Using a dance historian’s approach as a guiding concept in stage direction

Here is a link to a pdf version of

Ken Pierce, "Using a dance historian’s approach as a guiding concept in stage direction", in Proceedings Society of Dance History Scholars, 2011.

Abstract: Stage directors see in theatrical texts a basis for developing a personal or contemporary point of view that will lead to a novel production, ideally one that will appeal to today’s audiences. Dance historians on the other hand seek to understand and reveal the point of view of dancers and choreographers long gone, and insofar as possible to recover the contexts of works created by others. These different approaches may be reconciled if the stage director can accept an historically informed approach as a valid point of departure, one that is true to the essence of the work in question.