Dance and philosophy laboratory: tools for research

Ana Mira

Independent Dance, Sat 24 May 2014, 11am-5pm

…Nothing believed or doubted…

Always the beautiful answer who asks a more beautiful question

E. E. Cummings (i six nonlectures)

How can we translate sensations, small perceptions and images of our dance experience into verbal language and conceptual thought? And, how can a philosophical reading on “the profound continuity of movements that make up the dance”, enhance our dance experience of it (Gil, 2002:123)?

In a practice-based dance and philosophy laboratory, the approach proposed consists of researching, listening, describing, documenting, analysing and writing sensations. This, in relation with extracts from the selected readings will offer new perspectives, tools, awareness and understandings of the focus of our experimentation, namely: the profound continuous subterraneous movement that sustains the dance…distilling of presence of the body.

Is there, or is there not, a perceptual shift as we experiment on the body in dance in resonance with verbal language and conceptual thought? If there is, can we live it without capturing its forces? And, if there isn’t, how can we forge ways for it to emerge in our dance and philosophy practice?

The reading materials for this workshop are the following:

Gil, J. (2002) “The Dancer”s Body” In: Massumi, B. (ed.) A Schock to Thought – Expression after Deleuze and Guattari. London: Routledge. pp.117-127.

Langer, S. (1976) “The Dynamic Image: Some Philosophical Reflections on Dance” Salmagundi. 33/34, Dance (Spring-Summer) pp.76-82 http://www.jstor.org/stable/40546920 [accessed 21 October 2013].

Lepecki, A. (2000) “Still: On the Vibratile Microscopy of Dance” In: Branstetter, G. & Völckers, H. (eds.) Remembering the Body. Ostfildern-Ruit: Hatje Cantz Publishers. pp. 334-366.

These reading materials, for research purposes only, are available at the following link in the “teaching documents” section:  https://unl-pt.academia.edu/AnaMira

+info:

http://www.independentdance.co.uk/author/ana-mira/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ID%20Summer%20Workshop%20with%20Ana%20Mira&utm_content=ID%20Summer%20Workshop%20with%20Ana%20Mira+Preview+CID_fb9812c10ae8255de35043e979a47bac&utm_source=Email%20marketing%20software&utm_term=Click%20here