2nd JULY 2026, 10:00H - 13:30H

WEBINAR LINK: https://eu.bbcollab.com/guest/c787cb7bdcf444568d92f5370d1480bf

EVENT WEBSITE AND PROGRAMME: https://eventos.uva.es/149286/programme/ictmd-study-group-on-music-archaeology-conversations-on-ancient-dance.html

Conversations on Ancient Dance is an initiative of the ICTMD Study Group on Music Archaeology, coordinated by Laura Gianvittorio-Ungar, conceived as a series of annual online study days dedicated to the study of dance in antiquity from a range of perspectives, including iconographic, textual, archaeological, anthropological, choreomusicological, and practice-based approaches.

Our first session explores ancient dance as a multisensory practice in the Graeco-Roman world, where movement, sound, gesture, rhythm, and spectatorship are deeply intertwined. Through case studies ranging from ritual and spectacle to pantomime, percussive dancing, ancient dance theory, and contemporary artistic re-enactments, the session examines how dance creates meaning across bodies, instruments, texts and images.

10:00–10:15: Introduction

10:15–10:45: A Choreomusicological Approach to Ritual Performances in Heliodoros’ Aethiopika (Sylvain Perrot, CNRS)

10:45–11:15: Ancient Percussive Dancing: Choreomusical Bodies and Instruments (Laura Gianvittorio-Ungar, Universität Graz)

11:15–11:45: Learning to Listen with Skin, Blood and Bone: Dancing Echo and Eurydice (Marie-Louise Crawley, Coventry University)

12:00–12:30: Ummidia Quadratilla’s Pantomimes, or Dynamics of Seeing and Being Seen (Karin Schlapbach, Université de Fribourg)

12:30–13:00: An Outline of Ancient Dance Theory (Sophie M. Bocksberger, University of Oxford)

13:00–13:30: Final Discussion

ORGANIZERS:

Dr Laura Gianvittorio-Ungar (Institut für Antike. Universität Graz and Guest Researcher
Österreichisches Archäologisches Institut (ÖAW)

Dr Raquel Jiménez Pasalodos (Sec. Dep. Historia y Ciencias de la Música, Universidad de Valladolid and Chair of the ICTMD Study Group on Music Archaeology)

Contact: raquel.jimenez@uva.es and laura.gianvittorio-ungar@univie.ac.at