Virtual Lecture: Mara Frazier on Capturing Dance on Paper

Sponsored by The Grolier Club

Free and Open to the Public  Dec 12, 6:00pm Eastern time

Register for Zoom link here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/virtual-lecture-mara-frazier-on-capturing-dance-on-paper-tickets-719361358187?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

Translating the evanescent art of dance into textual form presents a unique dilemma—how to capture a time-based, corporeal art form into writing? Throughout history, dance documentarians have devised intricate methods of notation and used varied material formats to represent movement practices, whether ballet choreography or sports and physical therapy. Printing technology, movement techniques, and aesthetics all influenced physical formats for the description and transmission of movement information. This presentation, by Mara Frazier, Curator of Dance and Movement at the Lawrence and Lee Theatre Research Institute, Thompson Library Special Collections, The Ohio State University, will delve into resources from the Institute’s rich holdings on dance. Highlights include the archives of New York City’s Dance Notation Bureau as well as papers of prominent dance notators, choreographers, and dance researchers. A selection including treatises, handwritten notes, sketches, and manuscripts will exemplify types of materials texts that have historically been used to document dance, highlighting nontraditional forms such as scrolls, booklets, and floor tiles made for readers in motion. Frazier will navigate the evolution and use of these items to offer insight on the form and function of documents of dance. Attendees can expect to gain a deeper appreciation of a variety of methods for dance description and transmission and for the challenges of dance preservation.

This is a live webcast.