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Eike Wittrock is a butch historian, curator, and professor of dance studies at the Music and Arts Private University of the City of Vienna. In his research and pedagogical practice, he explores (queer) aesthetics in historical sources of European dance history, such as notations of underwater ballets and fairy dances from the 19th century or photographs from the time of modern dance. Additionally, he archives and investigates the performative aspects of queer activism from the 1970s and 1980s, in texts, events, and fan scarves.
He regularly collaborates with artists and students to examine historical material, aiming to counter the lack of imagination and limitations of the present. In the project Julius-Hans-Spiegel-Zentrum, developed together with Anna Wagner, artists such as Eko Supriyanto, Nelisiwe Xaba, and Florentina Holzinger were invited to critically engage with the exoticisms of German dance modernism. Eike served as Meg Stuart’s curatorial advisor for the 2019 Dance Congress in Hellerau, which focused on historical utopias of modern dance. In an international research project, he is currently exploring, together with colleagues, how LGBTIQ* movements in Germany and Austria contributed to the democratisation process. In this context, he is co-developing theatre workshops for young people with Gin Müller.
His recent publications include Theater* in queerem Alltag und Aktivismus der 1970er und 1980er Jahre (Neofelis Verlag, co-authored with Jenny Schrödl), Speculations on the Queerness of Dance Modernism (special issue of the Dance Research Journal, co-edited with Mariama Diagne and Lucia Ruprecht), and the entry on "Theatre" in the Handbook of Queer Contemporary History.
2025
