Dadaism, DAH duh ihz uhm, a protest movement in the arts, was formed in 1916 by a group of artists and poets in Zurich, Switzerland. The dadaists reacted to what they believed were outworn traditions in art and to the evils that they saw in society. They tried to shock and provoke the public with outrageous demonstrations, cabaret performances, poetry recitals, and art exhibits. Much dada art was playful and highly experimental. According to one report, dada, the French word for hobbyhorse, was chosen because it was nonsensical.