Analysing Dance: Techniques of Contemporary Choreography
remembering the body's memory

Contemporary choreography does not only mean that it is new, progressive and contemporary art work; it also means that it takes an intellectual view onto the movement language as such, onto its history, the performative modes, and the socio-cultural contexts.
In the discourse of dance the power of memory the body and the movement have, with its specific mechanisms of remembering, is still being mythologized or simply barely considered. This seminar attempts to look into special strategies and procedures in dance, that are of importance for outraging choreographies. Dance has its own form of memory and its own remembrance. Through the analysis of contemporary techniques in choreography and dance and from an historical perspective we want to approach this “other” performative knowledge. The teaching will be supported by videos and text material exemplarily of the works of William Forsythe.

The seminar takes place in the summer atmosphere of Arsenal, in the midst of the big number of workshops and research projects for dancers and dance interested people. A place that invites theory persons and practice people to exchange. All participants will be invited to selected performances.


Claudia Jeschke
Claudia Jeschke studied theatre sciences and German philology in Munique graduating 1979. 1994 she got the professorship at the institute for theatre sciences in Leipzig and made her habilitation there. 2000 she got the professorship for dance sciences at the University of Music in Cologne. Since 2004 she is full professor for dance sciences at the University of Salzburg. She is guest professor at European and American Universities. Claudia Jeschke is the author of several publications where she, being a dancer, looks at dance history mainly from a perspective of movement analysis and daily practice. The connection of history, theory and practice documents in several re-constructions relating to dance phenomena of the 18th, 19th and 20th century.

Nicole Haitzinger
Nicole Haitzinger absolvierte ihr Diplom- und Dissertationsstudium am Institut für Theaterwissenschaft an der Universität Wien. Seit 1999 spezialisiert sie sich auf Tanzwissenschaft. Als wissenschaftliche Begleiterin, Tanzdramaturgin und Kuratorin nahm sie an diversen internationalen Projekten und Theorie-Praxis- Modulen teil. Ihr wissenschaftlicher, dramaturgischer und journalistischer Fokus liegt in der kreativen Begegnung zwischen Theorie und Praxis, Historie und Gegenwart. Ihr momentanes Forschungsfeld ist die ‚Modellierung von Fremdheit im Tanztheater des 19. Jahrhunderts’. Seit 2004 ist sie Universitätsassistentin für Tanzwissenschaft an der Universität Salzburg.