Liz Mellish | Independent Researcher (original) (raw)

Papers by Liz Mellish

East Europe, Russia, and the Caucasus, 2010

Dance, Age and Politics Proceedings of the 30th Symposium of the ICTM Study Group on Ethnochoreology, 2021

This paper will examine the politics of representation and identity as portrayed through dance by... more This paper will examine the politics of representation and identity as portrayed through dance by the co-located ethnicities in the Banat region of Romania using three main parameters, the representation that the dancing is portraying, the context in which the dancing takes place and the adaption of the dancing to the context. Theoretically it drawn on Barth’s work on ethnic identities, Hall’s counter politics of the local and Harrison’s expressive differentiation through symbolic practices. Through ethnographic examples from the authors’ fieldwork among the co-located ethnicities it reveals that in social contexts local dances predominate, whereas as in presentational contexts the material presented ranges from presentations of local dances of their ethnicity, to drawing on their national image. REFERENCE: Mellish, Liz, and Nick Green (2021). “Politics of representation, identity and minorities as portrayed through local dance in the Banat Region.” Vivien Apjok, Kinga Povedák, Vivien Szőnyi and Sándor Varga (editors), Dance, age and politics - Proceedings of the 30th Symposium of the ICTM Study Group on Ethnochoreology 28th July–3rd August 2018, 181-192. Szeged, Hungary: Department of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Szeged; Hungarian Association for Ethnochoreology, Research Centre for the Humanities, Institute for Musicology.

Music and dance in Southeastern Europe: place, space and resistance, 2022

The annual celebration of designated days in villages is a widespread custom in southeastern Euro... more The annual celebration of designated days in villages is a widespread custom in southeastern Europe and beyond. In Christian locations these are often linked to the day of the patron saint of the village church. In Romanian Banat these are usually called ruga, plural ruge (literally prayer). Alternately the day of the village known in Romanian Banat as ziua, plural zilele (meaning day(s)) can be chosen for secular or practical reasons. This paper draws on a five-year case study in Romanian Banat that covers around eighty Saints’ days (Ruge) or village days (Zilele). It presents a comparative analysis of the ‘framing’ of the event space that covers both the functional preparation of the event space and the socially constructed space during the event. This includes an examination of the interrelationship between the physical design of the event space, the actions within the social space during these events, and the community’s knowledge or desire for participation. REFERENCE: Mellish, Liz & Green, Nick (2022). “Saints’ days, and village days: creating the space for community events in Romanian Banat”. Belma Oğul, Liz Mellish, & Nick Green (editors), Music and dance in southeastern Europe: place, space and resistance - Seventh Symposium of the ICTM Study Group on Music and Dance in Southeastern Europe, 169–177. Istanbul, Turkey: Trabzon University State Conservatory & ICTM Study Group on Music and Dance in Southeastern Europe.

Dance and economy, dance transmission. Proceedings of the 31st Symposium of the ICTM Study Group on Ethnochoreology, 2021

This paper explores the transmission of local dance knowledge in contemporary Romania by focussin... more This paper explores the transmission of local dance knowledge in contemporary Romania by focussing on ‘motivation’ and ‘continuity’ as key parameters. We examine the methods currently used by dancers to acquire their local dance knowledge; the dance experience of the teachers and mentors who transmit this knowledge; and the situations during which Romanian dancing takes place. We question whether skills acquired during formal training and informal participation work in parallel to produce the required competencies needed for local participatory and presentational dancing. Theoretically, we will draw on the works of Lave and Wenger on ‘legitimate peripheral participation’ and ‘communities of practice’, and Ingold who saw apprenticeship as a learning process through ‘guided rediscovery’. Following Giurchescu, we conclude that Romanian local dance knowledge continues to be acquired through “a combined process of observation, imitation, deliberate learning and training” which enables novice dancers to participate in dancing during both social and performative contexts. REFERENCE: Mellish, Liz, and Nick Green (2022). "Dance transmission in contemporary Romania: Continuity, motivation and mentors." Anne von Bibra Wharton and Dalia Urbanavičienė (editors), Dance and economy, dance transmission : Proceedings of the 31st Symposium of the ICTM Study Group on Ethnochoreology 12-18 July, 2021, Klaipėda, Lithuania, 216–224. Vilnius, Lithuania: ICTM Study Group on Ethnochoreology, Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre.

Journal Translingual Discourse in Ethnomusicology (TDE), vol. 4, 2018

Ljubica and Danica S. Janković, ”Safeguarding our folk dances”, Narodne igre II (Folk Dances, boo... more Ljubica and Danica S. Janković, ”Safeguarding our folk dances”, Narodne igre II (Folk Dances, book II), Chapter II, Belgrade, 11-33. Translation: Vesna Bajić Stojiljković. Lecturer in English: Liz Mellish.

Превод другог поглавља ”Чување наших народних игара” из књиге Народне игре II (1937) ауторки Љубице и Данице С. Јанковић са српског на енглески језик за часопис Journal Translingual Discourse in Ethnomusicology (TDE), vol. 4, 2018, 81–101. Eds. Regine Allgayer-Kaufmann and Gerd Grupe. University of Vienna.

ISSN: 2312-2528

https://www.tde-journal.org/index.php/tde/article/view/2762/2407

Oxford Handbooks Online

This chapter explores Romanian dancers’ participation in organized dance competitions, both withi... more This chapter explores Romanian dancers’ participation in organized dance competitions, both within Romania and internationally, and investigates the informal competition that exists between the members of the Banat Romanian dance community. It includes three themes. The first traces a historical trajectory on the changing importance of performances of local, regional, and national identity in dance competitions. The second theme examines the challenges faced by the judges during formal dance competitions, revealing that judgments are made according to their personal backgrounds, and their desire to encourage maximum participation through making positive commentary rather than stressing the exclusivity of individual participants. The final theme explores informal competitiveness between dancers and leaders; the author proposes that this reinforces the sense of community among dancers, and that notions of formal competition and informal competitiveness coexist in the minds of both the...

Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion, 2010

Oxford Handbooks Online

Revista "Dunarea de Jos" , 2020

Regiunea Banatului poate fi împărţită în linii mari în trei zone etnografice - câmpia Banatului, ... more Regiunea Banatului poate fi împărţită în linii mari în trei zone etnografice - câmpia Banatului, dealuri şi munţi [1]. In toate cele trei zone, Hora este cel mai inclusiv dans din comunitate. Hora este folosită pentru a deschide evenimente [2] şi este un element esenţial în ciclul vieţii si la obiceiuri si ritualuri calendaristice.

REFERENCE: Mellish, Liz & Green, Nick 2020. "Hora din Banat: un dans pentru comunitate." Ioan Horujenco (editor), Revista "Dunarea de Jos" - Dansuri populare, artă, ritual, divertisment 223: 15–17. Galați: Centrului Cultural “Dunărea de Jos”.

Acta Ethnografica Hungarica, 2020

The celebration of the day of patron saint of the local church is a custom that is widespread amo... more The celebration of the day of patron saint of the local church is a custom that is widespread among Christians in various parts of the world. In the plain and mountain areas of the Romanian Banat region, this day is referred to as ruga (pl. ruge), which literally means
“pray.” These customary events are local community participatory festivals in the sense that they include both active and passive participants, the former joining in the dancing, the latter sitting and watching whilst socialising with relatives and friends. Although these events are primarily held on fixed calendrical days according to the patron saint of a specific church, they are in most cases attended by representatives of the many ethnicities and religious confessions that live together in the Banat region.
This paper examines saint’s day celebrations in Banat as one of the prime community events where music and dancing take place. It draws on the authors’ fieldwork undertaken at saint’s day celebrations in the Romanian Banat where they observed the similarities and differences in these events. Their research is supplemented by drawing on reports from local media on ruge, historical accounts, and conversations with locals. Their conclusion is that over time the concept of the celebration of ruge has been maintained though the precise details of the events have changed over time as these celebrations have been adapted to meet the needs of present day communities while retaining their function as participatory community celebrations.

REFERENCE: Mellish, Liz & Green, Nick 2020. "Saints’ days celebrations (ruga) in Banat – community participation, dance, music and good times." Acta Ethnografica Hungarica 65(1):395–410. Akadémiai Kiadó: Budapest. ISSN: 1216-9803.

Music and dance In southeastern europe: Migrations, carnival, sustainable development, 2020

During crazy week (the week in which lent commences) carnivalesque events, in various manifestati... more During crazy week (the week in which lent commences) carnivalesque events, in various manifestations, take place in many villages in Banat. The commonalities between these events are that they focus around local music, dance and customs and only local people are involved. Although each event may be nominally organised by a particular ethnicity the participants include people from all the co-located ethnicities. This paper is based on fieldwork undertaken at carnivalesque events between 2016 and 2019 supplemented by informal conversations with locals, local media reports, published articles and videos of events. Drawing on anthropological theory, the authors propose that these events are liminal times within the annual calendar, marking the transition between the end of the winter and the beginning (re-birth) of spring that both draw from, and contribute, to the realities of the contemporary societies in which they
take place.

REFERENCE: Mellish, Liz; Green, Nick 2020. "Crazy week, the disorganised and the organised: Fǎrșang and “inverted” weddings in the Banat mountains." Tvrtko Zebec; Liz Mellish; Nick Green (editors), Music and dance In southeastern europe: Migrations, carnival, sustainable development:132-144 Zagreb, Croatia, International Council for Traditional Music Study Group on Music and Dance in Southeastern Europe, Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Research, ICTM Croatia National Committee. ISBN: 978-953-8089-61-9.

Based on field research in Grebenac (Serbia) and Moldova Veche (Romania) in Southeastern Banat si... more Based on field research in Grebenac (Serbia) and Moldova Veche (Romania) in Southeastern Banat since 2014, this paper will provide a comparative ethnographic review of dance and dance movements performed during presentational evening performancs and participatory dance events called the “balls” within contemporary manifestations of the carnival celebrations (Serbian fašanke, Romanian farsang) which, together with carnival parades, continue to be practiced in these villages. In both villages, the evening performances and masked balls are organised by local institutions on Tuesday, the second day of the Easter Lent and/or on the following Saturday, as the closing segment of the carnival celebrations. Starting from the structural and stylistic analysis of dance and dance movements which are incorporated in these dance events, this paper will aim to focus on the socio-political implications of their various ironic and parodic connotations. This potentially leads into exploring general questions of dance and dance movements in carnivalesque performances as important mediums for socio-political expression.
Keywords: dance, dance movements; socio-political implications; carnivals; Southeastern Europe.

East Europe, Russia, and the Caucasus, 2010

Dance, Age and Politics Proceedings of the 30th Symposium of the ICTM Study Group on Ethnochoreology, 2021

Music and dance in Southeastern Europe: place, space and resistance, 2022

Dance and economy, dance transmission. Proceedings of the 31st Symposium of the ICTM Study Group on Ethnochoreology, 2021

Journal Translingual Discourse in Ethnomusicology (TDE), vol. 4, 2018

ISSN: 2312-2528

https://www.tde-journal.org/index.php/tde/article/view/2762/2407

Oxford Handbooks Online

Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion, 2010

Oxford Handbooks Online

Revista "Dunarea de Jos" , 2020

Acta Ethnografica Hungarica, 2020

Music and dance In southeastern europe: Migrations, carnival, sustainable development, 2020

Music and Dance in Southeastern Europe. Migrations, Carnival, Sustainable Development. Sixth Symposium of the ICTM Study Group on Music and Dance in Southeastern Europe. Held in Sinj, Croatia, 15 April – 21 April 2018. ISBN 978-953-8089-61-9, Nov 2020

Scholars from fourteen countries presented their work at the sixth symposium of the ICTM Study Gr... more Scholars from fourteen countries presented their work at the sixth symposium of the ICTM Study Group on Music and Dance in Southeastern Europe that took place in the town of Sinj in Croatia in April 2018. This publication presents a full record of that Study Group’s biennial symposium. Twelve presenters did not submit their articles; their participation in the event is recognised by the inclusion of their original abstracts. Two panels are documented by three articles and one abstract, while the remaining abstracts are grouped at the end of this volume. Editors are Liz Mellish, Nick Green and Tvrtko Zebec.

6 th Symposium of the ICTM Study Group on Music and Dance in Southeastern Europe, 15 – 21 April, 2018, Sinj, Croatia, Migrations, Carnival, Sustainable Development, Programme and Abstract Booklet, Liz Mellish, Svanibor Pettan, Tvrtko Zebec (editors). 47 pages.

Programme and abstract book contains 6th ICTM Study Group on Music and Dance in Southeastern Euro... more Programme and abstract book contains 6th ICTM Study Group on Music and Dance in Southeastern Europe Symposium programme, three panel abstracts with eleven papers and twenty nine individual papers that cover three main Symposium themes – Carnival, migrations and sustainable development. Symposium has been held from April 15-21, 2018 in Sinj, Croatia.

This thesis investigates the lives, movements and performances of dancers in a Romanian urban fol... more This thesis investigates the lives, movements and performances of dancers in a Romanian urban folk ensemble from an anthropological perspective. Drawing on an extended period of fieldwork in the Romanian city of Timisoara, it gives an inside view of participation in organised cultural performances involving a local way of moving, in
an area with an on-going interest in local and regional identity. It proposes that twentyfirst century regional identities in southeastern Europe and beyond, can be manifested through participation in performances of local dance, music and song and by doing so,
it reveals that the experiences of dancers has the potential to uncover deeper understandings of contemporary socio-political changes.
This micro-study of collective behaviour, dance knowledge acquisition and performance training of ensemble dancers in Timisoara enhances the understanding of the culture of dance and dancers within similar ensembles and dance groups in other locations. Through an investigation of the micro aspects of dancers’ lives, both on
stage in the front region, and off stage in the back region, it explores connections between local dance performances, their participants, and locality and the city. It draws on multi-layer concepts of local belonging that interact with notions of continuity and visibility, local cultural norms, and performance aesthetics.
This thesis follows the dancers through their ensemble lives, starting from their apprenticeship when they learn local dance moves and acquire a sense of belonging to the ensemble. It examines the role of the key choreographers as pseudo-parents within their ensemble family and the authorities that provide time-depth and stability through the maintenance of local cultural norms within ensemble life and in performance aesthetics. It examines the dancers’ involvement in local event organisation during the performance process, and concludes that the continuity of local dance, music and song is dependent on its local and translocal visibility.

Mellish, Elizabeth Sara (2013). Dancing through the city and beyond : Lives, movements and performances in a Romanian urban folk ensemble. Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University College London (UCL) School of Slavonic and East European Studies.

Rakočević, Selena; Mellish, Liz (editors) 2016. Dance, field research and intercultural perspecti... more Rakočević, Selena; Mellish, Liz (editors)
2016. Dance, field research and intercultural perspectives: The Easter customs in the village of Svinița. Pančevo: Selena Rakočević, Kulturi centar Pančevo. ISBN 978–86–918261–1–6