The Background Dancer

Politics: Charting Migration and Identity | Henry Daniel

January 24, 2022 Jason Yap Season 1 Episode 35
The Background Dancer
Politics: Charting Migration and Identity | Henry Daniel
Show Notes

What does it mean to be a nomadic artist? What exactly is a contemporary nomad? With the increasingly globalized world we live in today, it's only natural that dance artists travel to where opportunity presents itself. However, constant migration often leads to fragmented individualities and scattered homes, which results in a recurring  process of arriving and departing in search for what hopes to be the penultimate destination.

Henry Daniel is a Distinguished SFU Professor, Professor of Dance, Performance Studies and New Technology, scholar, performer, choreographer, and Artistic Director of Full Performing Bodies. As a former dancer, he worked with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Centre Workshop, Pearl Primus African American Dance Company, José Limón Dance Company (USA) and Tanztheater Münster (GER)

Concluding the month of Politics, this episode explores key challenges faced by contemporary artists of past and present concerning migration and fragmented identities . Ready to fulfill your contemporary nomad's journey? Join us as we foreground dance in the background!


Soundtrack: Birds - Tyler Twombly | Poison Ivy Yard Work - Uncle Milk

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