Jarmila Kröschlová (19 March 1893 – 9 January 1983) was one of the most important representatives of
modern dance in
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
. She was one of the leading European expressionist dancers and as a choreographer had wide influence on other dancers, through her teaching and theoretical writings on dance. Working with the Czech avant-garde theater, producing
librettos
A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major litu ...
and as a professor in the
Theatre Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague
The Department of Dramatic Theatre (DAMU) is one of three departments at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (alongside the Film and TV school and the Department of Music). The academy was opened in 1945 immediately after the Second World ...
, she advanced modern dance and
pantomime
Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...
with her theories of movement.
Early life
Jarmila Kröschlová was born on 19 March 1893 in
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
, which at the time, was part of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
to Božena (née Marešová) and Alois Kröschel. Alois owned a factory in Prague which created large machinery. As a child, Kröschlová developed
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
and at the age of ten, went to
Alassio
Alassio ( lij, Arasce) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Savona situated in the western coast of Liguria, Northern Italy, approximately from the French border.
Alassio is known for its natural and scenic views. The town centre is cro ...
in Italy to recover. From a young age, she wanted to be a performer and when she returned from Italy in 1916, she began studying with Helena Vojáčková, who taught movement based on the
Mensendieck system at the
Émile Jaques-Dalcroze Society in Prague. Completing her studies in 1919, Kröschlová then went to
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
to study directly with Dalcroze and upon his recommendation, then studied at his school in
Hellerau near Dresden until 1921. Her studies were not in
traditional dance, but based more on rhythmic movements and gymnastics. After studying with Dalcroze, she completed self-study on the work of
Isadora Duncan and
Rudolf von Laban
Rudolf von Laban, also known as Rudolf Laban (German; also ''Rudolph von Laban'', hu, Lábán Rezső János Attila, Lábán Rudolf; 15 December 1879 – 1 July 1958), was an Austro-Hungarian, German and British dance artist, choreographer an ...
.
Career
In 1921, Kröschlová began her career in the dance troupe of Valerie Kratina in Hellerau and worked on a collaborative production with Jeanem Bardem, a poet, called ''Mluva pohybu'' (The Motion of Movement). The program was an interdisciplinary presentation with recitations by Bardem and dance by Kröschlová, which was successfully performed in
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
,
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
, Prague and Rome. In 1923, she founded the Jarmila Kröschlová Group in Hellerau and taught dance. She began writing and choreographing that same year, producing a libretto for music by
Franz Schreker
Franz Schreker (originally ''Schrecker''; 23 March 1878 – 21 March 1934) was an Austrian composer, conductor, teacher and administrator. Primarily a composer of operas, Schreker developed a style characterized by aesthetic plurality (a mixture ...
's ''Der Geburtstag der Infantin'', based on ''
The Birthday of the Infanta
''A House of Pomegranates'' is a collection of fairy tales, written by Oscar Wilde, that was published in 1891 as a second collection for '' The Happy Prince and Other Tales'' (1888). Wilde once said that this collection was "intended nei ...
'' by
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...
. Returning to Prague the following year to established her company there, Kröschlová began collaborating with some of the leading avant-garde directors of the
Dada theatre movement, including
Emil František Burian
Emil František Burian (11 June 1904 – 9 August 1959) was a Czech poet, journalist, singer, actor, musician, composer, dramatic adviser, playwright and director. He was also active in Communist Party of Czechoslovakia politics.
Early life an ...
, , and
Jindřich Honzl
Jindřich Honzl (14 May 1894 – 20 April 1953) was a Czech theatre theorist, film and theatre director and pedagogue who was a leading representative of Czech modern theater.
Biography
Honzl was born on May 14, 1894, in Humpolec in the family ...
. She was one of the founders of the Modern Studio in Prague and her choreographic style was more similar to mime or physical theater than classical dance. In 1924, she married , a German professor of art history, who had followed her from Germany to Prague. The couple had a daughter in 1926,
Eva
Eva or EVA may refer to:
* Eva (name), a feminine given name
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters
* Eva (Dynamite Entertainment), a comic book character by Dynamite Entertainment
* Eva (''Devil May Cry''), Dante's mother in t ...
, who would also become a noted dancer.
Kröschlová danced the role of the
Harlequin
Harlequin (; it, Arlecchino ; lmo, Arlechin, Bergamasque dialect, Bergamasque pronunciation ) is the best-known of the ''zanni'' or comic servant characters from the Italian language, Italian ''commedia dell'arte'', associated with the city o ...
in her 1926 choreography of ''Hračkové skříňky'' (The Toy Boxes) and the following year wrote the libretto and choreography for
Bohuslav Martinů
Bohuslav Jan Martinů (; December 8, 1890 – August 28, 1959) was a Czech composer of modern classical music. He wrote 6 symphonies, 15 operas, 14 ballet scores and a large body of orchestral, chamber, vocal and instrumental works. He bec ...
's ''
La Revue de Cuisine
''La revue de cuisine'' (H 161, Czech: ''Kuchyňská revue'') is a ballet in one act by Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů. It was created for sextet: clarinet (B), bassoon, trumpet, violin, cello and piano, composed in 1927. It was premiered in Nove ...
'' (The Kitchen Revue). The
Charleston
Charleston most commonly refers to:
* Charleston, South Carolina
* Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital
* Charleston (dance)
Charleston may also refer to:
Places Australia
* Charleston, South Australia
Canada
* Charleston, Newfoundlan ...
and
Foxtrot
The foxtrot is a smooth, progressive dance characterized by long, continuous flowing movements across the dance floor. It is danced to big band (usually vocal) music. The dance is similar in its look to waltz, although the rhythm is in a tim ...
numbers she staged for the production are some of the most acclaimed and requested for encore by audiences. In 1928, she choreographed ''Obrazy z velkoměsta'' (Images from the City) to music by and the following year, she danced to two pieces by ''Marionety'' (Marionettes) and ''Čarodějná láska'' (Love of the Witch). Between 1929 and 1930, she choreographed a series of dances, in which she also performed, to the music of
Bach,
Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...
and others. In 1930, she danced in ''Loupežník'' (Robbers) by Machov and the following year performed in the role of Pierot in Nikolaj Nikolaevich Jevrejnov's ''Veselá smrt'' (Merry Death). That same year, she wrote the libretto and choreography for a piece called ''Zelené flétny'' (Green Flute) based on a theme by
Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...
.
![Kroeschlova Podvecer 1932](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/Kroeschlova_Podvecer_1932.jpg)
In 1931, Kröschlová opened her own dance teaching studio at the and throughout the 1930s taught children's dance classes with a focus on folk dance. The following year, her dance company took the bronze medal at the ''Académie Internationale de le Danses exposition in Paris with choreography and the libretto Kröschlová wrote for ''Podvečer parného dne'' (The Evening of a Steamy Day) by
Václav Smetáček
Václav Smetáček (30 September 1906 in Brno – 18 February 1986 in Prague) was a Czech conductor, composer, and oboist.
He studied in Prague among others with Jaroslav Křička, conducting with Metod Doležil and Pavel Dědeček, musicolog ...
. In 1936, she played the title role of ''Kolumba'' in a feature-length dance drama, using her ideas on the theater of motion, to music written by E. Hohag and a libretto by . In October 1937, the family moved to
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
, where Oskar had been offered a position as a professor at the
University of Munich. Finding the conditions under the
Nazi regime intolerable, they returned to Prague ten months later and divorced in 1939.
During the
German occupation of Czechoslovakia
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
, Kröschlová was a member of the
Resistance Group of Věrni. She escaped detection for her activities, but her sister Naděžda, known as Naďa was arrested. In 1940, she wrote the libretto and choreographed ''Škola žen'' (School of Women) by and ''Královničky'' by Jaroslav Teklý. She created folk dancing performances based on Slavic and Christmas customs between 1942 and 1944 and in 1943, played the role of Runa in the stage play ''
Radúz and Mahulena
''Radúz and Mahulena'' is an 1898 stage play by Czech novelist Julius Zeyer. It was made into a film in 1970, directed by Petr Weigl.
Story
Zeyer's dramatic poem is a love story, combining classical fairy-tale motifs with mythological refere ...
'' by
Julius Zeyer. Between 1949 and 1958, she taught at the
Academy of Performing Arts and though she continued to work as a consultant to various theater groups, Kröschlová's last choreographic work was for a production of ''
Legends'' by
Antonín Dvořák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( ; ; 8 September 1841 – 1 May 1904) was a Czechs, Czech composer. Dvořák frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravian traditional music, Moravia and his native Bohemia, following t ...
, staged in 1950 at the Theater of Music.
In the 1950s, besides her professorial lectures, Kröschlová began publishing works on folk dancing and in that year became an editor of the journal, ''Tanečních listů'' (Dance Lists). She published ''Základy pohybové výchovy tanečníka a herce'' (Basic Movements of a Dancer and Actor) in 1956, ''Výrazový tanec'' (Expressive Dance) in 1964, and ''Nauka o pohybu'' in 1975, which was translated and released in English as ''Movement Theory and Practice'' in 2000. Her books were theoretical works on movement, rather than specific guides for creating modern dance. They focused on the importance of stillness to create the body's preparation for
kinaesthetic
Proprioception ( ), also referred to as kinaesthesia (or kinesthesia), is the sense of self-movement, force, and body position. It is sometimes described as the "sixth sense".
Proprioception is mediated by proprioceptors, mechanosensory neurons ...
awareness to create and perform. She retired in 1970 and withdrew from the public.
Death and legacy
Kröschlová died on 9 January 1983 in Prague. In 2008, her work ''Expressive Dance'' was translated into German and published as ''Der Ausdrucktanz'' by her daughter. In 2013, a symposium was held at the Music and Dance Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts ( cs, Hudební a taneční fakulta Akademie múzických umění v Praze (HAMU)), to mark Kröschlová's 120th birthday and recognize her contributions as "one of the most important representatives of modern dance in Bohemia".
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kroschlova, Jarmila
1893 births
1983 deaths
Dancers from Prague
Czech female dancers
Czech choreographers
Dance teachers
Musical theatre librettists
Modern dancers