Dancing Between Worlds: Patricio Bunster in Chile and Germany

Patricio Bunster (1924–2006) was a dancer, choreographer and teacher, and is regarded as one of the leading figures in modern dance in Chile. He understood dance not as an autonomous aesthetic art form, but as a culturally rooted, socially engaged and communicative practice. Following the military coup in Chile in 1973, he pursued an intensive artistic and educational career whilst in exile in the GDR. In 1984, he was appointed a corresponding member of the East German Academy of Arts; in 1997, he was admitted to the Saxon Academy of Arts. The panel exhibition organised by the Institute of Theatre Studies at the University of Leipzig was created in 2024 in collaboration with Tanzarchiv Leipzig e.V., the Saxon Academy of Arts and the Palucca University of Dance, and is supplemented by archival material from the Archives of the Akademie der Künste. The exhibition explores the life and work of the Chilean artist, important stages in his artistic and educational career, and his connection to modern dance in Germany. Also, attention is given to the influence of exile, cultural exchange and social engagement on his choreographic work.