The Ballet of Nations: Dance, Art and History

In March 2019, the digital journal British Art Studies published Theatres of War, a multi-media collaboration consisting of a film made by Impermanence Dance Theatre and a linked exhibition curated by Grace Brockington. Both aspects of the project take their inspiration from the illustrated book The Ballet of the Nations (1915) – a pacifist allegory by Vernon Lee (alias Violet Paget) with a ‘Pictorial Commentary’ by Maxwell Armfield. The book vividly evokes the political and theatrical culture of the day, while raising questions about war, aesthetics and their interconnections which still seem current.

To mark the launch of Theatres of War, this symposium explores the dynamics between dance, art and historical research, featuring contributions from practitioners and scholars across multiple fields.

The symposium is followed by an evening screening of the film of The Ballet of the Nations at Birkbeck Cinema as part of Birkbeck Arts Week (tickets booked separately).

Image credit: Photo by Ella Margolin. “Behind the scenes: Ballet of the Nations", 2018.