Participants

	Purpose


		This event assembles a small group of scholar/practitioners working with and through performance to investigate and articulate the emergence of black performance theory. The establishment of this working group presents us with a unique opportunity to gather and discuss issues, paradigms, and approaches to theorizing black performance. As we make valuable connections as a community of scholars, we will work towards addressing questions such as - What is a black sensibility? What is black performance? What is black music? What is black dance? What is black oratory? In 2000, what is a black aesthetic? This working group continues a conversation begun in 1998 at Duke University, at the one-day conference "Reading, Writing, and Representin': Performance and the Subjects of Race" curated by Richard C. Green. In this year 2000 meeting, we follow a loosely-structured roundtable format, during which conferees will present very short "position statements" which attempt to address the above questions. The bulk of the working group time will be devoted to discussion, with the aim of raising more questions and hopefully establishing frames for black performance critique and analysis. At the beginning of the new millennium, we wonder, What is Black Performativity? How is it manifested in performance? What is its relationship to performance practice? How can we construct an academic location for its discussion? In addition to addressing these critical issues and concerns, we hope that this event will foster dialogue across disciplines and academic settings, thereby nurturing a community of scholars committed to the critical investigation of black performance in the years to come. We hope that you will join us in this groundbreaking academic adventure.