“A.dnz” is the name of the magazine promoted by the Dance Department of the University of Chile. Since 2015, this initiative seeks to present various theoretical reflections on the discipline, as well as logs of practical exercises in the Chilean contemporary dance scene. On this occasion, some of the most relevant presentations in the last two versions of the Colloquium Bajo la Mesa Verde stand out.
In an unprecedented way, The Dance Department of the Casa de Bello announced the future indexing of its magazine “A.dnz”, a significant step for the recognition of the arts as a form of knowledge. Announcement that was presented within the framework of the launch of the sixth edition of the writing, and was accompanied by various activities in commemoration of International Dance Day.
On April 23, 2024, the presentation of the sixth edition of the magazine “A.dnz” was held at the Cultural Platform of the Juan Gómez Millas campus. The launch of this issue included the participation of the Adjunct Professor of Dance and Executive Director of the magazine, Lorena Hurtado; Rolando Jara, academic and Research coordinator of the Dance Department; Poly Rodríguez, academic and head of Career; and the Dance graduate and author of one of the articles, Katy Noriega.
This new version of “A.dnz” includes articles and logs generated from the experiences around the Bajo la Mesa Verde Colloquium 2022, “Artistic Practices and Territories: Displacements, crossings and encounters”; as well as the Bajo la Mesa Verde Colloquium 2023, “50 Years of the coup d’état: Repercussions, resistance and challenges from the dances of the present.”
Regarding the latest reflections on the contemporary dances that are glimpsed there, the professor, editor and executive director of the publication, Lorena Hurtado, explained that “The body is having a lot of relationship with other disciplines more linked to science in general. There is also a lot of reflection regarding feminist perspectives, in addition to views and systematizations that are closely linked to the territories.”
The head of the UCH Dance Course, Poly Rodríguez, highlighted the importance of taking dances to textual format. “It is a very sensitive way of writing. It is a way to enrich that world because what is being done is an embodied creation process. Part of the writings addressed in the magazine seek to stress the hegemonies around writing and practices. And from these processes of experimentation and creation, the established margins can be expanded,” he commented.
Great news was announced by the professor and Research Coordinator of the Department of Dance, Rolando Jara, who announced that work is being done to index the magazine. In his words, “This will allow us to access databases of scientific publications at an international level. It will expand us in circulation and in citation. This year we are drawing up the schedule and we are going to start incorporating some academic articles, but without losing identity. That is why we are being inspired by hybrid models, because it is important for us to maintain logs of work processes and thus preserve other ways of producing knowledge.”.
Also present was the director of the Cultural Platform, Bárbara Velasco, who stressed in her presentation that “although this space was not created for the performing arts, They are the ones who have inhabited and activated it. Our doors will always be open for dances.”
Likewise, the director of Artistic Creation of the Vice-Rector’s Office for Research and Development, Fernando Gaspar, commented that “Spaces like the magazine, dedicated to the reflection of the body in a disembodied and digitalized society, must connect us with the insurgency. Magazines as concepts are expiring and this effort is very important for the artistic community.”
Once the different contents of the publication were shown, the activity gave way to the presentation of “Ukiyo”, a work performed by Sofía Acuña, a fourth-year student majoring in Dance. This staging was created using Japanese music by artists Hatis Noit and Nao’ymt.
The commemoration activities for the birth of the modern dancer Jean-Georges Noverre (1727), which is why Dance Day is celebrated annually, did not stop there. The Dance Department held public interventions on Thursday, April 25 at the Quinta Normal Metro Station, in collaboration with Bibliometro. In them, part of the creative processes and work of students of the degree were presented, guided by famous teachers and creators such as Nuri Gutés, Luis Corvalán and Daniela Marini.
Was the Dance Student Center (CEDA) who closed this year’s activities, with a vast schedule of classes open to the entire civic community. On Thursday the 25th and Friday the 26th, the seventh and eighth floors of the Alfonso Letelier Lona Headquarters of the Faculty of Arts were filled by attendees from all backgrounds. From practical “Heels/Girly” workshops to “Contemporary Dance Technique” workshops, the public was able to celebrate and learn with the community of our campus’s Dance Department.
Check out the sixth edition of the magazine of the Dance Department of the University of Chile “A.dnz”, on the right side of the screen.
