P.S. 38: Copyright and Choreography

These are on people’s minds following Philly’s recent Remix Festival. How do artists navigate issues of appropriation, especially with readily available internet content (remember Beyoncé vs. De Keersmaeker http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PDT0m514TMw)? Is copyright an outdated concept? And as Claudia LaRocco wrote on Arforum on March 24: “Who owns a tradition, a technique? How can you translate it? Must you be on your knees to pay homage?” When is it OK to borrow art?

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“Without [them] we wouldn’t have had a portal to come through.”

The West Philadelphia High Dance Ensemble performs in front of an audience seated around the perimeter of the room. The dancers stand close to each other with their arms raised mid-clap overhead. Some dancers wear long evergreen or rose colored dresses, while others are dressed in black pants and a white button-down shirt. One dancer stands in front of the group wearing a preacher’s robe. The ensemble resembles a lively church congregation.
Photo: Courtesy of Black Dance Confab