If I Can’t Dance, I Don’t Want To Be Part Of Your Revolution’s Reading Group started in 2006.  The Reading Group is a gathering of artists, critical thinkers, writers, and various other readers from in- and outside the field of contemporary art, who are interested in discussing new topics and directions in performance, contemporary art practice, and their relation to social and political issues. 

Across 2017–2018, the reading material will accrue through an investigation into the field of research ‘Social Movement’, and curatorial readings undertaken in relation to the Artist Commissions and Performance in Residence research projects. These readings are compiled into a published Reader at the close of a field of research.

For VII (2017–2018), Social Movement, and going forward, the Reading Group has two parallel ways of operating. First, the If I Can’t Dance team has developed an ongoing reading practice that underscores its role within curatorial work. Every two weeks the team makes a selection of texts related to its current productions and meets to discuss these in closed sessions, embedding the practice of reading and conversation within the day-to-day operations of If I Can’t Dance and the development of its projects with artists and researchers. These texts will be documented in a bibliography, available below, which will be updated regularly so that interested readers can follow along.

Second, the Reading Group will open to the public twice a year for more intense working sessions in which specific questions and areas of struggle will be presented and unpacked through collective reflection. Similar to the Open Reading Groups of previous programmes, the intention is to broaden the field of what is considered text and to experiment with forms of reading together, finding ways to explore the material both discursively and in embodied ways. Artists or guest contributors will occasionally be invited to lead a session.