The end of choreography

Abstract

Abstract The End of Choreography is a commissioned video (2013, https://vimeo.com/80257439), a lecture presentation (2015) and a performative essay (2016). As a PaR project concerned with choreography in the expanded field, these multiple manifestations problematize the notion of the artwork, questioning what impact context has on the reading and the meaning of a work. In this provocation I mix images with written text, use references from different disciplines and historical eras, quote well-known international theorists and philosophers alongside local choreographers and dance practitioners. I also refer to pieces I have seen, read about and participated in. Thus, I create a variety of contexts and reference points, questioning the meaning, value and purpose of choreography at the beginning of the twenty-first century. For this written version of The End of Choreography I collaborated with a graphic designer to present the work in a different medium, exploring the potentialities of translating the video onto the page as a textual document. Rather than presenting a closed argument, my aim is to trigger a debate about the current state of affairs in the field, whether this be the end, or future, of choreography.