André Lepecki, Option Tanz. Performance und die Politik der Bewegung. Berlin: Theater der Zeit, 2006. Recherchen 50. Paperback, 196 pp.
German translation of Exhausting Dance. Performance and the Politics of Movement.
Lepecki is a writer and curator working mainly on performance studies, choreography and dramaturgy. He worked as a dramaturge for Meg Stuart. Currently, Lepecki is a Professor and the chair of the Department of Performance Studies at Tisch School of the Arts at New York University.
In his theory of contemporary performance, André Lepecki questions common understandings of dance, movement, and the political aspects of performing arts. Focusing on the fundamental nature of movement , Lepecki examines the conditions under which it forms the basis for dance, cognition, perception, and the construction of the self, always considering the political dimension when reflecting on dance and choreography.
In Option Tanz, Lepecki analyzes the work of choreographers like Jérôme Bel, Juan Dominguez, Trisha Brown, La Ribot, Xavier Le Roy, and Vera Mantero, as well as visual artists like Bruce Nauman and William Pope, artists who have had a lasting impact on our understanding of dance and movement. Through this analysis, Lepecki establishes a new connection between dance studies, experimental art, and philosophical practice.
André Lepecki is a leading figure in critical dance studies, curatorial practice, and performance theory, focusing on contemporary dance and visual arts performance. His impressive curatorial work includes key roles such as Chief Curator for the IN TRANSIT festival at Haus der Kulturen der Welt, co-curator for the archive "Dance and Visual Arts since the 1960s" for the MOVE exhibition at Hayward Gallery, and curator of various lecture series and projects. Lepecki's extensive lecture experience spans prestigious institutions globally. He has also authored and edited several influential books, including "Exhausting Dance" and "Singularities," which have been translated into multiple languages.