Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Date of Degree

5-2019

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Program

Liberal Studies

Advisor

Edward D. Miller

Subject Categories

Art Education | Dance | Fashion Design | Fine Arts | Graphic Design | History of Gender | Holocaust and Genocide Studies | Illustration | Interactive Arts | Interdisciplinary Arts and Media | Latin American History | Latina/o Studies | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies | Liberal Studies | Modern Art and Architecture | Museum Studies | Oral History | Other Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies | Other History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology | Other Music | Other Theatre and Performance Studies | Painting | Performance Studies | Photography | Printmaking | Sculpture | Theatre History | Theory and Criticism | Visual Studies

Keywords

ARCHIVE, DANCE HISTORY, VISUAL CULTURE, DESIGN, MONTEVIDEO

Abstract

This thesis explores the life-work chronology of the dancers and choreographers Clotilde von Derp (whose surname then was Sakharoff) and Alexander Sakharoff, who were exiled in Montevideo, Uruguay, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, between 1941 and 1948. During their stay in the Rio de la Plata region, the Sakharoffs stirred up the art scene by performing extremely detailed dances with great attention to costume design. This thesis begins with a review of the reception of the dancers’ performances by the artistic and cultural circles in Montevideo, arguing that the Sakharoffs’ “queer” trajectory resonated with the Uruguayan artistic community, influencing the creation of the Uruguayan national ballet, Cuerpo de baile del SODRE. Methodologically, this research is based on archival research and on visual and cultural analysis of press, photography, and printmaking related to the Sakharoffs. My analysis discusses the cross-pollination between the Sakharoffs and the Uruguayan art community, problematizing the center-periphery hierarchical relationship that typically describes South America as a recipient of European artistic cultures.

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