SDHS: Reconstruction Working Group

Reconstruction Working Group

Chair: Jody Sperling
Contact: (E)jody (at) timelapsedance (dot) com

Jody Sperling in her reconstruction of Loie Fuller's Serpentine Dance (1891). Photo ©Julie Lemberger 1999.

Members of the Reconstruction Working Group are scholars and dance practitioners who share an interest in uncovering and vitalizing our dance heritage through reconstructions, restagings, and re-creations. Besides engaging in lively discussions at scheduled meetings at the annual conference of the Society of Dance History Scholars, members of this working group often pursue further exchange. Discussions may touch on research methods, theoretical grounding, practical strategy, and documentation technique. Reports of projects completed and those in progress are welcomed.

The group is interested in the re-embodiment of dance of any ethnic or national group, of any period and form, whether it be stage dancing, recreational dance, entertainment and spectacle dancing, ritual and religious dance, or some form that refers to these genres. Members of the group recognize reconstructed performance as scholarship that enriches studio practice, dance history, and dance studies. It promotes reconstructed dance as a tool for inviting dance into the humanities curriculum.

Anyone sharing the interests of this group is encouraged to join the next scheduled meeting. Inquiries may be made by sending an e-mail message to the chair of the group (jody (at) timelapsedance (dot) com)

Last updated 11 January 2006
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