Description
CHOREOGRAPHING THE INVISIBLE
Book Summary
This essay explores the connections between the renewal of dance at the beginning of the 20th century and spiritual movements such as Spiritualism and Theosophy. Through a rigorous analysis, the authors reveal how avant-garde choreographers and dancers collaborated with social and philosophical movements that questioned the industrial and imperialist order. The work offers an unprecedented perspective on the history of the performing arts, integrating labor, feminist, and anti-colonial struggles with the search for the invisible in choreographic creation.
What is it about?
The book places the reader at the turn of the 19th to the 20th century, a period of profound political, economic, and environmental transformation. In that context, dissident voices emerged that, rooted in Spiritualism and Theosophy, articulated critiques of capitalism, patriarchy, and imperialism. Concurrently, the art of dance underwent an aesthetic revolution driven by creators seeking new forms of bodily and spiritual expression. The work documents the exchanges and collaborations between these artists and Theosophical and Spiritualist circles, demonstrating that modern dance was not only an artistic phenomenon, but also a vehicle for exploring hidden dimensions of existence and for imagining other possible worlds. Hitherto relegated to the background in art narratives, dance emerges here as a central space for the confluence of the visible and the invisible, the political and the spiritual.
Main themes
- History of modern dance and its aesthetic renewal processes at the beginning of the 20th century.
- Relationships between Spiritualism, Theosophy, and avant-garde performing arts.
- Critique of the industrial, imperialist, and patriarchal social order from spiritual and artistic perspectives.
- Collaborations and exchanges between choreographers, dancers, and labor, feminist, and anti-colonial movements.
- Revision of art historiography to integrate dance as a central discipline in cultural narratives.
Who is it recommended for?
This book is aimed at students, researchers, and professionals in dance, art history, cultural studies, and philosophy. It will also interest readers curious about the intersections between spirituality, politics, and artistic creation, as well as those seeking a broader understanding of the alternative currents that shaped modernity.
What this book contributes
- An interdisciplinary look that connects the history of dance with spiritual and social movements marginalized by traditional historiography.
- Detailed documentation of artistic and philosophical collaborations that redefined the choreographic language of the 20th century.
- A theoretical framework for understanding how dance participated in the critique of the modern order and in the imagination of alternative futures.
- Revaluation of dance figures and works that have been made invisible in canonical art narratives.
Technical data
- Author: LOPEZ ARNAIZ, IRENE; LOPEZ FERNANDEZ, RAQUEL
- Publisher: SANS SOLEIL EDICIONES
- Language: Spanish
- Subject: ARTS GENERAL ASPECTS, ART HISTORY / ART AND DESIGN STYLES, DANCE AND OTHER PERFORMING ARTS, DANCE, OTHER BELIEF SYSTEMS, OCCULTISM, MIND, BODY AND SPIRIT
- Collection: LINGUA IGNOTA
- Publication date: May 2023
- Number of pages: 408
- Weight: 910 g
Editorial review
Choreographing the Invisible represents a significant contribution to studies on dance and spirituality by offering a documented and original analysis of a crucial period in the history of the performing arts. The work stands out for its ability to build bridges between disciplines that are rarely examined together, providing an enriching reading for both specialists and enthusiasts of cultural history. Its critical approach and academic rigor make it a valuable reference for those who wish to understand the alternative roots of artistic modernity.