Exhibition
Bodies of Influence: a history of change in twenty-five dances
In 2020, the Nederlandse Dansdagen presented the fourth edition of the dansMuseum: Bodies of Influence: a history of change in 25 dances - an online exhibition exploring dance as a barometer of social, cultural and political change. In looking back at key moments in the history of Dutch dance, the exhibition showed how dance, like other forms of art, reflects on societal and social change.
Dutch dance culture in 2020 was shaped by 75 years of freedom, marked by pivotal moments of crisis and social change. What were these defining moments, and what lessons do they offer us today? With the COVID-19 pandemic unfolding during this edition of the Nederlandse Dansdagen, this exhibition's theme became more urgent than ever. How would this crisis affect the future of dance? The past shows that, often, it is through times of crisis that unexpected and beautiful transformations emerge.
Context programme
25 dance works in 3 podcast episodes
Beginning after the Second World War, when dance in the Netherlands experienced unprecedented growth, the exhibition highlights twenty-five performances and the issues they reflect. Together these dances chart a history of change in the Netherlands and reaffirm the value of dance in times of crisis and conflict.
In a series of three podcasts, Hadassa de Boer discussed the relationship between dance and society with the curators of the Bodies of Influence exhibition: dance journalists Fransien van der Putt and Marcella Schots and choreographer and curator Stephen Shropshire.
By considering the twenty-five performances through the lens of social, cultural and political concerns, Bodies of Influence supports the dansMuseum's mission of raising awareness about the interrelationship between dance and society, and reinforcing dance as an intangible form of Dutch cultural heritage.
Episode 1: Period 1945-1960 and the creation of the exhibition.
Episode 2: Period 1960-1990.
Episode 3: Period 1995-2020.
Bodies of Influence: a history of change in twenty-five dances was initiated by the Nederlandse Dansdagen dansMuseum and made possible in collaboration with the Allard Pierson Theater Collection of the University of Amsterdam.
Curator
Stephen Shropshire in collaboration with Fransien van der Putt and Marcelle Schots
Assistant curator
Morgana Braga
Exhibition texts
Stephen Shropshire
Draft texts
Fransien van der Putt (Dynamon, Föld, Zwarte Bloesem, Kathleen, Einzelgänger, Hyde: or the Strange Clauses of Will, ISH, Bronstsluier, and Apollon Musagéte)
Marcelle Schots (Monument voor een gestorven jongen, Zeezand Standlopertjes, Visibility… by Chance, Mutations, Sinfonietta, Vermiljoen, Eyes of the Heart, Co(te)lette, Ghost Track and Black Memories)
Text translator
Karin Theunissen
Text second editor
Terry Ezra
Marketing Assistant
Sohini Ghosh
Audio technician
Xavier van Wersch
Voice-over artist
Machteld
Photo Credits
1945-1960 Gemeente Rotterdam (Stadsarchief; De Duivel in het Gemeentehuis Photo Credit; Verzet: De tirannie verdrijven, die mij het hart doorwondt Unknown, Theatercollectie Allard Pierson; Het Papiernoodballet Jac de Nijs, © Nationaal Archief, CC0; Drie eeuwen danskunst Theatercollectie Allard Pierson; Giovinezza / Grand pas de Deux / Feestgericht / De Maan in de Trapeze / Four Times Six Theatercollectie Allard Pierson; 1960-1975 Gemeente Rotterdam (Stadsarchief); Monument voor een gestorven jongen Toer van Schayk (drawing), Theatercollectie Allard Pierson; Zeezand – Strandlopertjes Theatercollectie Allard Pierson; Visibility… by chance © Maria Austria/MAI, Theatercollectie Allard Pierson; Mutations © Maria Austria/MAI, Theatercollectie Allard Pierson; Twilight © Particam Pictures/MAI, Theatercollectie Allard Pierson; 1975-1990 Gemeente Rotterdam (Stadsarchief); Sinfonietta © Hans Gerritsen, Theatercollectie Allard Pierson; Vermiljoen Unknown, Theatercollectie Allard Pierson; Dynamon Theatercollectie Allard Pierson; Eyes of the Heart Theatercollectie Allard Pierson; Föld © Jaap Pieper/MAI, Theatercollectie Allard Pierson; 1990-2005 Photo Credit; Zwarte Bloesem © Leo van Velzen, Theatercollectie Allard Pierson; Kathleen © Hans Gerritsen, Theatercollectie Allard Pierson; Einzelgänger © Serge Ligtenberg, Theatercollectie Allard Pierson; Hyde, or the strange clauses of will © Thomas Schreuder (Design), Koos Breukel (Photography), Theatercollectie Allard Pierson; ISH © Serge Ligtenberg, ISH; 2005-2020 Photo Credit; Bronstsluier © Peter Janssen, Theatercollectie Allard Pierson; Co(te)lette © Maarten Vinden Abeele, Theatercollectie Allard Pierson; Ghost Track © Deen van Meer, LeineRoebana; Apollon Musagėte © Radovan Dranga, CAMPO; Black Memories © Sjoerd Derine, Danstheater Aya.