Dr Nicola Haskins

Archives of Flesh: Embodied Artivism Against GBV

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Gender-based violence (GBV) is not only a social crisis but also an embodied experience that imprints itself onto survivors, shaping their physical presence in the world. In South Africa GBV extends beyond the individual, embedding itself into the cultural memory of society, shaping collective narratives, intergenerational trauma, and social structures. GBV has left imprints on the nations psyche, influencing how GBV is experienced, witnessed, and responded to.

 

This paper explores how dance, as both an art form and a mode of artivism, functions as a mode for surfacing, witnessing and transforming these embodied and cultural imprints. Through the practice of artivism this research explores how the moving body serves as a dynamic archive of lived experiences, memories, and societal narratives, translating them into tangible forms of resistance, solidarity, and advocacy.

 

Through physical theatre, choreographic processes, and performance strategies the research explores the internalised trauma of GBV, on the individual and collectively, attempting to make the unseen visible and shifting passive spectatorship into embodied witnessing.

 

Drawing on the concept of embodied archives, this study explores how dance theatre productions mobilise performers’ bodies, voices, and artistic expression to challenge dominant power structures and amplify marginalised voices. By engaging interactive performance methodologies, dance becomes a dynamic canvas for change, generating dialogue and advocating for social transformation beyond the stage.

 

The 20-minute presentation of this research will take the form of a paper performance, where spoken word and movement are integrated to bring the concepts into motion. This paper performance allows the research to be experienced by the audience rather than merely described. By enacting these ideas in motion, the presentation reveals how dance serves as a methodology for engaging with, challenging and transforming GBV as both a personal and a collective wound embedded in the cultural memory of South African society.

BIOGRAPHY

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Dr Nicola Haskins is an award-winning embodied researcher, choreographer, educator, and dancer with over 23 years of national and international experience. Her work is rooted in arts for social impact, focusing on how embodied practices and performance can foster dialogue and bring awareness to critical social issues.

 

As a full-time lecturer at the Tshwane University of Technology in the Faculty of Arts & Design, Performing Arts: Dance Stream, she actively integrates artivism into both her teaching and creative outputs.

 

Nicola is the co-leader of the Research Niche Area: Artivism as a Tool to Combat Gender-Based Violence (GBV), further demonstrating her leadership in using the arts to address social justice concerns.

 

She creates and facilitates performance-based interventions that address GBV and promote embodied ecological consciousness. Notable milestones include her Naledi Award nomination for Best Choreography for Rapture at the 2024 Kucheza Festival, three Standard Bank Ovation Awards and a Gold Ovation Award for The Anatomy of Weather, and a long international tour with Dada Masilo’s Swan Lake.

 

She is a Certified Movement Analyst through the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies in New York, Nicola is also a published academic.