Embodiment, Appreciation and Dance: Issues in Relation to an Exploration of the Experiences of London Based, 'non-aligned' Artists (original) (raw)

Abstract

This thesis offers an interdisciplinary exploration of 'embodiment' in relation to the appreciation of dance as a performing art practised in contemporary London at the beginning of the twenty first century. Consideration of different uses of the term 'embodiment' suggests that while artists may approach the embodiment of their dance with a sense of personal intention, their dancing may also be understood to embody 'ways of being' that, enmeshed within a wider culture, raise questions as to the relationship between individual agency and the discursive practices within which dance is understood. Such conceptual reflections establish a theoretical context from which to investigate the viewpoints of dance artists themselves. Fieldwork amongst dance artists thus contributed to the research. Working in London but coming from a range of dance traditions and making work outside the 'mainstream' dance companies, their input provides valuable insights into what, at present, may be important aspects of culture that influence what is perceived as embodied in dance. In addition, their experiences of making and performing dance inform investigation of the relationship between phenomenological and semiotic approaches to dance. In this context consideration of what is embodied in dance is found to be important to reflection on its appreciation. Further, the appreciation of dance performance is considered as an embodied act, important to which is the phenomenological experience of dance as communicative. Such experience is suggested to be dependent on, but not completely bound by semiotic systems thus allowing for the personal agency of both performer and audience.

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