterschule Dresden.