Choreographies ─ Tracing the Materials of an Ephemeral Art Form

Choreographer Jacky Lansley has been practicing and performing for more than four decades. In Choreographies, she offers unique insight into the processes behind independent choreography and paints a vivid portrait of a rigorous practice that combines dance, performance art, visuals, and a close attention to space and site.

Choreographies is both autobiography and archive—documenting production through rehearsal and performance photographs, illustrations, scores, process notes, reviews, audience feedback, and interviews with both dancers and choreographers. Covering the author’s practice from 1975 to 2019, the book delves into an important period of change in contemporary British dance—exploring British New Dance, postmodern dance, and experimental dance outside of a canonical US context. A critically engaged reflection that focuses on artistic process over finished product, Choreographies is a much-needed resource in the fields of dance and choreographic art making.

Jacky Lansley is a choreographer and performance artist. She was a founder of two major UK independent dance studios, X6 Dance Space and Chisenhale Dance Space, as well as her own studio, the Dance Research Studio, where she has developed a context for interdisciplinary training and research. She is the coauthor of The Wise Body: Conversations with Experienced Dancers, also published by Intellect Books.