The arts emerged as a key survival ingredient in the wake of Covid’s near-global quarantine and isolating effects. Painting commentaries, street murals, memes, musical compositions, at-home theatricals, zoom videos, and viral social media challenges proliferated as commentary on—or escapism from—the virus, contributing to a feeling of aliveness and connection during iterative lockdowns. At the center of this movement was movement itself. Across online platforms, people danced their way to increased resilience, solidarity, and better times. Dance’s centrality within popular culture, and its ability to reflect, comment on, and even reshape contemporary ideas, is not new. In fact, dance is so immersed in our daily lives that it often becomes invisibilized. Join Dr. Atkins to examine US popular culture’s love affair with dance and to illuminate how popular culture wields everyday movement as a powerful tool for changing the world.

Dr. Atkins will be in residence at Texas A&M during the week of March 4, 2024 as a Short-Term Visiting Fellow. For more details on Dr. Atkins's visit, contact Dr. Jessica Herzogenrath at jrayherzogenrath@tamu.edu