Rudi Laermans
Lecture
Rudi Laermans

From radical to classic: Fase of Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker (Rosas) more than forty years later

A sociological analysis of how a dance piece moves from ‘radically new’ to ‘a classic’ over the course of 40-years.

Part of the Lessen voor de 21e eeuw (KU Leuven)

Prof. em. Rudi Laermans makes a sociological analysis of the processes in the art world and society that make it possible for a performance to shift from ‘radically new’ to ‘a classic’ in 40 years' time.

Fase, Four Movements to the Music of Steve Reich by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker is considered as the start of ‘the Flemish dance wave’ and remains an exemplary work within Rosas' oeuvre, due to its combination of ordinary movements and solid structures and its thoughtful relationship with the music. Using several video clips, Laermans first clarifies the main features of the four-part choreography to the music of Steve Reich. Then he situates Fase within the field of contemporary dance at the time (with the contrast between American formalism and German dance theatre) and the broader context of the emerging postmodern culture. The lecture concludes with some tentative answers as to why Fase, which was received as radical when it premiered in 1982, grew into a classic that still enjoys great public acclaim today.

Rudi Laermans taught social theory, cultural sociology and sociology of art at KU Leuven until his retirement in 2022. He was a guest lecturer in theory at several art colleges (including P.A.R.T.S), wrote extensively on contemporary dance and has followed the dance field closely since the early 1980s.

This lecture is part of KU Leuven's Lessen voor de 21e eeuw and is open to all interested audiences.

PRACTICAL

➤ 24.02, 19:30 to 21:30 (lecture followed by discussion)
➤ Aula Pieter De Somer, Charles Deberiotstraat 24, 3000 Leuven (practical info)
➤ Free (without reservation)
➤ Language: Dutch
➤ Those wishing to follow from home can use the livestream (pin code: 622348)

Rudi Laermans

Rudi Laermans
Prof. em. Rudi Laermans served as a professor of social theory, cultural sociology, and sociology of art at the Faculty of Social Sciences at KU Leuven until his retirement in October 2022. His recent publications include essay books such as Gedeelde angsten. Kleine sociologie van maatschappelijke onzekerheid (2021) and Democratie zonder politiek? (2024). Within his sociological work on art, he primarily focuses on contemporary dance, with his major publication being Moving Together. Theorizing and Making Contemporary Dance (2015). In this study, he thoroughly examines the work of Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker/Rosas, to which he also devoted many articles. He is a recurring guest lecturer in theory at P.A.R.T.S., the international dance school founded by De Keersmaeker in 1995, and is also active as an essayist, translator, and occasional theater and dance critic.

CREDITS

Lecture: prof. em. Rudi Laermans (Centre for Sociological Research, KU Leuven)
Respondent: Prof. Anneleen Masschelein (Cultural Studies Research Group, KU Leuven)
Coordination Lessons for the 21st century: Bart Pattyn and Pieter d'Hoine (Higher Institute of Philosophy (HIW), KU Leuven)

Mon 24 Feb 2025 19:30

Location

Aula Pieter de Somer
  • Deberiotstraat 23
  • Leuven

Price

Free (without reservation)

Language

Dutch