Film & Kunst: "Die Tänzerin"

In the "Film & Art" series, Cinema Quadrat and Kunsthalle Mannheim are showing a feature film biography about the dancer Loïe Fuller, whose influence can still be felt today:

THE DANCER

FRA 2016. D: Stéphanie di Giusto. D: SoKo, Gaspard Ulliel, Mélanie Thierry, Lily-Rose Depp. 112 min. DF. FSK: 12

At the turn of the 20th century, the American dancer Loïe Fuller (1862 - 1928) invented impressive choreographies of flowing movements, billowing fabrics and colored light. Her "Serpentine Dance" was captured on film and is part of the pioneering history of cinema. She had thin rods sewn into the sleeves of her robes in order to whirl lengths of fabric several meters high across the stage - a tremendous physical effort. She impregnated the silk fabrics of her costumes with fluorescent salts, transforming her dances into a luminous spectacle. Whether Shakira or the Red Hot Chili Peppers, William Kentridge or Taylor Swift - to this day, her exalted use of the body is taken up and developed further by artists. Loïe Fuller did not just accept conventions on stage, but also in her private life and lived out her lesbian relationship quite openly. The feature film, although it takes some liberties as a biopic, nevertheless credibly traces the important stages of the celebrated dancer's life.

Introduction: Dr. Peter Bär