The Language of Lines: Latin American Readings of Antonia Mercé

Abstract

Antonia Mercé (La Argentina) did not merely revolutionize the forms and expectations of Spanish dance; she also fostered a serious intellectual engagement with modern dance, integrating it into the broader landscape of the modern arts. Like Duncan, Pavlova, and Nijinsky, she not only created new forms within her own discipline but also inspired new interpretations that reflected a shift in the place and significance of dance within modern aesthetics. At every stage of her career, she became a touchstone for the most ambitious writers of the Western cultural scene, who sought to capture her contributions to dance and the broader field of modern arts. This article focuses on the early years of her career, in particular her reception in various Latin American countries during her first continental tour (1915-1917), to show how Mercé called forth new ways of thinking and writing about dance, while also shedding light on the little-studied phenomenon of the dancer as reader.