Nelisiwe Xaba in the prologue “Triumphal March of the Donuts” from Fremde Tänze. Theater Freiburg, 2014. (Photo by Maurice Korbel; courtesy of Nelisiwe Xaba)
TDR essay, "Cross-Viewing in Berlin and Chicago: Nelisiwe Xaba’s Fremde Tänze" published in TDR: The Drama Review, Volume 64, Number 2, Summer 2020 (T246), wins the 2022 Selma Jeanne Cohen Award from The American Society for Aesthetics.
Susan Manning says in the abstract of the article, viewing Nelisiwe Xaba’s Fremde Tänze (2014) in Berlin and Chicago revealed differing levels of meaning in the work. In Berlin the work exposed and parodied the white gaze of the black female dancer, while in Chicago the work vivified the gap between the responses of black and white spectators. The reception of Fremde Tänze in the two cities demonstrates the workings of “cross-viewing,” the moments when spectators from distinct social locations watch one another watching.
As the ASA review committee noted: "Susan Manning’s ‘Cross-Viewing in Berlin and Chicago: Nelisiwe Xaba’s Fremde Tänze’ is a captivating, convincing and original article. Manning reflects on and rigorously interrogates differing responses to Xaba’s work Fremde Tänze, highlighting how race and gender intersect in the work, and carefully examining the critical responses it invokes in the literature. The elaboration of her notion of ‘cross-viewing’ to think through how individual identities, histories and contexts shape responses to the performance is of particular significance for dance scholarship and spectatorship. Manning’s description of Xaba’s work is particularly detailed and clear, and alongside the images of the work helps the reader to follow the analysis and discussion with ease. Xaba’s work is central to the article throughout and Manning’s interrogation foregrounds its value. The article makes a distinctive contribution to dance scholarship in terms of its theme, as well as being a valuable example of performance analysis. It stands as an exemplary example of how reflecting on and theorising individual experience can cultivate important theoretical insights. Crucially, the paper also highlights how discussing our readings of a performance might lead to nuanced understandings of other people’s experiences and important conversations on the nature of the intersection of race and gender. The writing throughout is excellent, captivating the reader with its clear and personal tone."
Congratulations Susan Manning and TDR!