Arts Pessimism and the Role of Dance in Times of Crisis
A conversation series using diverse formats for sharing and exchange, curated by Dr.Jens Richard Giersdorf and Lília Mestre
About this series
In a time marked by the resurgence of fascism, ecological collapse, and widening economic disparity, the urgency of artistic practice becomes sharper than ever. What roles can dance, choreography, and pedagogy play in societies where histories are forgotten or actively erased, and where systems of power continue to flourish at the expense of the many?
How might artistic practice resist the pull of arts pessimism, when ongoing crises risk rendering creative work paralysed or nihilistic?
Through conversations, lectures, panels, and other formats of exchange, this series brings together artists, scholars, writers, and practitioners to reflect on the role of dance and choreographic thinking in times of social, political, and ecological crisis.
For full transcripts of all talks, contact Katie Scribner: katherine.scribner@concordia.ca
Events in this series
Arts Pessimism #5
Lecture-performance with Daniel Blanga Gubbay - performing arts curator and writer, part of the artistic direction of the Kunsten Festival Des Arts - performing arts festival in Brussels from 2018 to 2026.
In Notes on Spitting, a lecture-performance based on a forthcoming 2026 collection of texts, he explores the relationship between dance, choreography, and counter-choreography as a corrosive gesture— “like saliva dissolving a stain”—capable of reworking how bodies appear, persist, and endure.
Arts Pessimism #4
Dr. Lorenzo Perillo (Associate Professor of Theatre and Dance and Co-Director of the Center for Philippine Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa).
Lorenzo Perillo presented an overview of ʻAhahui Noiʻi Noʻeau ʻŌiwi (ANNO), the Research Institute of Indigenous Performance.
The presentation introduced Indigenous approaches to dance research, including cultural preservation, healing-centred methodologies, and creative inquiry through dance-making.
Arts Pessimism #3
A conversation with Dr. Jeroen Peeters (dramaturge, writer and independent researcher) moderated by Lília Mestre
Invited to reflect on contemporary dance in times of crisis, Dr. Jeroen Peeters spoke about dance experimentation with imaginary bodies and speculative practices.
The conversation explored how such practices might generate forms of resistance and resilience, alternative literacies, and new relations to worlds beyond the performing arts.
Arts Pessimism #2
Dr. Jens Richard Giersdorf (Concordia University), Dr. Yvonne Hardt (Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln, and Lília Mestre (Concordia University).
This conversation explored the potential of choreography, somatic practices, Crip Theory, and Disability Studies for an understanding how dance and pedagogy can function as mediating forces within social and political structures.
The discussion brought together Dr.Yvonne Hardt (Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln), Jens Richard Giersdorf (Concordia University), and Lília Mestre (Concordia University).
Dr. Elisabeth Motley (Marymount Manhattan College) was unfortunately unable to attend.
Arts Pessimism #1
Dr. Susan Leigh Foster (UCLA), Dr. André Lepecki (NYU), and Dr. Erin Manning (Concordia University).
This panel explored dance and choreography as forces within social and political structures. The speakers discussed choreographic thinking as a way of interrogating organisational systems, systems of relation, and the ways bodies are governed and brought together.