The Hampshire Dance Program is excited to present Embodied Archives, Ecologies, and Curricula: A Dance & Performance Div III Panel on December 9th at 6:00pm. The panel will feature discussions and presentations led by Elsa Wood, Ashley Shey, and Forrest Fleur. 

Elsa Wood looks at how the K-pop industry took heavy inspiration from the American music and dance industry, specifically Black culture, music, and dance. Elsa not only focuses on dance, but also looks to music and fashion, sense these are integral parts of both the US and Korean dance industries. In addition, Elsa studies how hip hop and K-pop are often overlooked or ignored in favor of styles like modern and ballet. For their Div III project, Elsa has constructed a high-school level course where students are expected to develop an understanding of the correlation of American hip-hop to the rise of K-pop. By learning about the history of hip-hop and K-pop, students will develop an understanding of how to make connections between the two styles to better understand the impact and popularity of K-pop on the rest of the world. In order to fully participate in a dance style, one must first understand its history and the history of the people who made it.

Ashley Shey’s Div III, Body as a Site of Archival Knowledge, investigates nontraditional methods of research specifically relating to the theme of the body as a site of archival knowledge. Shey is presenting two distinctive artistic creations that embody her interdisciplinary approach: a gallery installation and an embodied research symposium. The gallery considers the archive as a physical space incorporating site specific sculpture and performance art delving into themes of ritual, west African spirituality, and posthumanism. Shey aims to amplify the scale to encompass an entire room, inviting visitors to immerse themselves in a cocoon-like environment. The embodied research symposium will be composed of 3-5 dancers and performance artists convening for a week to address a chosen topic through improvisational movement study during the spring semester. The method of inquiry will consider the corporeal existence as a rich site of archive prioritizing embodied ways of knowing, sensing, and learning. The week will culminate in a performance work in progress showing with facilitated feedback.

Forrest Fleur (any pronouns) is a drag artist and undergraduate student at Hampshire College, whose current work is focused at the intersection of queer and environmental justice. Through organizing surrounding community gardening, free grocery, and safe-space event production, in addition to their psycho-social research on the origins and impacts of queerphobia, they are developing a body of Divisional work that fully embraces Hampshire’s trans-disciplinary approach, and making tangible impacts in community in doing so. After Hampshire, they are hoping to use their research and experience toward a career in Public Health, and keep doing their part to make the world a safer, healthier, and more equitable place.

Embodied Archives, Ecologies, and Curricula: A Dance & Performance Div III Panel will take place Monday, December 9th at 6:00pm in the Main Dance Studio. No reservation required, all are encouraged to attend!