Dancing with Literature: The Social Networks of Shows and Intellectual Circuits in Spain (1911-1933)

Principle investigator: Sara Arribas Colmenar, ABD

DLA Advisor: Dr. Jennifer Isasi

As part of my doctoral dissertation, “Dancing with Literature” explores the personal connections among literary figures such as Ramón Gómez de la Serna or Federico García Lorca,  choreographers like Antonia Mercé, set designers like Salvador Bartolozzi, and musicians such as Manuel de Falla. The main objective is to demonstrate that the worlds of dance and literature were intricately connected through personal relationships. This connection explains phenomena like dance librettos being written by authors like María Martínez Sierra and textual choreographic pieces by Ramón Gómez de la Serna. To visualize these digital social networks and analyze the intellectual circuit, I use gephi.org. The initial database focuses on participants in events such as the Concurso del Cante Jondo, literary gatherings at Café del Pombo and, together with 20 premiered dance pieces. This database will be amplified with the correspondence, dance and theater companies of the time like Teatro del Arte by Gregorio Martínez Sierra or Ballet Espagnols by Antonia Mercé. In short,  this project aims to illustrate and analyze the social networks shaping the cultural landscape of early 20th-century Spain.

For more information, contact sva5811@psu.edu