Within the framework of the Pannonia Scholarship Programme, art historians Judit Radák and Katalin Rákos visited Dresden and Berlin. Katalin Rákos, assistant lecturer at the Department of Art Theory, wrote a detailed report about the professional visit, which can be read here.
As part of the Pannonia Scholarship Programme, my colleague Judit Radák and I visited Die Palucca Hochschule für Tanz Dresden in June. We were welcomed by Dr. Angela Rannow, research assistant, who plays an important role in the institution’s art theory education with her course “Dance and Art Analysis.”
During the professional visit, we had the opportunity to learn more about the host institution’s art theory education and share our own teaching experiences. A key part of the visit was discussing the methods and content of art theory education, which greatly supported our professional development. Angela Rannow introduced their institution, followed by my presentation, which was also attended by the rector of the university, Professor Katharina Christl. I presented the new teaching methods that we have been using in our art history courses for the past two years. Anja Centeno García played an inspiring role in developing these new approaches, as she visited us in May 2024 through the exchange programme that started between the Dresden and Budapest universities. This exchange was preceded by Dr. habil. Anita Lanszki’s visit to the Dresden university in 2023.
The presentation gave me the opportunity to present our results in an international professional environment and receive feedback for further development. The comments and questions from the participating professors and colleagues working in the theoretical field led to a discussion about the role and importance of art theory education in building a dancer’s career. We compared the structure, content, and teaching approaches of the two institutions’ art theory programmes. The professional discussion helped us learn about good practices.
As a complement to the theoretical programme, we also visited a contemporary dance rehearsal. We watched the work of a first-year BA group, who were preparing the final details of their exam performance under the guidance of Prof. Rita Aozane Bilibio. The professor is a member of the Sasha Waltz and Guests company. The rehearsal was held in English, which is the main language of the institution due to the high number of international students.
We also met Anja Centeno García, with whom we discussed further methodological possibilities.
We also complemented the visit with visits to exhibitions in Berlin and Dresden, whose materials can be included in our courses. These were mainly temporary exhibitions. In Berlin, we visited the “Gebaute Gemeinschaft Göbeklitepe, Taş Tepeler und das Leben vor 12.000 Jahren” exhibition at the James-Simon-Galerie, which questions previous knowledge about prehistoric monolithic architecture and human representation and provides new answers. In addition, we visited the Brancusi exhibition at the Neue Nationalgalerie and the “Cassirer und der Durchbruch des Impressionismus” exhibition at the Alte Nationalgalerie, which presents the work of an important art collector. In Dresden, we visited the art exhibitions at the Albertinum and the Zwinger.
The examples we saw provide new inspiration for illustrating art history and art theory courses, as well as for developing students’ visual and critical thinking skills.
As a result of the study visit, our international cooperation, communication, and presentation skills improved, our methodological tools expanded, and we were able to build new professional connections.
Katalin Rákos
