Politics of Otherness in Contemporary Concert Dance: (In)visibilities on Stage and the White Gaze

This research addresses the experience of Otherness in Swiss contemporary concert dance, exploring the mechanisms of Othering/exclusion. Drawing on the under-representation of Black dancers in Swiss theatres, contrasted with their prominence in Sub-Saharan African dances and Hip-Hop (and on international stages), the research focuses on the few dancers who have managed to carve out a place within these predominantly White dance institutions. It aims at understanding how their bodies are perceived under the White gaze. The near absence of African female dancers, the racial challenges faced by Black female dancers born in Switzerland, and the growing demand for recognition of queer identities in Swiss art are crucial aspects of this study. A special focus lies on the double exclusion faced by Black sexual minority identities. Rooted in social anthropology and dance studies, this inquiry combines choreographers’ and dancers’ perspectives with performance narratives and dance institutions’ discourses.