Cultural transmission of choreographic knowledge: Fieldwork in Bulgaria with some examples from the United States
Cultural transmission of choreographic knowledge: Fieldwork in Bulgaria with some examples from the United States

Author(s): Daniela Ivanova-Nyberg
Subject(s): Anthropology, Theatre, Dance, Performing Arts
Published by: Етнографски институт САНУ
Keywords: cultural transmission; choreographic knowledge; Bulgaria; continuity; innovation
Summary/Abstract: This paper discusses the various challenges that the topic of cultural transmission of choreographic knowledge presents but also reveals the fascination with the new avenues for further study it offers. The text includes a theoretical part, fieldwork documents (accompanied by analytical commentaries), and a concluding remark. The theoretical part brings the author’s “dialogue” with the concepts of cultural transmission and choreographic knowledge; the “pre- sentational” one presents fieldwork documents in a search for cultural transmission of choreo- graphic knowledge within the Bulgarian context with some examples from the US. This section includes references to universities’ programs, traces the history of the discipline of Bulgarian Folk Choreography (and the genre of Bulgarian Dance Art Based on Folklore), and presents mentor-disciple influence. The adopted interdisciplinary research method combines historical, anthropological, and ethnochoreological research approaches by incorporating a philosophical perspective. This research leads to the conclusion that there is a strong institutional foundation and well-established practices in offering practical choreographic knowledge/education in Bul- garia which opens the door to further studies on both theoretical and fieldwork sides.

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