This lecture performance builds on Levy and Rørvik’s project “Labanotation is a Bad System” (August 2024). Addressing the decontextualized and apolitical manner in which Labanotation has been utilized and promoted, Levy and Rørvik examine the image-laundering of Rudolf Laban’s collaboration with the Nazis and its implications for dance studies. What can we learn from such a strategy and how does it relate to the ways dance is being used to disguise fascism in the present moment? They examine the politics of false neutrality in relation to how Gaga and the Batsheva Company operate on behalf of contemporary Israel.
In an affirmative breakthrough, Levy and Rørvik observe how dance artists are repurposing their skills from the studio into political movements today. They propose ways in which choreographers and dancers can engage in direct action. How do we recognize the politics of our practices? What steps can we take away from disclaiming, hesitation and individualism? As artists, and as people, we have work to do!
Sunniva Moen Rørvik is a choreographer, dancer and drag artist from Namsos, currently working in Oslo. Their choreographic work explores queerness in Norwegian pop-culture and looks at the movement potential for dyke camp. They have a BA (Hons) in contemporary dance from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, and an MA in choreography from KHiO.
Max Rebecca Levy (they/them) is a queer artist working with dance and poetry. Their work explores the relationship between personal and political, with a focus on care, community and rage. Their writing is published by t’ART Magazine and Arcana Poetry Press.