CFP: UMass Amherst Bach Symposium (“Bach and Dance”), 23–24 April 2027 Call for Papers Meetings & Events

UMass Amherst Bach Symposium 2027

April 23-24, 2027

BACH and DANCE

Johann Sebastian Bach’s music has long been recognized for its rhythmic vitality, structural elegance, and expressive power—qualities that have made it central not only to concert performance, but also to the world of dance. From the stylized dances of his suites and partitas to the kinetic energy of his fugues and arias, and from the historical practices of Baroque courtly and theatrical dance to modern choreographic interpretations by Georges Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Twyla Tharp, Boris Eifman, John Neumeier, Paul Taylor, Mark Morris, Ja’ Malik, and others, Bach’s music continues to inspire movement and embodiment. In addition, Bach’s dances and dance forms were central to twentieth century compositional practices, including French Neoclassicism and Dodecaphony in and after the Second Viennese School.

This international symposium invites scholars, performers, choreographers, and directors to explore the many intersections of Bach and Dance, across historical periods, genres, geographies, and modes of interpretation.

Keynote speaker: Bettina Varwig (Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge)

For the 2027 UMass Amherst Bach Symposium, we welcome proposals for scholarly papers, choreographic demonstrations, and hybrid formats that address (but are not limited to) the following themes:

Historical Perspectives:

• Baroque dance forms in Bach’s instrumental and vocal music
• The role of French, German, and Italian dance traditions in shaping Bach’s style
• Dance rhythms and stylization in sacred and secular works

Analytical and Aesthetic Approaches:

• Movement and gesture in Bach’s phrasing, rhythm, and structure
• Embodied cognition and kinesthetic listening in Bach performance
• Choreo-musical analysis of Bach-based dance works

Cultural and Interdisciplinary Dimensions:

• Bach and ballet in the 20th and 21st centuries
• Cross-cultural or diasporic dance interpretations of Bach’s music
• Bach in contemporary performance art and interdisciplinary installations

Performance and Practice:

• Choreographing to Bach: historical and modern techniques
• Reconstruction of historical dances to Bach’s music
• Dancer-musician collaborations, experiments, and creative processes

Twentieth- and Twenty-First Century Compositional Perspectives:

• The influence of Bach’s dance on Neoclassical Music
• Bach, Dance, and the Second Viennese School
• Choreography, film, and Bach

We especially encourage interdisciplinary proposals and those that bridge academic research with performance practice, inviting new perspectives on music, dance, and Bach.

Organizers: Erinn E. Knyt, Evan MacCarthy, and Ernest D. May

Abstract Submission Form: LINKED HERE

Deadline for abstract submission: 1 September 2026