What Moves Them: Dance and Performance Art Since 1913

This course provides a detailed examination of the development of contemporary dance and live performance from 1913 to the present day. Through analysis of visual, filmed and written material, you will identify crucial parallels between dance and visual art movements, connecting aesthetic analysis to relevant social and historical context throughout the period surveyed. Beginning with an overview of early avant-garde performance initiated by Nijinsky and Stravinsky's revolutionary Rite of Spring (1913), this course will equip you with an in-depth understanding of the evolution of transgressive live art and dance. Subject matter will include Dada performance, early modern dance, Fluxus, Gutai and Happenings, dance theatre, postmodern American dance and action painting, Viennese Actionism violence and body art, and the contemporary performance landscape. In addition, intersections with important theoretical discussions will arise, including issues of cultural appropriation, race and gender studies and queer theory. This course thus offers a wide-ranging exploration of the radical potential of live performance. Credit Level: 11 Year taken: Postgraduate

Not running in 2025/26