Van der Lubbe's Head
In February 1933, the German Reichstag (parliament building) was set on fire and the newly elected chancellor, Adolph Hitler, blamed the Communists. The Nazis arrested and beheaded by guillotine Marinus van der Lubbe for the crime in 1934. To protest the execution of van der Lubbe, the New Dance Group collective choreographed Van der Lubbe’s Head (1934). The work was lauded for artistry by New York Times critic John Martin and won first place in the 1934 Spartarkiade, an annual choreography competition modeled on the Soviet system and sponsored by the Worker’s Dance League.
In February 1933, the German Reichstag (parliament building) was set on fire and the newly elected chancellor, Adolph Hitler, blamed the Communists. The Nazis arrested and beheaded by guillotine Marinus van der Lubbe for the crime in 1934. To protest the execution of van der Lubbe, the New Dance Group collective choreographed <em>Van der Lubbe’s Head</em> (1934). The work was lauded for artistry by <em>New York Times</em> critic John Martin and won first place in the 1934 Spartarkiade, an annual choreography competition modeled on the Soviet system and sponsored by the Worker’s Dance League.