Historical Background of Cold War: Using Dance as a Weapon

World War II proved to be a outrageously devastating act of injustice, sorrow, frustration and chaos. Those all throughout the globe were confused and worried about the future of diplomatic peace. Even amidst this struggle, the United States and Soviet Union, then allies, disagreed about what the post-war world should look like. This friendship quickly diminished as the Soviet Union expanded at a rapid and threatening pace. Americans feared the growing movement of communism and disliked the tyrannical nature of the Soviet government. Towards the end of the 1940s, these tensions culminate into what is called The Cold War, a series of disagreements and heated conflict between these conflicting ideologies. While there was an absence of physical warfare, the ideological strife between these two powerhouses can be seen all the way up to even the 1990s. Although the Korean War in 1950 can be considered a war solely based around the communist North invading the non-communist South and American desire to resolve this issue, the United States never directly fought the Soviet Union. New American foreign policy goals were focused around the idea of "containment", a term meant to describe the notion that stabilization and protection of countries viable for communist takeover was vital. The United States and much of Western Europe, all embracing the idea that communism and the Soviets were entirely a danger, formed a strong alliance called NATO, that hoped to provide defense to the nations of Europe if the Soviets pressed further.

The years after the controversial Korean War formed an even stricter foreign policy that was starkly anti-communist is almost all forms. President Truman and his administration launched a powerful movement within the United States against all forms of Communism. The idea of "McCarthyism" sought to rid the United States of any internal citizens who praised communist themes. This harsh climate within our country provided for countless accusations amidst the American State Department, Labor Organizations and even within the artists of the time. Books were confiscated, musicians put on trial, and even modern dance choreographers who were involved in the extremely liberal New Dance Group (founded in 1932 with a mission to express the horrors of this world and challenge traditional societal pressures) were tested. But although many look at American Dance History through a traditional lens, and use this era of time to describe the way in which Modern Dance was stifled, I choose to examine the way in which the American Government used poignant pieces of dance to express the nationalistic message that they were trying to uphold. By sending certain modern dance works around the world, beneath the movement and the costumes is a performance speaking the patriotism, superiority and pride that Americans wished to portray to the Soviets and their allies. Within this blog I analyze mainly two extremely famous dance pieces, created by Martha Graham and George Balanchine, that were typically seen within an American State Department Arts tour program. Through these works one can understand the way in which American Modern Dance was used as a symbolic weapon of ideological warfare and a strategic cultural export during the Cold War.

I apologize in advance for the disorder amidst the order of the postings. This is my first time making a blog and I was a bit unsure of the way in which the format worked. Instead of placing the bibliography above this post (which is the only place I could seem to add the works cited in the blog) I've emailed Todd a copy in the email when I submitted this link. The bottom of this blog shows a brief description of Martha Graham's history (important to understand because of the grandness of her celebrity in the field) which should be read first. Because I have not found a way to shuffle the order of my postings to make the blog more coherent (as one could with paragraphs within a paper) my suggestion is to scroll down to the bottom and begin reading upwards from there. This has been an interesting project that has combined both my love for dance and interest in American History. By analyzing this time period through the lens of a political performance standpoint, I have been able to further my understanding of the way in which the threat of communism truly took over almost all aspects of American life. Nothing was rid of the fear. Even the arts, especially American Modern Dance, were used as a way to enrich the American message and spread our nationalistic pride during this tumultuous time.