Conference: Knowing in Motion. Dance, Body, Archive
Witness Royal Danish Library's dance archives come alive – and trace the embodied knowledge of dancers.
" In this project we ask, what we can learn from the corporeal knowledge of dance that rarely finds its way into the archival institution ."
- Karen Vedel (PI)
The research project Knowing in Motion: Dance, Body, Archive (ViBe) has brought together scholars and dance practitioners to explore how embodied knowledge can be activated and made concrete. Through interactions between professional dancers and archival materials—including choreographic notes, historical photographs, and costumes—the project investigates the dynamic relationships between bodies and objects, movement and memory.
Our research draws on both public and private collections documenting 20th-century dance history, with a focus on three key choreographers/ensembles working in Denmark: Emilie Walbom, Doug Crutchfield, and the Micado Danse Ensemble.
As the project reaches its final phase, this conference will present preliminary research results and showcasethe methods developed for working with dance archives, including Royal Danish Library’s collections. The conference programme includes a workshop in which participants will have the opportunity to experience these methods and engage with the archive firsthand.
Knowing in Motion: Dance, Body, Archive (2023-2026)
A three-year research project in which researchers from the Department of Arts and Cultural Studies, University of Copenhagen (Karen Vedel and Franziska Bork Petersen) and Royal Danish Library (Anna Lawaetz) collaborate with dance artists to explore embodied knowing as part of the dance archive. The project is made possible with funding from the Augustinus Foundation’s support for cultural heritage research.
Preliminary program
9-9.20 Welcome by Anna Lawaetz (Royal Danish Library) and Karen Vedel (University of Copenhagen)
9.20-10.30 Presentation of results from the project work by the three researchers in the project
10.30-11 coffee and snacks
11-12 Keynote on re-enactment and dance historiography: Lucia Ruprecht, professor of dance studies at FU Berlin and discussion
12-13 lunch (bring your own or purchase in the library’s café)
13-14.30 choose between two different workshops
14.30-15 coffee
15-17 showing of commissioned work, discussion panel and closing remarks
The conference and the project Knowing in Motion take place in collaboration with the University of Copenhagen and with support from the Augustinus Foundation.