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While images of dance— whether in painting or prints, in set or costume designs—have been extensively researched, the reliance on drawing by choreographers during the creative process is a field still largely unexplored by art historians. Nonetheless, numerous international dance archives hold drawings by choreographers; materials ranging from meticulous ground plans to elaborate “tableaux vivants”, drawings meant to render the succession of images that would impress the audience. These forms of innovative and non-codified dance notation prove to be invaluable resources for art and dance historians alike.

Via the examination of modern notations, this panel will investigate the unique manner in which choreographers have used drawing as a thinking tool and a means of constructing the body through visual references. The presenters will show how the use of drawing, from an expressive geometry to complete representations of the body, has been a way to examine choreography beyond dance as part of a wider creative endeavor, deeply rooted in the material and visual culture of fine arts. Art historians looking at dance archives can not only enrich the knowledge of dance history but also contribute to a material and interdisciplinary approach of drawing as an intermediary tool allowing the page to become the stage. Drawing on findings from a research program at the National Institute for Art History in Paris (France), this panel also intends to focus on the epistemological dimension of such a study, as dance resources invite scholars to combine the kinesthetic approach with the art historian’s gaze.