The Songs of Black Experiences: consonances and dissonances in the path between Grotowski and the Workcenter

Abstract

It is proposed in the paper to observe the role of African-diasporic songs in the work of Jerzy Grotowski and in the context of continued research at the Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski and Thomas Richards. We reflect on the songs from their epistemological and political potencies and as fundamental elements for an ethnic-racial discursivity in studies of this important work in the field of performing arts. The notion of songs of black experiences proposes the understanding of the term tradition songs, central in Grotowski’s work, as means of communication of diasporic and Afro-descendant experiences, contrary to the solely instrumental and uncritical use of these performative technologies.