Rethinking fragile landscapes during the Greek crisis: precarious aesthetics and methodologies in Athenian dance performances

The financial crisis in Greece brought about significant changes in the sociopolitical and financial landscape of the country. Severe budget cuts imposed on the arts and performing practices have given rise to a new aesthetic which has impacted the themes and methodologies of contemporary productions. To unpack this aesthetic, I explore the ways that the discourse and the experience of precarity molded methodological frameworks for artistic production in Greece during the crisis. Specifically, I address trends constitutive of a 'precarious aesthetic' in dance performance on Athenian stages and highlight the ways that the uncertainties caused by the financial crisis in Greece served as an opportunity to rethink dance performance aesthetics, devise new approaches to creation, and advocate for sociopolitical change.