Another interesting topic is whether we have an action or movement first or is it an emotional or are they both enacted simultaneously? I believe most would say feeling comes before an action but what if an action gave us a feeling or emotion. William James a Psychologist and Philosopher would argue that 'you feel sad because you cry'. Martha Graham uses a beckoning action, this she hoped would instigate an emotion. One of my interviewees mentioned that each dancer would then draw from their own experiences of the world they had lived in and the sensory experiences they had lived and merge this into the movement. I wanted to know what other dancers felt about this? Often we ask a dancer to feel something when we are teaching and add emotion to the piece.
Interesting Nicole, I suppose those observing Dance also draws upon their life experiences as to what they get out of a performance too. One's interpretation of Dance can be so different it seems, I read some interesting stuff from Siban Davies on her report 'What makes movement Art' - it might be of interest to you. This seems to be the beauty of dance and how subjective it is, it will always meaning something different to everyone. Do you think your own life experiences shape your dancing?
ReplyDeleteOne of my interviewees talked about a knowledge gained was being able to see the world through a choreographers eyes. I think life shapes dance because we dance through our body and senses. The article sounds interesting, I would argue that no matter how abstract the dance, it always has some connection to our lives and is a reflection of the way we view the world.
ReplyDelete