Black Bodies in Motion

“Protest, like performance, carefully chooses its stage and its repertoire of movements, which has an impact on audience perception” – Arusha Kedhar, dance scholar (2014).

The Department of Drama and Dance at Tufts University presents:

Choreographing Resistance across the Americas

Wednesday, March 30, 2016, from 12:00 to 8:30 pm, at the Aidekman Arts Center (Medford campus).

This event is free and open to the public. Please RSVP in advance HERE.

 Overview:

Consider this: In her seminal essay “Choreographies of Protest” (2003), dance scholar Susan L. Foster proposes we envision “the body as capable of both persuasion and obstinate recalcitrance,” demonstrating, as she puts it, “the central role that physicality plays in constructing both individual agency and sociality” (395). Following Foster, our international conference at tufts University invites students and activists to join our distinguished list of speaker in unpacking how the field of Critical Dance Studies can shed new light on issues of identity politics across the American continent. By talking, listening, standing up, moving, raising our hands, and standing still, we will seek to investigate the power that human beings have to articulate dissident ideas through movement, to choreograph protests on the streets, and to (re)construct intersubjectivity in post-colonial terrains, despite adversary constrains.

Now here is some more food for thought. Water Benjamin has an interesting quote, Sir Ken Robison reminds us, which will be borrowed as a motto across our conference:

“There are three sorts of people in the world: Those who are immovable, people who don’t get, they don’t want to get it, they’re going to do anything about it. There are people who are movable, people who see the need for change and are prepared to listen to it. And there are people who move, people who make things happen.” And if we can encourage more people, that will be a movement. And if the movement is strong enough, that’s, in the best sense of the word, a revolution. And that’s what we need” (Robison, 2013).

Let’s get ready: Under “Resources” you will find a list of key articles and audio-visual materials that will be referenced across this conference. Download them and start reading!