Mapping Touring

This project, which Harmony began in 2014, employs archival research and data visualization to examine touring by ballet and modern dance companies in the first half of the 20th century. Whereas dance history tends to foreground famous choreographers and their most significant works, Mapping Touring suggests that scholars can look at historical figures and dance repertory differently by situating them more concretely in place and on the move. Mapping Touring thus utilizes concert programs to track dance companies’ appearances as they tour domestically and internationally, representing repertory performed as well as dates, cities, and venues of performance in a database from which to generate digital visualizations. This project is laying the foundation for future data analysis and historical research and will continue to grow throughout the lifecycle of Movement on the Move. Mapping Touring is supported by a Research and Creative Activity Grant from The Ohio State University, as well as a Battelle Engineering, Technology, and Human Affairs (BETHA) Grant.   

Mapping Touring has three key components, a database, a static map, and a route map, which you may search and explore independently by selecting the appropriate button below.