Archiviare il futuro. I lasciti di Pina Bausch e Merce Cunningham

Abstract

The essay examines the main theories that in recent times have transformed the archive from the object of historical and philological research to a critical issue for the humanities, interrogating its status and function. The effect of these theories on dance and performance studies is a more sophisticated set of tools to follow the traces of something traditionally ephemeral such as a live performance. A comparative analysis of the structure of archives and the modes of transmission created by the heirs who managed the tangible and intangible heritage of Pina Bauch and Merce Cunningham, both deceased in 2009, is the starting point for an inquiry into the themes of the function of memory, the processes of incorporation and their impact on the writing of (dance) history.