Episode 5. Doing dance heritage – a conversation

This final episode takes the opportunity to further unravel the question of ‘doing’ dance heritage from multiple perspectives. Moving beyond the stage and studio, we travel around Europe to meet Madeline Ritter, initiator of DanceMap and a leading advocate of dance heritage, Franz Anton Cramer with a background in archiving dance, Timmy De Laet, a dance studies professor at the University of Antwerp, and Jonathan Burrows who is a choreographer and works at Coventry University. From a zoomed out lens, this episode weaves together a conversation of ideas and questions: How can archiving play an active role in the intangible heritage of dance? How can the embodied knowledge of the dancer find its place in history? What are the sticky points of heritage of a living art form—the problems, issues and stumbling blocks? As we continue doing dance heritage, what can be reimagined, repurposed and refocused? This may be the final episode of the season, but let’s see where the conversation takes us! STUK is participating in DanceMap, a dance heritage research project funded by the European Union (Horizon Europe). The people featured in this episode are connected to DanceMap in various ways. Sound featured in the episode: Stage recordings from Bartók / Beethoven / Schönberg, by Rosas/Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, recorded by Olivia Rochette and Gerard-Jan Claes. Music: Grosse Fuge, op.133, by Ludwig van Beethoven, played live by Ictus — Field recordings from THE DOG DAYS ARE OVER 2.0 rehearsals, by Katharina Smets — Live sound from Out of Context – For Pina, by Alain Platel. Music: Sam Serruys, featuring the voices of the cast. Recorded by Beeldstorm, March 2023 — Theme music composed by Inne Eysermans. Voices of: Jonathan Burrows, Franz Anton Cramer, Timmy De Laet, Madeline Ritter Interviews and narration: Tessa Hall