Performance in Latin America (307-0-1)

Instructors

Marcela Fuentes

Meeting Info

AM Swift Krause Studio 103: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 3:20PM

Overview of class

Latin America, a richly diverse and complex region, offers compelling examples of embodied cultural expression—from indigenous aesthetic traditions to action art, queer cabaret, and feminist protest. This course explores key Latin American body-based artistic and activist practices, focusing on the ways they have been used to address questions of power, agency, collective resistance, identity, and imagination. We will engage with the work of artists and collectives such as Jesusa Rodríguez and Liliana Felipe, Tania Bruguera, Regina José Galindo, Lukas Avendaño, Lía García, LASTESIS, and Identidad Marrón, among others. We will analyze their performance strategies as interventions in contexts of colonization, state violence, migration, and gender and sexual dissidence. Students will read scholarship on the historical and social functions of performance in Latin America (including Latinx performance) and participate in workshops with artists. Final portfolios may include research papers, curatorial proposals, or performance demos, offering a hands-on approach to understanding performance as a tool for cultural and political engagement.

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Reserved for Theatre Majors, Dance Majors, and Performance Studies Majors only.