ThINKingDANCE

ThINKingDANCE thINKingDANCE is a place where ideas thrive, where editors and writers engage one another in transfo

Help sustain thINKingDANCE into 2022 and join our Giving Circle on Grapevine! https://www.grapevine.org/giving-circle/OLWs44x/thINKingDANCE-Giving-Circle


thINKingDANCE is a collective of independent writers who produce media about dance in its broadest sense. Founded in 2011, we publish a digital journal focused on the Philadelphia area. Our mission is to:

- Meaningfully contribute to the creat

ive ecosystem by marking the presence of dance and movement-based arts
-Innovate and foster the practice of dance writing in traditional and experimental forms
-Work to dismantle dance criticism's status as a gatekeeper by engaging performing artists and writers who have historically been sidelined

We pursue these goals by training together through peer-critique sessions, with guest educators, and a two-tiered editing process. thINKingDANCE is a place where ideas thrive, where editors and writers engage one another in transformative dialogue, and where we imagine a more just dance media landscape.

📚 FROM THE ARCHIVE 📚What happens when you take marriage, weddings, q***r performance, camp, and political liberation—and...
08/20/2026

đź“š FROM THE ARCHIVE đź“š

What happens when you take marriage, weddings, q***r performance, camp, and political liberation—and blow them all apart?

In this week's look back at Fringe coverage, Zoe Farnsworth reviews Emmet Wilson’s To Have and To Hold, a delightfully unruly “performance study” that takes apart the rituals and expectations surrounding American marriage.

With Wilson moving between characters, a future visitor addressing the audience, a very unconventional garter toss, and a finale that turns national symbols into objects of defiance, the performance asks what marriage is supposed to mean—and who gets to decide.

It’s messy. It’s sexy. It’s funny. And it’s deeply q***r.

Read Zoe Farnsworth’s “American Marriage Exploded” in the thINKingDANCE archive and subscribe to our newsletter to get fresh Fringe reviews directly in your inbox!

Join us on Monday, August 24 from 5 to 7 PM at FrinfeArts Biergarten for an artist mixer, meet and greet with fringe art...
08/20/2026

Join us on Monday, August 24 from 5 to 7 PM at FrinfeArts Biergarten for an artist mixer, meet and greet with fringe artists, enthusiasts, and thINKingDANCE writers! Let’s kick off the season! See you there!

Staff writer Zoe Farnsworth spent a day dancing and watching at the 17th annual Philly Dance Day. In her coverage of the...
08/19/2026

Staff writer Zoe Farnsworth spent a day dancing and watching at the 17th annual Philly Dance Day. In her coverage of the event and that evening's showcase, she discusses hard work, community, variety, and the power of gathering in numbers for art. And she has some questions about the choreography and whether or not it really let the dancers shine.

Read more about the day at the link: https://buff.ly/X9RYTZN

Photo Collage: Philly Dance Fitness (studio shots) Nick Antony (stage shots)
Image Description: A dark teal border on the left and bottom edges of a white rectangle. In the center, a photo collage of dancers in different styles and dress, some in studios practicing, others on stage performing. In the lower-left corner of the post, in dark teal and black, a lowercase t and uppercase D, the logo for Thinking Dance. Above the image are blue letters that read Variety and Conformity in Community Work and below the image are blue letters that read by Zoe Farnsworth.

Calling all Fringe Artists! Advertise your show on our homepage at an artist discount rate! email: advertising@thinkingd...
08/17/2026

Calling all Fringe Artists! Advertise your show on our homepage at an artist discount rate!

email: [email protected] for more info and to set up your ad today!



Image Description: A white rectangle with blue lines on the top left and bottom right corners. In bright orange is says Fringe Artists! Below that in black font it reads, Advertise your show on our website at a discoutned rate! $60/two weeks on our hoempage! email [email protected]. thINKingDANCE

In her review of Liz Lerman’s Shape and Momentum: An Insomniac’s Guide for a World in Constant Motion, Jennifer Passios ...
08/17/2026

In her review of Liz Lerman’s Shape and Momentum: An Insomniac’s Guide for a World in Constant Motion, Jennifer Passios digs through a book that moves between memoir, creative tools, dance-making, physics, and decades of artistic experience.

There’s plenty to discover—including Lerman’s “Thinking Grids,” her reflections on a 40-year pursuit of a Guggenheim, and stories from the making of Wicked Bodies.

But Passios also has questions. What happens when a creative theory is built on a scientific principle that has been significantly altered in the process? And does dance need to borrow from fields like physics to make its ideas legible to the wider world?

The result is a review that embraces the messy, associative nature of creative thinking while asking us to be rigorous about the ideas we build upon.

Read it here: https://buff.ly/TfxV1pY

Photo: Anna Spelman
Image Description: A dark teal border on the left and bottom edges of a white rectangle. In the center, an image: up on a boardwalk over a meadow in the distance stands a dancer, hands flicked up into the air, fingers splayed. In the lower-left corner of the post, in dark teal and black, a lowercase t and uppercase D, the logo for Thinking Dance. Above the image are blue letters that read A witch, some kitsch, and a theory walk into a book, and below the image are blue letters that read by Jennifer Passios.

đź“š FROM THE ARCHIVE đź“šOver the coming weeks we're taking a look back at past Fringe coverage as we gear up for this year'...
08/13/2026

đź“š FROM THE ARCHIVE đź“š

Over the coming weeks we're taking a look back at past Fringe coverage as we gear up for this year's whirlwind.

In “I’m an Artist, but I’m Fun!”, Miryam Coppersmith reviews Adam Kerbel’s Dead Muse, a solo performance that mixes autobiography, dance theater, Hollywood fantasy, awkward auditions, bad dates, and the strange intimacy of being witnessed.

Kerbel doesn’t simply tell his story—he builds a world through physicality, sound, lighting, and direct interaction with the audience.

Read Miryam Coppersmith’s review “I’m an Artist, but I’m Fun!” in the thINKingDANCE archive and sign up for our newsletter at the link in our bio to stay informed this Fringe season! https://buff.ly/YxKWkSv

Dancing in Philly Fringe? We'd love to hear about it. ✨thINKingDANCE is always looking for compelling dance, performance...
08/11/2026

Dancing in Philly Fringe? We'd love to hear about it. ✨

thINKingDANCE is always looking for compelling dance, performance, and movement-based work to cover.

If you have an upcoming performance, festival, premiere, book release, or event, send your press release to [email protected] so we can share it with our editorial team.

While we can't guarantee coverage, every submission is reviewed and considered based on our writers' interests and availability.

Whether you're an emerging artist or an established company, we encourage you to reach out—we're always excited to discover new work and connect with the dance community.

đź“© Submit your press release: [email protected]

đź”— Save this post or share it with an artist who has a show coming up!

Image Description: A white rectangle with dark blue borders on the left and bottom edges. the tD logo, three silhouettes of dancers, and a line drawing of a hand writing with a pen decorate the bottom of the image. In black and orange, it reads, Want thINKingDANCE at your next show? Tell us about your work! Email your press release to [email protected] four weeks before your performance. Press requests are shared directly with our writers and are selected for coverage based on writer availability.

In her review of Liz Lerman’s Shape and Momentum: An Insomniac’s Guide for a World in Constant Motion, Jennifer Passios ...
08/10/2026

In her review of Liz Lerman’s Shape and Momentum: An Insomniac’s Guide for a World in Constant Motion, Jennifer Passios digs through a book that moves between memoir, creative tools, dance-making, physics, and decades of artistic experience.

There’s plenty to discover—including Lerman’s “Thinking Grids,” her reflections on a 40-year pursuit of a Guggenheim, and stories from the making of Wicked Bodies.

But Passios also has questions. What happens when a creative theory is built on a scientific principle that has been significantly altered in the process? And does dance need to borrow from fields like physics to make its ideas legible to the wider world?

The result is a review that embraces the messy, associative nature of creative thinking while asking us to be rigorous about the ideas we build upon.

Read “A witch, some kitsch, and a theory walk into a book” by Jennifer Passios at thINKingDANCE.

Photo: Anna Spelman
Image Description: A dark teal border on the left and bottom edges of a white rectangle. In the center, an image: up on a boardwalk over a meadow in the distance stands a dancer, hands flicked up into the air, fingers splayed. In the lower-left corner of the post, in dark teal and black, a lowercase t and uppercase D, the logo for Thinking Dance. Above the image are blue letters that read A witch, some kitsch, and a theory walk into a bar, and below the image are blue letters that read by Jennifer Passios.

From the Archive đź“šWhat does an ethical dance culture actually look like?In Dialoguing Ethics in Dance, Leila Mire revi...
08/06/2026

From the Archive đź“š

What does an ethical dance culture actually look like?

In Dialoguing Ethics in Dance, Leila Mire reviews Naomi Jackson's Dance and Ethics: Moving Towards a More Humane Dance Culture while asking bigger questions about power, care, accountability, and who gets to shape the future of dance.

Rather than offering easy answers, the piece reminds us that ethics is an ongoing conversation.

đź“– Revisit this 2023 review through the archive on our site.

đź’¬ What conversations about ethics do you think the dance world still needs to have? We'd love to hear your thoughts.

Image Descriptions: A white and light blue square with dark blue borders along the left and bottom edges. In the lower-left corner, the logo for Thinking Dance is in black typewriter font, with a lowercase t and an uppercase D. In white and black letters, it reads, From The Archive, Dialoguing Ethics in Dance, September 25, 2023 by Leila Mire. In the Center of the square is a small image of the book cover. It’s white with blue and green organic shapes in the top left and bottom corners. In dark blue, light blue, and light orange, the title reads Dancing and Ethics, Moving towards a more humane dance culture by Naomi M. Jackson.

In this beautifully observed essay, Caedra Scott-Flaherty reflects on attending Miki Orihara's workshop and performance ...
08/06/2026

In this beautifully observed essay, Caedra Scott-Flaherty reflects on attending Miki Orihara's workshop and performance with her young daughter. What begins as a rainy afternoon at KinoSaito Art Center unfolds into a meditation on artistic lineage, motherhood, memory, and the ways our bodies carry what we've learned—and who has taught us.

As Orihara honors the four women who shaped her life and artistry, Scott-Flaherty witnesses something just as profound: her daughter's first encounter with modern dance, and the spark of choreography taking root in a new generation.

https://buff.ly/3ieQpzg

Photo: Chika Kobari, courtesy of KinoSaito
Image Description: A white rectangle with dark blue lines on the left and bottom edge. In the center is an image: A woman sits in a chair in a well-lit room wearing an off-white dress. She bends her elbows and holds her fists above her lap facing up. She looks forward with a neutral expression. In blue letters at the top, it reads The Four Mothers of Miki Orihara, or Learning Dalcroze's 20 Gestures with my Daughter. And at the bottom it reads by Ceadra Scott-Flaherty.

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