The Persistence of Dance: Choreography as Concept and Material in Contemporary Art

Dance as a contemporary art medium has re-emerged since the early 1990s, distinct from performance art and theater-based dance. The Persistence of Dance explores the continuities and differences between the second-wave dance avant-garde in the 1950s‒1970s and the third-wave starting in the 1990s, highlighting the relationship between the third-wave and gallery-based work. Brannigan concludes that there is a persistence of dance and that a model of post-dance exists that encompasses dance as a contemporary art medium.

Format: Hardback
Length: 374 pages
Publication date: 30 November 2023
Publisher: The University of Michigan Press

Dance as a contemporary art medium has a rich history that dates back to the mid-20th century in North America. It has re-emerged since the early 1990s and is distinct from both performance art and theater-based dance. This category of choreographic practice has a lineage that includes artists such as Maria Hassabi, Sarah Michelson, Boris Charmatz, Meg Stuart, Philip Gehmacher, Adam Linder, Agatha Gothe-Snape, Shelley Lasica, and Latai Taumoepeau. The Persistence of Dance: Choreography as Concept and Material in Contemporary Art explores this history by looking at the continuities and differences between the second-wave dance avant-garde in the 1950s‒1970s and the third-wave starting in the 1990s. Through close readings of key artists, Brannigan traces the relationship between the third-wave and gallery-based work and highlights how the discussions and practices associated with conceptual dance resonate with the categories of conceptual and post-conceptual art as well as with the critical work on the function of visual art categories. Brannigan concludes that within the current post-disciplinary context, there is a persistence of dance and that a model of post-dance exists that encompasses dance as a contemporary art medium.

Weight: 272g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780472076482