Rudi Laermans (Belgium)
T841397087
Rudi Laermans is professor of social theory at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Leuven, Belgium. He is also a regular guest teacher in theory at P.A.R.T.S., and has written extensively on contemporary dance.
Archive :: production:T841397087, dance or ballet:S01651422826, venue:V1649072558
The Name Contemporary Dance
What makes dance contemporary? This lecture will address this question in a multi-faceted way. From a historical point of view, contemporary dance started in the 1960s with the Judson movement, which notably widened the definition of the danceable. This resulted in a situation in which dance acts as a proper name that may be contingently associated to a performance. Contemporary dance, moreover, stresses through various strategies its contemporary nature, or the coming into presence of movements within the situational co-presence of a public. Within this artistic genre, one can also detect a marked trend to incorporate ideas within choreographic practice ('conceptual dance'), to include non-human movements ('dance in general'), and to opt for diverse forms of artistic collaboration ('commonal dance'). Laermans will discuss these features with reference to recent performances. Part of Dance Umbrella 2012
