Revolutionary Bodies: Chinese Dance and the Socialist Legacy

For those who prefer to watch Professor Wilcox give the talk in Chinese, you can view the Chinese version here »

This video is a talk Professor Emily Wilcox gave at the University of Chicago in 2021. In her 2018 book, Revolutionary Bodies tells the history of the creation and promotion of what is today known as “Chinese dance, from the 1930s to the present, with vibrant stories, diverse dance artists and original footage and photographs of dance choreographies. This is the talk for you!

If you’d like to learn more after watching the talk, you can download the entire Open Access book for free here.

Dr. Emily Wilcox is Associate Professor of Chinese Studies and Director of the Chinese Program at William & Mary in Virginia. Wilcox received her BA from Harvard University, her MPhil from the University of Cambridge, and her PhD from the University of California Berkeley. In 2008-2009, she held a Fulbright Scholarship to China and became the first visiting international doctoral student at the Beijing Dance Academy. Wilcox has published two books on dance in China and East Asia, as well as 27 research articles in English and Chinese on Chinese dance and performance. Links to her publications can be found here: https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/eewilcox/publications/