Moving Memories: Kaeja Explores the Holocaust through Dance and Film

Allen Joseph Norris Kaeja

Representations

Moving Memories: Kaeja Explores the Holocaust through Dance and Film

Allen Joseph Norris Kaeja

Introduction to Allen Kaeja’s Dance Films and Stage works

I am a 2G, otherwise known as a “second generation.” I am the child of a Holocaust survivor who endured unimaginable atrocities. My father, Maurycy Nosal, (Morton Norris in Canada), experienced the disappearance of his first wife Berzia and their child, as well as his parents, siblings, nieces and nephews, knowing that they were being murdered but helpless to take action. The only surviving members of his family had emigrated before the war.

Black and white photo of four individuals standing at the back, four individuals seated in the middle row on chairs and two individuals seated on the floor at the front. — Photo portrait of the Nosal family taken in their living room sometime in the 1930’s.
The two individuals seated in the front are Maurycy Nosal and Berzia Nosal (née Kashub), in the middle row are Maurycy’s parents, Chaim Nosal (bearded man on the right) and Ruszia Nosal (née Kashub) (on Chiams right side). The other individuals are Maurycy’s siblings (four of them, names unknown) with two of their spouses.

Maurycy was a husband, father, butcher and soldier. When WWII began in September 1939, he was called to arms. His Polish regiment fought fiercely, surprising the German army, but was finally forced to surrender and sent to a Prisoner of War (POW) camp.

Maurycy escaped the POW encampment, became a resistance fighter and eventually made his way to Warsaw, bringing food and weapons into the Warsaw Ghetto.

In November 1940, Maurycy returned to his home town: Kutno, Poland. Noticing that the Jewish area was abandoned, he lived in barns and the forest on the outskirts of the town, eventually turning himself in so he could find his loved ones. He was sent to and reunited with his wife Berzia (nee Kashub), their son and Berzia’s family in the Krosniewice Ghetto. His birth family was in the Kutno Ghetto. Since the two ghettos were close (about 25 km apart), Maurycy was able to travel between the two occasionally.

His family were part of 4,200 Jews that were crammed into an old Kutno sugar factory, about the size of a public school. They were forced to live in sub-human conditions. Being strong and able, Maurycy was used as slave labor.

By 1942, most of the ghetto’s inhabitants, including Maurycy’s family, were systematically murdered by being loaded into “gas trucks.” The exhaust was redirected into the cargo container, and families were poisoned with carbon monoxide fumes, suffocating while in each other’s embrace. They were then taken directly to the Crematorium of Chelmno in Poland.

Maurycy was eventually sent on an inhumanly packed train cattle car to Auschwitz where he became Number 142466.

He was then assigned to Auschwitz III: Monowitz, otherwise known as Buna, an I.G. Farben chemical factory that made weapons for the war effort. The factory is still in operations today.

He survived the concentration camps by being resourceful, lucky, and learning on the go. He would accept any work that was offered: fixing roofs, laying pavement, digging ditches, and finally, harnessing his skills as a butcher, to work in the kitchens. He risked his life daily to steal food, so that he could feed his fellow prisoners in his barracks.

His brother-in-law died in his arms, among tens of thousands who perished, before Maurycy was sent on the long march to the concentration camp, Nordhausen. He finally escaped two months before the war ended, surviving in the woods until liberation. He once mentioned to me that the biggest mistake he ever made was going back to his home town of Kutno, where he discovered that 90% of his community of 8,000 and 99% of his family were murdered.

Photo of a family in 1946 — 1946 Deggendorf Displaced Persons Camp
*This photograph was taken in 1946 in the Deggendorf Displaced Persons Camp (refugee camp) in Germany, under the American authority*.

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Description of the image

Title: Deggendorf Displaced Persons

The black and white (sepia-toned) portrait consists of eight individuals (five male and three female) standing inside the doorway of the railway car, three individuals (two female and one male) seated on the landing of the open door, and six individuals (three female and three male) standing in front of the railway car. Maurycy Nosal is standing on the left-hand side wearing a cream-coloured trench coat.

He subsequently found his way to a refugee camp. While at the Deggendorf Displaced Persons Camp, he sent letters to relatives who had left Poland prior to the war. In his letters, while he asked them how they and their family were, he casually mentioned that he was the only one who was left. He didn’t even know if his relatives had heard much about the war.

“You cannot imagine how lonely I am here all by myself. I am alone without wife and family.” Maurycy Nosal personal letter-November 19, 1946 – Germany.

Photo of handwritten letter — Photograph 1 of a letter

Photo 2 of a handwritten letter — Photo 2 of a letter

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Letter content

Deggendorf, Germany

D.P. Centre 7

19 November 1946

My dear uncle and aunt,

As a relative of yours, I like to come into contact with you again. I am one of the very few remaining ones of our town and from the family the only one.

How are you? How are your sons Jack Nosal and Maurice Nosal? What are they doing? Are they married? Please write me as soon as possible and with air-mail please. You cannot imagine how lonely I am here all by myself. I am still alone without wife and family. You may have read in the papers and heard from other people about the horrible time we had to go through. You can understand how I am longing to leave this country.

I have registered for New York, but if I have to wait for the help of UNRRA I am still here in a couple of years.

Dear aunt, I would be very thankful to you all if you could manage to get an affidavit for me. I am alone, strong, healthy, willing to work and would not bother you in any way if I am once abroad.

What is cousin Rushka doing? Why does she not write? Please write me, all of you, as soon as possible.

I hope that this letter reaches you all in good health and high spirits.

Your affectionate,

Maurycy Nosal

Please give my best regards to Mort Spiar.

Photographs of a letter from Maurycy Nosal, written for him by a soldier on November 19^th 1946, to assist him in finding sponsorship with relatives in Canada. This letter was sent to Maurycy’s uncle Oodum Norris and aunt Nelly Norris (née Joseph/Josephowicz) who had emigrated to Canada in the 1920’s.

Canada, at that time, was still filled with extreme prejudice, fear and intolerance. My father was caught up in the unwritten Canadian policy towards Jews: “None Is Too Many” (Abella, Troper, 1982). He finally was allowed to emigrate after three years (once the government changed), and built a new life and family in Kitchener, Ontario. Upon his passing in 1985, he was made an honorary police officer for his work and belief in his adopted community.

Photo of Certificate of eligibility — Photograph of the Certificate of Eligibility, issued on February 18th 1948, allowing Maurycy Nosal to leave Deggendorf to emigrate to Canada.

As the son of a survivor, and as a dance artist, I dedicated fifteen years choreographing and directing six stage productions and seven films reflecting the life and experiences of my father during the Holocaust. Although my creative work had begun, its continuity was triggered by having children and how our genealogy is so deeply and intuitively imbedded.

It is an immense responsibility to create stage works reflecting the images, experiences, uncertainties, determinations and decimation of a culture and its peoples. It has been a journey that was not only profound, but extremely challenging. My wife and mother of our children, Karen Kaeja, has helped by both supporting me in this process and as my artistic muse. She has collaborated in multiple ways bringing all those dances to life including performing in and creating some of the additional choreography.

Photo of a poster for the play Resistance. "sharp-edged, densely packed disturbing beauty" — Poster of Resistance (stage work), featuring Karen and Allen Kaeja, which toured North America for six years.

How does one represent images of loss, betrayal and uncertainty, without becoming melodramatic or falling into recognized physical patterns of expression or cliché? One example of my process occurred while making the dance film, Old Country. To create a solo, I would first develop a fully supported and intertwined duet, then remove one of the partners for the dancers to be suddenly left without the rich connection of their partner.

In my dance film Resistance, I would create an environment, saying: “it’s pre-dawn, heavy rain has just lifted, it’s dewy outside, it’s the year 1940 and you’re wearing a heavy coat.” I would ask the dancers to create a movement that represents their emotional and physical states, both as solos and within the context of a group. It is essential that the dancers trust their first impulse. As soon as we feel that “thinking” is interfering with the movement creation, we stop, shift it, shake it up and guide it back to impulse. The movement invention is a collaboration between the dancers and myself as the choreographer.

There are a significant number of challenges in creating a choreographic work that encompasses an history that is unimaginable and inhumane.

To create a series of Holocaust based dance films, world renowned Dance Film director David Hinton said to me that dance has the ability to not only capture the essence of the physical vocabulary, but also the emotional resonance and the use of imagistic narrative to allow the viewer to be enriched by the experience.

Photo of DVD cover of 7 films: Old Country, Zummel, Sarah, Witnessed, Resistance, Departure and 1939. — DVD cover with all seven films and some of the awards mentioned.

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A DVD that contains all seven of the Kaeja & Adam films.

Title: Kaeja & Adam DVD

Kaeja & Adam presents Kaeja & Adam Film Series. This DVD contains Old Country – R/T: 24:00, Zummel – R/T: 7:00, Sarah – R/T: 6:00, Witnessed – R/T: 6:00, Resistance – R/T: 24:00, Departure – R/T: 7:00, and 1939 – R/T: 7:00. Co-Directors include Allen Kaeja & Mark Adam. Choreography done by Allen Kaeja. Additional Choreography done by Karen Kaeja. This film series was Nominated Best Director by the Gemini Awards and Nominated Outstanding Choreography by the American Choreography Awards. It won Special jury Mention by the IMZ Dance Screen, Certificate of Distinction by the American Dance Festival, and Best Performance by the Moving Pictures Festival.

How does one translate or adapt a stage production to film? How do you capture the essence and kinesthetic power within the context of, not only, film, but also the physical landscape that will shape the perception of the viewer? The preparations were incredibly detailed and precise, using the studio as reservoir for experimentation, determining specific shot lists and designing the choreography for the locations where we would shoot.

My co-Director, Mark Adam, and I would, in the early years, come into the studio with a hand held Hi8 video camera to determine the relationship of the moving camera to the choreography prior to shooting on location. Many of these shoots only had the finances to film for one day.

I was honored to have been invited to screen my films and have them become part of the permanent collection at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust museum in Israel, as well as the permanent collection of the Jewish Museum, NY. Three of them were screened in a special exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. These works have won awards and been performed live and screened in festivals around the world. I feel I have created a monument to my father and his family’s experiences in the Holocaust, as well as honoring a generation that has never been able to experience social media, space missions and gummy bears.

Photo of the dance film, "Sarah", and magazine article. — Our dance film, Sarah, is part of the Yad Vashem Media Centre hand-outs to visitors

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A handout given to visitors about the dance film Sarah.

Title: Sarah film handout

By Liat Benhabib

In a situation where words are inadequate and events are hard to convey, the human body and the language of dance may be employed to communicate emotions and narratives. A screening of two videodance works, Zummel (from the Yiddish: “Gathering,” 7 minutes, 1999) and Sarah (pictured above, 6 minutes, 1999), by the Toronto-based Kaeja d’Dance dance company, was the starting-point for an investigation of the videodance medium as a tool for representing and perpetuating the memory of the Holocaust. Film maker Maya Deren has referred to such efforts as “choreography for the camera.”

The artists, director and choreographer Allen Kaeja and his partner, dancer Karen Kaeja, were guests of Vdance— Israel’s first videodance festival, held at the Tel Aviv Cinemateque and the Yad Vashem Visual Center in May. Together with director Mark Adam they created seven videodance films that deal with the personal history of Allen Kaeja’s father, Morton Norris (Nossal), a Holocaust survivor from Kutno, Poland. Only in adulthood did Allen come to learn the story of his father, a butcher by trade who survived Auschwitz as a result of his placement in the camp kitchen. “The combination of stage and film works illustrates the need to highlight emotionally-charged imagery with music in order to awaken the interest of the viewer,” Karen Kaeja explains. “The dances captured on film preserve the integrity of these two art forms and imbue them with an historical significance.” Allen adds: “There is an enormous responsibility and challenge in expressing Holocaust remembrance: to represent images of loss, betrayal, uncertainty, desperation, determination and necessity without becoming melodramatic or falling into recognized patterns of expression or clichés.”

The works screened at Yad Vashem initiated a discussion about the Holocaust through the use of images that arc embedded in the collective memory but re-processed in a new language: the language of dance and film. Art historian and cultural scholar Dr. Gideon Ofrat discussed the films and their importance for the work of Yad Vashem: “What is Yad Vashem’s mission? To document, to remember, to educate of course, but also to mourn through symbols. A monument is a metaphor. But the greatness of a metaphor lies in its openness to the viewer’s interpretation. Kaeja d’Dance’s Zummel can be taken as a reflection of the human condition. Zummel’s context is the Holocaust, but at the same time it bears great metaphorical power, as art that transcends its context, thereby moving into the existential domain.”

Yad Vashem Directorate Chairman Avner Shalev reviewed the change that took place at the end of the 20th century in Holocaust representation, historical research and video/visual documentation: “Documentation of the atrocities at Bergen-Belsen began immediately after the camp’s liberation; the American miniseries Holocaust, Spielberg’s Schindler’s List— these all exemplify the great influence the visual medium has had on efforts to document the Holocaust and perpetuate its memory. Today we are at a crossroads, from which nothing appears certain: How will the Holocaust be remembered in another 20 to 50 years? Will it continue to live within us, as part of the raw material out of which our personal and collective identity is formed? Monumental historical narratives and visual cliches cannot, by- themselves, shape consciousness. In the postmodern era, art has the power to connect people to meaningful personal experiences that enable us to cope with the Holocaust and its memory.”

The author is Director of Yad Vashem’s Visual Center.

The program was prepared with the assistance of Vdance Festival Director Avi Feldman, and Visual Center employee Mimi Ash.

To see more of our films, please visit the Kaeja website.

Thank you,

Allen Joseph Norris Kaeja

References

Abella, Irving, Troper, Harold. (1982). None Is Too Many: Canada and the Jews of Europe 1933-1948. University of Toronto Press.

Teaching Resources

OLD COUNTRY

Click to view Teaching Resources for “OLD COUNTRY”

Title: Old Country

OLD COUNTRY

BACKGROUND ON KAEJA D’DANCE

Since 1991 Kaeja d’Dance has created an eclectic ensemble of vividly original contemporary dance performances and dance films that simmer with athletic intensity and have a flair for theatrical imagery. The term “contemporary dance” has multiple interpretations, but generally defines unique, innovative ways of creating expressive movement through new techniques, or a fusion of new with traditional styles. Allen and Karen Kaeja co-founded Kaeja d’Dance as a response to the work they have been doing as independent choreographers, professional performers and dance educators. Their inspiration lies in the power of movement to resonate in the audience. They look to mobilize the truths of daily life that will translate into their choreography, while remaining evocative and meaningful.

CONTEXTUAL BACKGROUND ON THE FILM

Allen Kaeja’s father, Maurycy Nossal, was a Sergeant in the Polish army who, along with his regiment, was captured and imprisoned during the beginning of the Second World War. He escaped the POW encampment and became a Resistance Fighter, bringing food and weapons into the Warsaw ghetto. Maurycy was later forced into slave labour in the Krosniewice & Kutno Ghettos for two years and subsequently endured the atrocities of Auschwitz III: Monowitz/Buna for another two years. Finally, he was forced on the “Long March” sent to another concentration camp: Nordhausen, where he escaped after six months. Maurycy felt that one of the biggest mistakes he ever made was going back to Kutno, to find 99% of his family murdered and 85% of his community exterminated. He ended up in the Deggendorf Displaced Persons Camp.

He came to Canada as a refugee and changed his name to Morton Norris in 1948. Having lost his entire family in the Holocaust, including his first wife and son, brothers, sisters and parents. In 1952, Morton met and married Ruth Weidman and together they started a new family (Allen and his brothers and sister). However, the Holocaust hovered over Morton’s new family as an unspoken dark cloud. What Allen learned about his father’s life during the war and his eventual escape from the Nordhausen was the result of persistent questioning on Allen’s behalf – his father never talked freely about his life in the camps, or during the war. Allen also interviewed Holocaust survivors in the Kitchener area over the course of several years, and visited various Holocaust Museums, gathering research that informed the thematic intent and choreography of many of Kaeja d’Dance’s dance pieces and films, including Sarah, Old Country and Resistance. The Holocaust-based films and stage works are dedicated “to those who remember and to those we cannot forget”.

‘OLD COUNTRY’ SYNOPSIS

Old Country (2004)

24 minutes

The film Old Country depicts a native village just prior to the outbreak of World War II. This is a place in which alliance and deceit, rumours and generational hatreds escalate into community breakdown and families are ruthlessly torn apart. It is about friendship, betrayal, love and loss. This piece reflects the dark and light visions that immerse a community when overwhelming circumstances disrupt their way of life.

The nature of this film is both contemporary and historic. Old Country shows two closely-knit communities (Jewish and Polish) living and interacting together. There are tensions, as in all small towns, and as the film cuts back and forth between present and past, we see that it truly is a larger community in crisis. Poland is about to be invaded and once occupied, people are called off to war and start to disappear. The audience will witness the degeneration of two communities in a short space of time. With that comes the degeneration of friendship, betrayal, loss of trust, and people turning their backs on one another in a time of crisis.

Old Country is a film that continues to explore the Holocaust, but from the vantage point of Maurycy Nossal’s (Allen Kaeja’s father’s) first family in Poland. The majority of the film takes place at the time when Maurycy’s family first hears that the war has broken out, and he is drafted into the army to fight against the German invasion into Warsaw.

The film opens with a family at dinner, celebrating Rosh Hashanah together in 2003. Allen Kaeja, playing his father as an old man, flashes back to another Rosh Hashanah many years ago – the day of the invasion of Poland in 1939. Throughout the film we see interspersed clips of these two Rosh Hashanah celebrations, where the families share the same foods and the same traditions. In the present day, we often catch glimpses of Karen and her daughter – Maurycy’s first wife, Berzia, and child (name unknown) – demonstrating that they are always present in Maurycy’s life even as he lives on with his new family.

There is a radio broadcast about the impending war, and we see Allen and Karen dancing together – a duet of sorrow; they are overcome with distress and concerns about the safety and future of their family. Allen dons his regiment’s uniform and hugs his wife goodbye, and we later see Allen’s daughter with his rifle; she has taken it in order to try to stop him from going to war, but he still must leave his family.

Old Country also features a duet with two men in a field washing their hands with dirt. This represents the men washing their hands of the blood that will be shed when they betray their community. They are attempting to absolve themselves from the impending violence by removing themselves from the horror that’s about the happen.

The solo of Karen Kaeja (playing the character of Berzia, Maurycy Nossal’s first wife), dancing alone with a musical score punctuated by a chiming bell (establishing a sense of foreboding, of time running out) is a dance of impending loss, of torment and distress. She knows her husband is going off to war, and the war is a force way beyond her control. The building behind her appears imposing – prison-like, and she is alone, unable to find comfort or solace, or aid. This solo is interspersed with shots of her husband at war, engaging in repetitive military movements.

In this film, there are several relationships where there is a breakdown of trust. A significant moment in which this can be seen is in the duet against the fireplace, which establishes conflict between two characters. The woman wants to maintain community and friendship, but the man is willing to destroy it, and eventually the woman gives in and becomes a part of the betrayal.

We also see the theme of prejudice in the barn scene, during which Allen Kaeja is in conflict with another character in a military uniform (Michael Sean Marye), a non-Jewish Polish soldier who is a family friend. This solider is someone from his own regiment (both are fighting in the Polish 1st Karpathians regiment against the Nazi invaders in Poland), who is determined to hold prejudice above the combined strength of community, and the larger goals of the regiment. Conflicts existed between Polish and Jewish neighbours throughout the war, where prejudices and persecution prevailed.

Finally, we see Karen Kaeja appearing forlorn as she walks alone through many people, searching for her children. During this scene, people are on the move, at different stages of suffering. They are despondent and unclear of where they are going. There is tension and rifts in the community – the sense of community is fragmenting. Karen’s character feels lost and torn apart. This scene is representative of a town in crisis, where Jews were forced to relocate from their homes. She eventually reaches the end of her journey when she is symbolically ripped apart by two men, representing the lives that were lost and the families that were torn apart by the fracturing of the community.

The film closes in the present day with the older Maurycy walking with his granddaughter, as a letter written by the real Maurycy is read. He envisions his first wife and child nearby and they stop and sense each other in the film’s final moment.

Director(s): Allen Kaeja and Mark Adam
Choreographer: Allen Kaeja
Additional choreography: Karen Kaeja
Featured performers: Karen Kaeja and Allen Kaeja
Main Dancers: Tara Butler, Piotr Biernat, Susan Lee, Michael Sean Marye, Teena Walker Additional performers: Tim Spronk and Amy Hampton, Aniya Kaeja and Mika Kaeja. Director of Photography: Johnny Askwith
Composer: Edgardo Moreno
Producers: Allen Kaeja and Kaeja Productions
Produced in association with CBC, Bravo!FACT (supported by Bravo! Network), and the National Capital Commission, Old Country was filmed on location in Ottawa and Aylmer, Quebec.

2004 Gemini Award Nomination – Best Direction of a Performing Arts Film or Series
2004 American Choreography Awards nomination – Best Short film
Housed in Permanent Collection Yad Vashem (Israel) 2008
Housed in Permanent Collection Jewish Museum NY 2008

STUDY GUIDE ACTIVITIES FOR THE KAEJA D’DANCE FILM OLD COUNTRY

As a guide to accompany a “screening” of Old Country the following are suggestions for activities and questions to do in the classroom, with links to the Dance and Social Studies curriculum.

If you watched both Sarah and Old Country, compare and contrast the films using terminology from the Dance Vocabulary sheet provided. Which did you prefer, and why?
How did the movements in the dance films communicate emotions or themes in the piece (describe specific movements, the partnering style (duets), gestures and facial expressions etc.).
How would you describe the musical score of the film? How did it work to create the overall mood?
Discuss how the theme of the Holocaust was presented in Old Country and how movement was used to convey emotions, actions, and situations. How did the film help you to experientially understand some of the themes and aspects of the Holocaust?
As a class develop a criterion to evaluate the dance film (using the Dance Vocabulary sheet provided in this booklet).
Using the criteria developed by the class and the background information provided on the film, write a review of Old Country.
Draw a picture, create a painting, write a poem, create a journal entry, or make a song about your response to the film.
Pick a style of dance that you have seen before and are familiar with (ballet, hip hop, folk, break dancing, etc) and compare and contrast it with the dance style of Kaeja d’Dance (as seen in the films).
Using the Kaeja d’Dance website, investigate the company activities and describe the ways that the company contributes to the cultural activities of Toronto and other cities in Canada.
Read the accompanying background information provided on the films, and on Allen Kaeja’s father’s story. Discuss with your class how the theme of the Holocaust was presented in Old Country, and how movement was used to convey emotions, actions, and situations.
Engage in a research project that explores various ways that the arts have been used as powerful vehicles of communication about world issues such as genocide.

DANCE VOCABULARY

When we discuss a dance piece, it is helpful to talk in terms of the four elements of dance: shape, space, time, and energy. The vocabulary we need for our discussion can be grouped into these four categories.

SHAPE (the “WHAT” of movement) – WHAT is the body doing?

Movement: a change in position involving one or more parts of the body or the entire body
Shape/Form: the three dimensional shape created when the dancers move
Balance: when the elements of design are arranged to create an impression of equality in weight or importance
Symmetry – a type of balance when the elements are equal in size, shape, or another attribute

Some words to use when talking about shape: curl, stretch, spin, jump, roll, slide, narrow, wide, lunge, leap, weight, supported/unsupported, angular, curved, twisted, isolation, gesture, symmetrical/asymmetrical

SPACE (the “WHERE” of movement) – WHERE is the body moving?

Space – the area around, within, or between images or elements
Composition – the organization of the dancers and their bodies in space
Negative space – the void or open space around an object or form

Some words to use when talking about space: forwards/backwards, sideways, diagonal, up/down, pathway, traveling, straight, spiral, zig-zag, circle, direction, in the air, on the ground, crowded, spacious, organized, unison, busy, empty, formation

TIME (the “WHEN” of movement) – How does the body move in relation to TIME?

Timing – the set moments at which movements occur in relation to other movements and the intensity with which they are executed
Rhythm – the repetition of elements; patterns of long and short movements
Tempo – the speed or pace of the movements

Some words to use when talking about time: slow, fast, accelerating/decelerating, even/uneven, simple, complex, pulse, accent, speed, meter, rhythm, pause, contrast

ENERGY (the “HOW” of movement) – HOW is the body moving?

Dynamics – a variation in timing, pacing, or choreography that accents a moment or a shift of attention in a movement sequence
Texture – the overall effect of a piece containing different movement phrases performed together
Emphasis – when special attention or importance is given to one part or element
Style – the artist’s way of representing something

Some words to use when talking about energy: focus, tension, strong/light, flow, lyrical, staccato, sustained, short, suspended, connected, isolated, ensemble, solo, duet, relationship, leading, following, reaction, meeting/parting, intensity, mood

QUESTIONS FOR CLASS DISCUSSION

Who are the characters in the film? What are their relationships to one another? How do they affect each other and how does dancing make this apparent?
Identify two relationships between characters that change during this film. How and why do they change and how is this story told through dance?
Where and when does the story take place? Describe the significance of the different locations and time periods in the film.
What kinds of emotions are apparent in the film? How do the dancers successfully portray these emotions without using words?
How is the camera used to enhance dramatic tension and effect? Is the camera another character?
How does the ending of the film make you feel? Do you think that it is resolved? What do you think will happen next?
In a dance film, plot and feelings are expressed through the use of movement. How does this compare to other contemporary works in film? Did you find this genre effective in telling the story? Do you feel dialogue would have enhanced or decreased the effectiveness of the film?

ONTARIO CURRICULUM GUIDELINE LINKS FOR ‘OLD COUNTRY’

Information taken directly from the Ontario Ministry of Education Curriculum Material Guidelines *

Because curriculum is constantly evolving and may vary between school boards, the connections below are intended to serve as a framework.*

Drama and Dance: Grade 5

Create dance pieces, using a variety of techniques;
Describe, orally and in writing, their response to their own and others’ work in drama and dance, gather others’ responses (e.g., through interviews, research), and compare the responses;
Use drama and dance vocabulary in describing and interpreting their own and others’ work (e.g., conflict, setting, rhythm, pace);
Explain drama and dance techniques (e.g., body language, group formations) and use them to convey information and feelings;
Identify the significance of symbols or objects in drama and dance;
Describe various dance forms (e.g., creative dances, social dances);
Explain how elements of drama and of dance work together to create different effects on the audience (e.g., staging, lighting, use of music);
Provide support for their interpretations of personal experiences and aspects of history, which they have presented through drama and dance (e.g., arrival in a new country, life in a medieval village), using various research resources to gather information.

Drama and Dance: Grade 6

Interpret and communicate the meaning of novels, scripts, legends, fables, and other material drawn from a range of sources and cultures, using a variety of drama and dance techniques (e.g., “reader’s theatre”), and evaluate the effectiveness of the techniques;
Evaluate, orally and in writing, their own and others’ work in drama and dance (e.g., performances, multimedia presentations);
Create dance pieces, using a variety of techniques;
Describe the meaning and evaluate the effect of the work of others, using drama and dance vocabulary correctly (e.g., focus, energy, style, balance);
Identify and describe examples of balance, harmony, and contrast in drama and dance productions;
Identify the significance of symbols in dramatic explorations, and use various props appropriately;
Explain and demonstrate the use of different patterns in creating effects in drama and dance (e.g., patterns of pace and direction; symmetry);
Recognize and name characteristics of drama and dance performances that incorporate technology, visual art, music, and popular media to create artistic effects;
Interpret and perform some types of dances and forms of drama;
Create dances, using steps and positions borrowed from a variety of dance forms;
Create, rehearse, and present drama and dance works to communicate the meaning of poems, stories, paintings, myths, and other source material drawn from a wide range of cultures;
Create drama and dance productions in which they make effective use of the principles of harmony, balance, and contrast;
Present and defend their analysis of a performance, focusing on assessment of the ways in which various elements of drama and dance are used together (e.g., structure, texture, harmony, contrast);
Explain their preferences for specific drama and dance works;
Provide evidence for their interpretations of personal experiences and events of social significance, which they present through drama and dance, using a variety of research sources;

Drama and Dance: Grade 7

Describe the overall effects of various aspects of drama and dance (i.e., elements, principles, techniques);
Interpret and communicate the meaning of novels, scripts, historical fiction, and other material drawn from a wide variety of sources and cultures, using a variety of drama and dance techniques;
Create dance pieces, using a variety of techniques;
Evaluate, orally and in writing, their own and others’ work in drama and dance, using criteria developed by the class;
Create different interpretations of a single drama or dance work, using available technology for performance;
Demonstrate understanding of the motives of the characters they interpret through drama and dance (e.g., explain the motives and accurately represent the attitudes of a character through voice quality, gestures, body movements);
Use drama and dance vocabulary correctly (e.g., crisis, space, symbol, drama anthology, texture) in analyzing the meaning and effect of their own and others’ work;
Explain the significance of the materials, props, costumes, and symbols used in drama and dance;
Develop a routine of warm-up exercises and use it regularly before engaging in dance activities;
Communicate abstract ideas through drama and dance (e.g., create a movement composition that is inspired by a set of symbols);
Evaluate the quality of a drama and a dance performance by writing a review that refers to what was seen, heard, and experienced;
Identify performance techniques that have an effect on the audience’s emotions and senses (e.g., senses of hearing and sight), and evaluate their use in a performance;
Describe the significance of drama and dance in their lives (e.g., write reflections on their aesthetic experiences in a journal);
Describe the economic and social impact of drama and dance in our society (e.g., research the role of drama and dance in films and videos, and in television programming);

Drama and Dance: Grade 8

Evaluate the overall effect of various aspects of drama and dance (i.e., elements, principles, techniques, style);
Critique, orally and in writing, their own and others’ work in drama and dance, using criteria developed independently and in a group;
Create dance compositions based on material explored in drama;
Select appropriate themes that deal with specific situations and that are aimed at a specific audience;
Demonstrate understanding of the appropriate use of the voice, gestures, and the level of language in different dramatic situations;
Describe theatrical dance performances, and distinguish between the types or styles used (e.g., ballet, modern, jazz, folk, ethnic);
Use the vocabulary of drama and dance correctly (e.g., metaphor in drama, symmetry in dance composition) in analyzing, explaining, and critiquing the meaning and effect of their own and others’ work;
Select appropriate themes that deal with specific situations and that are aimed at a specific audience;
Review drama and dance performances, orally or in writing, critiquing the use of elements and techniques in the particular genre of the piece;
Evaluate the overall effect of a performance in drama and dance, analyzing the key elements.

Dance, Grade 9

Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between dance and social issues as expressed in the lives and works of particular artists;
Identify and describe the main characteristics of one or more dance forms studied;
Demonstrate basic body positions, movement skills, simple movement patterns, and combinations in at least one world dance form studied (e.g. modern);
Apply movements as stimuli to develop movement vocabulary (e.g., everyday movements in work and play, major choreographers’ ideas);
Observe and identify a broad spectrum of dance;
Describe dance works, using the language of dance criticism;
Reflect on their own work and that of others;
Develop criteria for discussing a broad spectrum of observed dance;
Demonstrate the difference between learning steps and creating a dance work;
Identify types and/or styles of dance, describing them orally and in written form.

Canadian and World Studies, Grade 10

Communities: Local, National and Global

Produce a timeline that charts and identifies significant historical events related to the Holocaust and World War II (e.g., anti-Semitism, rise of Natzism, Kristallnacht, establishment of ghettos, concentration camps and death camps) and analyze Canada’s response to those events;
Analyze Canada’s response to the Holocaust and the subsequent policy development dealing with hate crimes and Nazi war criminals in Canada.

Dance, Grade 10

Observe, identify and describe a broad spectrum of dance;
Describe ways in which dance is part of the culture within their local community… with particular emphasis on dance in Ontario;
Identify more complex movement terminology;
Demonstrate an understanding of how technique functions as a tool in the development of artistic scope;
Develop and use criteria for self and peer evaluation (e.g. elements and principles)
Define criteria for analyzing dance;
Reflect and report in oral and written form their own compositions and those of others.

Media Arts, Grade 10

Identify and describe the foundations of media art by viewing/experiencing selected media artworks and/or productions;
Identify and describe the influences and contributions of various art forms to media artworks and productions;
Research existing media artworks and productions to inspire new works (e.g., create a journal of existing works and productions);
Identify the impact of media artworks and productions on themselves and their community;
Identify the function of media art in society;
Identify and explain, orally and in writing, how various examples of media art have had an effect on their lives;
Identify and interact with artists within their community or region;
Identify and explain, orally and in writing, how media artworks affect perceptions of identity (e.g., ethnic group, regional/ provincial/national identity, religious affiliation, philosophical identity).

Canadian and World Studies, Grade 11

Twentieth Century History: Global and Regional Perspectives

Describe factors that have interfered with individual and group rights since the beginning of the twentieth century (e.g., secret police and rigid censorship, policies of racial and ethnic exclusion and cleansing, gender-role restrictions, homophobia, poverty);
Explain how genocides that have taken place since 1900 have affected not only the victims and victimizers but also the world at large (e.g., famine in Ukraine, the Holocaust, mass executions under Pol Pot, Rwandan genocide, ethnic cleansing in Bosnia).

Dance, Grade 11, University/College Preparation:

Describe various dance forms found in Canada and around the world, using appropriate terminology;
Describe the elements, principles and techniques used in a variety of dance forms around the world;
Analyze and evaluate the formal structure and meaning of a broad spectrum of dance forms;
Analyze and evaluate the use of the elements, principles, and techniques of dance with respect to formal structure and meaning in a broad spectrum of dance forms;
Describe and analyze, orally and in writing, the cultural significance of a broad spectrum of dance forms;
Create a set of aesthetic criteria by which to evaluate their own work and that of others.

Media Arts, Grade 11

Identify elements, principles, and other concepts in a work of media art that are found in other art forms (e.g., the elements of dance in performance art, the elements of music in electro-acoustics);
Evaluate the aesthetic components of their own and others’ works of media art or productions, demonstrating an understanding of the process of critical analysis;
Analyze the impact of media art works and productions on themselves and their communities;
Analyze the function of media art in society;
Evaluate a hybrid work, following standard procedures in critical analysis (e.g., consider their initial reaction; describe the work using appropriate terminology; analyze and interpret the work; evaluate the effectiveness of the work);
Produce critiques of visual, acoustic/ electro-acoustic, and cinematic media art works from various periods;
Analyze and compare ways in which various examples of media art have an effect on their lives;
Explain how media arts productions can be used to express social and cultural realities;
Analyze the symbolic function of elements in a selected work of media art;
Explain the importance of media arts in the expression, transmission, and promotion of a culture (e.g., the impact of media arts on the promotion of cultural groups);

Dance, Grade 12, University/College Preparation:

Describe various dance forms found in Canada and around the world, using appropriate terminology;
Identify and describe the elements, principles, and techniques used in a variety of dance forms from around the world;
Describe the historical and cultural significance of a broad spectrum of dance forms;
Describe the significant contributions of various Canadian dance artists to dance in Canada;
Analyze, interpret, and evaluate – orally and in writing – the formal structure and meaning of a broad spectrum of dance forms, including their own works;
Analyze, interpret, and evaluate a broad range of choreographic works, using a set of aesthetic principles;
Analyze and evaluate dance works, using a variety of theoretical approaches;
Analyze the significance and function of a variety of dance forms in Canada and from around the world.

Media Arts, Grade 12

Evaluate an interactive work of art, demonstrating an understanding of the process of critical analysis;
Analyze and evaluate the impact of works of media art on themselves and on their communities;
Analyze the function of media art works in society;
Evaluate interactive art works, following standard procedures in critical analysis (e.g., consider their initial reaction; describe the works using appropriate terminology; analyze and interpret the works; evaluate the effectiveness of the works);
Analyze and evaluate the use of aesthetic and compositional components in media art works;
Analyze and compare ways in which works of media art influence various audiences and ways in which dynamic interaction with those audiences can affect the meaning of a work;
Analyze the symbolic elements of a culture in a selected work of media art;
Analyze ways in which media arts can form and represent the viewpoints and values of different representative groups (e.g., cultural, economic, or regional groups).

Information Prepared by Sarah Caraher and Angela Marsh

SARAH

Click to view Teaching Resources for “SARAH”

Title: SARAH

SARAH

BACKGROUND ON KAEJA D’DANCE

Since 1991 Kaeja d’Dance has created an eclectic ensemble of vividly original contemporary dance performances and dance films that simmer with athletic intensity and have a flair for theatrical imagery. The term “contemporary dance” has multiple interpretations, but generally defines unique, innovative ways of creating expressive movement through new techniques, or a fusion of new with traditional styles. Allen and Karen Kaeja co-founded Kaeja d’Dance as a response to the work they have been doing as independent choreographers, professional performers and dance educators. Their inspiration lies in the power of movement to resonate in the audience. They look to mobilize the truths of daily life that will translate into their choreography, while remaining evocative and meaningful.

CONTEXTUAL BACKGROUND ON THE FILM

Allen Kaeja’s father, Maurycy Nossal, was a Sergeant in the Polish army who, along with his regiment, was captured and imprisoned during the beginning of the Second World War. He escaped the POW encampment and became a Resistance Fighter, bringing food and weapons into the Warsaw ghetto. Maurycy was later forced into slave labour in the Krosniewice & Kutno Ghettos for two years and subsequently endured the atrocities of Auschwitz III: Monowitz/Buna for another two years. Finally, he was forced on the “Long March” sent to another concentration camp: Nordhausen, where he escaped after six months. Maurycy felt that one of the biggest mistakes he ever made was going back to Kutno, to find 99% of his family murdered and 85% of his community exterminated. He ended up in the Deggendorf Displaced Persons Camp.

He came to Canada as a refugee and changed his name to Morton Norris in 1948. Having lost his entire family in the Holocaust, including his first wife and son, brothers, sisters and parents. In 1952, Morton met and married Ruth Weidman and together they started a new family (Allen and his brothers and sister). However, the Holocaust hovered over Morton’s new family as an unspoken dark cloud. What Allen learned about his father’s life during the war and his eventual escape from the Nordhausen was the result of persistent questioning on Allen’s behalf – his father never talked freely about his life in the camps, or during the war. Allen also interviewed Holocaust survivors in the Kitchener area over the course of several years, and visited various Holocaust Museums, gathering research that informed the thematic intent and choreography of many of Kaeja d’Dance’s dance pieces and films, including Sarah, Old Country and Resistance. The Holocaust-based films and stage works are dedicated “to those who remember and to those we cannot forget”.

‘SARAH’ SYNOPSIS

Sarah (1999)

6 minutes

Sarah is a six-minute film based on the unknown destiny of the woman married to Allen’s father prior to WW2, his first wife Berzia. Berzia relocated to the Krosnieziec ghetto during the war, and when the ghetto was liquidated, Allen’s father was sent to Auschwitz and Berzia was never seen again. Karen and Allen often wondered how she endured the separation, and how her instinct for survival affected her appearance, her demeanour, her direction? How did she face her will to survive, her premonitions and perhaps memoirs of a war and a loss of loved ones? Sarah features two principal characters, a woman and a young girl, who may be mother and daughter or representative of the same character at different ages. The film begins with couples and families arriving at a train station. This train station is representative of the uncertainty that many faced when they were forced to move during the war after being told they had only a few hours to relocate. There are three distinct solos in Sarah performed by Karen Kaeja; each one becomes increasingly frantic and intense. These solos seem to reflect the horrors of the war, perhaps in a sense of premonition and foreboding before they happen or perhaps in memories. The fate of the characters in this film are purposefully unknown because this was the reality for many who disappeared during the war. For example, in one moment we see the child get picked up, but we can’t see by whom; the viewer is left unsure if the child is being taken away or saved. It is up to the viewer to interpret whether they think Sarah survives the war or is killed. The train tracks that Sarah walks down at the end of the film represent her journey, and the journeys of so many others, as train tracks were the vehicle to either death or safety for many during the Holocaust.

The music is composed by Edgardo Moreno; costume design and coordination by Karen Kaeja.
Director(s): Allen Kaeja and Mark Adam
Choreographers: Allen Kaeja and Karen Kaeja
Performers: Karen Kaeja and Aniya Lise Kaeja
Director of Photography/Camera: Mark Adam Composer: Edgardo Moreno
Camera Assistant: Johnny Askwith
Buffy Shields-costume/make-up
Assistant Director: Trisha McKell
Doll Design and creation: Kate Lucas
Producers: Allen Kaeja, Trisha McKell and Radium Films Produced in association with Bravo!FACTExtras: Mickey, Kathie, Kenny, Sarah, Melissa, Rebecca, Alana & Danny Norris, Joost and Jessica Pelt, Janelle Rainville, Devora Resnick, Cheryl Segal, Susan Sinclair, Rebecca Todd, Elan Tsarfati, Teena Walker

Housed in Permanent Collection – Yad Vashem 2008
Housed in Permanent Collection – Museum of Modern Art 2000

STUDY GUIDE ACTIVITIES FOR THE KAEJA D’DANCE FILM SARAH

As a guide to accompany a “screening” of Sarah the following are suggestions for activities and questions to do in the classroom, with links to the Dance and Social Studies curriculum.

If you have viewed both Sarah and Old Country, compare and contrast the films, using terminology from the Dance Vocabulary sheet provided. Which did you prefer, and why?
How did the movements in the dance films communicate emotions or themes in the piece (describe specific movements, the partnering style (duets), gestures and facial expressions etc.).
How would you describe the musical score of the film? How did it work to create the overall mood?
Discuss how the theme of the Holocaust was presented in Sarah and how movement was used to convey emotions, actions, and situations. How did the film help you to experientially understand some of the themes and aspects of the Holocaust?
As a class develop a criterion to evaluate the dance film (using the Dance Vocabulary sheet provided in this booklet).
Using the criteria developed by the class and the background information provided on the film, write a review of Sarah.
Draw a picture, create a painting, write a poem, create a journal entry, or make a song about your response to the film.
Pick a style of dance that you have seen before and are familiar with (ballet, hip hop, folk, break dancing, etc) and compare and contrast it with the dance style of Kaeja d’Dance (as seen in the films).
Using the Kaeja d’Dance website, investigate the company activities and describe the ways that the company contributes to the cultural activities of Toronto and other cities in Canada.
Read the accompanying background information provided on the films, and on Allen Kaeja’s father’s story. Discuss with your class how the theme of the Holocaust was presented in Sarah, and how movement was used to convey emotions, actions, and situations.
Engage in a research project that explores various ways that the arts have been used as powerful vehicles of communication about world issues such as genocide.