sciousness. Theserangefrom defeatist behaviors and compensatory beliefs born
of oppressionto the individual longings located in the privatesphere and often
expressed by smaller choruses such as“TheWomen”or“The Children.”With
these two groups classified as part of“nature,”the celebration of the worker
as the incarnation of true humanity once again affirms the male position as
the universal one–with the implicit assumption thatthe absorption of the indi-
vidual into the collective would eventuallyresolve anyremainingconflicts aris-
ing from thegendered division of labor.
Speaking chorusesranged from small amateur groups recitingpoems and
playing short scenesto large semiprofessional groups of up to twohundred re-
hearsing under professional direction. These choruses regularlyparticipated in
socialist massspectaclesfeaturing groups of singers, musicians, dancers,and
athletes.All formats foregrounded the performative aspectsofcommunity,
with the potential conflict between the openness towardaudience participation
and the disciplining function of public ritual an inevitable side effect of such
proletarianmobilizations. Thetensions between theatricality andauthenticity in-
scribed in these practices–and ideallyresolvedthrough the transindividual,
transhistorical perspective inherent in the cultic format–functioned asaconstit-
utive part of this process as they foregrounded the social and economic determi-
nations of class society.Towhat degree theSprechchorachievedaudience partic-
ipation orraised class consciousness beyond the actual theatrical event cannot
be determined basedonformal analyses or critical reviews.For the purposes of
this study, the belief in such transformations is ultimatelymorerelevant to the
reconstruction of the proletarian dream than anyempiricallyconfirmed political
conversions.
Theheavy dependenceoftheSprechchoron bodiesratherthancharacters
is even more pronouncedintheBewegungschor.In t he wordsofone contempo-
rary:“Here,intheBewegungschor,weexperience therenewal of t he awareness
of thebody, whichisthe result of emotionalmovementtowardthe outside
world.Loveandhate,sorrowand joy, roused bythemusic, becomevisible
andresonate strongly intherhythmicalchoreographies of humanlimbs.”¹⁶
Drawingon influencesfromworkers’sportandmodern dance, thesemass
choreographiesdevelopedfurther theperformative potentialofthe classed
body as asiteofoppression as well as resist ance. Staging groupsofdancers
contracting andexpanding, retreatingand advancing,andtakingpossession
of public spaces,theBewegungschorfunctioned like an embodiment andpre-
Quoted by Stübling,Kultur undMassen,32. Stübling’sbook containsabrief discussion (and
several sketches from the production) ofWir!(49–55).
Social Democracy and the PerformanceofCommunity 231