Dance is more than movement. Anya Peterson Royce knows the many facets of this means of expression. Dance is identity and a mode of communication. It is physical and social. She will discuss many aspects of dance at a public lecture at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19, in the Administration Building Alumni Room, Indiana University South Bend.

Royce, who is the Chancellor’s Professor of Anthropology at Indiana University, Bloomington, will address dance in her talk, “Great Performances: Virtuosos and Artists of Music and Dance.”

She also is the guest speaker during a series of lectures on movement, identity, healing and superstars for the Eighth Annual Freshman Honors Colloquium Scholar’s Symposium on Sept. 19 and 20 on the campus. All the lectures are open to the public and are in Room 1135, Wiekamp Hall.

The lecture schedule is: 9 a.m., Sept. 19, “Body Talk and the Power of Movement”; 1:30 p.m., Sept. 19, “Dance, Music and Identity: The Power to Name and to Claim”; 9 a.m. Sept. 20, “Altered States: The Power to Heal”; 1:30 p.m., Sept. 20, “Superstars: The Power of Performance.” Discussion groups will follow each lecture.

Anya Peterson Royce, a native of California, began her career as a professional ballet dancer. After a foot injury ended that career, she turned to the study of anthropology. Royce holds a bachelor’s of arts with distinction in anthropology from Stanford (1968), and a master’s (1971) and doctorate (1974) in anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley.

Beginning in the summer of 1967, and continuing for the last 35 years, Royce has conducted research in Mexico, particularly on the Zapotec culture of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. She is one of the few social and cultural anthropologists who has worked for over three decades in the same field area.

Royce has been widely published in magazines and journals, and she and a colleague were the only North American scholars invited to contribute an article to a Mexican volume.

She is currently at work on a trilogy of books on the Zapotec culture. Her first book project, “The Face on the Altar: Zapotec Beliefs and Commemorations of Death,” focuses on subjects implied in the title. The second book, “The Work of Fiestas: Zapotec Relations of Civility,” will explore relationships of civility and community. The final book, “Wind and Water,” examines notions of illness and healing.

Royce’s interest in dance has continued throughout her anthropological career, where she has explored dance as an expression of identity, a mode of communication, as well as the physical and social aspects. Her most recent book, “The Anthropology of Performing Arts: Artistry, Virtuosity, and Interpretation,”

For information about the series contact Brenda Knowles at (574) 237-4355 or bknowles@iusb.edu.