Dance critic to discuss impact of AIDS on American dance

Art and politics collide in the somewhat surprising relationship: contemporary American choreography and the AIDS epidemic, according to San Francisco dance critic David Gere’s new book, “How to Make Dances in an Epidemic: Tracking Choreography in the Age of AIDS” (UW Press, 2004).

Gere’s is the first examination of the impact that AIDS has had on the dance community, particularly on its gay men. He will discuss his book at a free, public lecture on Friday, Oct. 8, at 3:30 p.m. in Lathrop Hall’s Margaret H’Doubler Performance Space. The UW Press will host a reception and book signing in Lathrop’s Virginia F. Harrison Parlor immediately after the lecture.

Gere sees AIDS as the catalyst for an era in which dance, political protest and wrenching emotional expression have become fused. Now assistant professor of dance history and theory at the University of California-Los Angeles, he also has served as co-director of the Dance Critics Association and scholar-in-residence for Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival.

For more information about the lecture, contact Doreen Holmgren, (608) 262-2353 or dholmgren@education.wisc.edu.