Dancemakers are increasingly collaborating with dramaturgs to create new work. Yet the practice of dramaturgy is multi-faceted. This series explored the concept of dramaturgy through workshops and discussions, asking what the role of dramaturgy means to artists working in theater and dance today. By programming this discussion series, we hoped to come away with a broader understanding of the ways in which dramaturgy can benefit the field of dance.

Dramaturgy Discussion #2 took place at the Cultural Center on Saturday, April 1, 2006. The following guest artists were invited to spearhead the conversation, which was facilitated by CDF project director Kristen Cox.

Peter Carpenter is a choreographer and scholar who is working on his dissertation in Culture and Performance from UCLA. A collaborator with XSIGHT! Performance Group from 1993-2000 and choreographer for many other groups, he now teaches at The Dance Center.

Jan Erkert is a dancemaker, dance teacher, and an author currently writing a book on dance making called Traceless Tracks. She was Artistic Director of Jan Erkert & Dancers from 1979 – 2000 and worked with a dramaturg for her solo concert Memoirs in the Stomping Grounds.

Jennifer Shook is a former dancer, Artistic Director of Caffeine Theatre and a freelance dramaturg working most recently with The Hypocritesand TimeLine. She teaches dramaturgy at Columbia College Chicago and is a member of Dramaturgs of the Americas.