Embodying the Dance Rehearsal: The Time, Space and Situatedness of Dance Making
Department
Dance
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
Fall 11-8-2021
Embargo Period
11-10-2021
Abstract
One of my principle aims as a dance educator is to cultivate somatic-based learning environments so that students develop, integrate, and hone a holistic, embodied sense of self. In order to achieve this objective, I strive to help students connect their movement to their ongoing thoughts, sensations, and perceptions. In this article, I describe the work that I have developed in relation to M.M. Bakhtin’s dialogism and the practice-based approach of F.M. Alexander. I suggest that while these objectives are readily attainable in dance technique classes and somatic-specific courses, the process is decidedly more challenging during the dance rehearsal. In an effort to design a somatic-based learning environment that supports the rehearsal process, this article describes work on self-other relations and the conveyance of meaning through embodied movement, with an eye to creating an approach to the rehearsal process that focuses on embodiment and dialogism.
Journal Title
Journal of Dance Education
Journal ISSN
1529-0824
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1080/15290824.2021.1970169