Emily Wilcox (William & Mary)

Emily Wilcox discusses her book, "Revolutionary Bodies: Chinese Dance and the Socialist Legacy." As the first English-language history of dance in the People’s Republic of China, Revolutionary Bodies examines previously unexamined dance films, a wide range of Chinese-language published and archival materials, and ethnographic field research to analyze the work of major Chinese choreographers from 1935 to 2015. With a focus on transnational connections in this history, Wilcox challenges the previously held view that Soviet ballet was the primary force shaping China’s socialist dance creation, instead showing the impact of a broader range of intercultural connections. Wilcox also shows the important role that ethnic minority and diaspora artists played in 20th Century Chinese dance history and demonstrates continuities and changes from the early socialist period to new choreography that has emerged in the past two decades.