“The Green Table” is an anti-war statement that has transcended times of war: lending itself to each new conflict and each new generation. Created by Kurt Jooss in 1932 for the International Competition of Choreography in Paris, the performance ranges from the closed door meetings of politicians to the battlefield of waring soldiers. It’s both the corruption and the inhumanity of wartime.
In 1967, The Joffrey Ballet was the first American company to revive this pacifist work — for a different war and a different people — and it quickly became a signature performance, giving a socially relevant voice to the company.
See it for yourself in an archive Joffrey rehearsal from the 1960s.
Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance premieres Friday, December 28, 2012 at 9 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings).
