(Henri Matisse, Danseuse Acrobate)

Dance philosophy is a major research subject in dance studies as it provides specific methods for the analysis of such questions as “What is a dance?” and “What is going on in a dance?”. Choreographers and artists can better understand the nature of dance by philosophical methods. Dance consists of a series of movements; movements consist of motions and behaviours of human beings; human beings are able to perform physical and mental actions. There are clear theoretical accounts for philosophical actions. According to Monroe C. Beardsley (1982:31) “philosophical action theory is that actions build upon, or grow out of, each other, in certain definable ways. One action, in a general technical sense, is said to ‘generate” another action that is its fruition or even its aim”. This theory has illustrated that the action of dancing might generate the action of doing philosophy. According to the question “Am I doing philosophy when I dance?”, it could be illustrated from two respects: the aesthetics/value of dance and ontology of dance. These theories contribute principles of philosophy to human beings to identify the relationship between philosophy and dance.

In this essay, I will address some of the main ideas about how people are doing philosophy when they create a dance piece or perform dance, even observe a dance work. Regarding space, time and energy, people have the phenomenological experience that space and time could not exist independently, and all matters in this world have their weight. My hypothesis is that people do philosophy when they do dance. The dance work of Points in space by Merce Cunningham (1986) could be used as an example to explain the relationship between dance and philosophy. It utilised an abstract painting as the background screen, and the painted lines could be interpreted as the choreographic structure as a hypothesis. The theme colour set of the background screen matches with the costumes of the dancers, which generates an indicative connection. In addition, there is certain relationship between the duet movements and the lines on the background screen. It seems that human movements in the space are a live narrative for this abstract painting, and dancers completed another abstract work through their movements. According to McFee (1992:8) “Worse still is the thought that philosophy is ‘just about words’”.

Aesthetics is a domain of philosophy which deals with the beauty, art, value and the like. Aesthetics of dance, it is a valuable area in dance research. The aesthetics of dance contributes aesthetic judgments to scholars to study dance pieces, therefore, moving and dancing of human beings are able to come into the consideration of philosophy. Dance as a form of living art is different from others, such as gymnastics, acting, and living statues and people need to go to theatres or specific locations to enjoy a dance performance, rather than to watch through the media (except dance made specifically for film). There are three major reasons. Firstly, the power and energy flow will be decreased by recording methods. The sights, breath, sounds and light have limitations when perceived by audiences through screens. Secondly, dance performance is an art form of the instant, as people who see the same dance piece again after several days will not feel the same way about the piece. Because the state of dancers is different, and the delivering of their emotions determines the quality of movements. Dance has its specific feature of evanescence. According to Marcia Siegel (1972:1) “Dance exists at a perpetual vanishing point, at the moment of its creation it is gone”. Finally, the distance between the stage and the auditorium is a significant factor. People are able to perceive the information and conceive interpretations that radiate from dancers when observing a dance performance from the auditorium. If people watch a dance performance through a screen, this visual effects could be decreased.

That people doing philosophy when they dance could be illustrated by the ontology of dance. Dance is a series of intentional activities for human society. But unaware actions could be recognised as a dance work (improvisational work). In recent years, I watched a video about a child playing with his father. People observing could find numerous unexpected movements. These instinctive actions are not intentionally choreographed, but people can find a narrative in the process of playing. Looking at the movement as dance, people can identify the structure of choreography. Of course, these movements could not be exactly repeated again. According to Anna Pakes (2013:84) “dances are embodied in physical events, and are (or seem to be) also capable of multiple instantiations: they can be performed again and again, by different bodies, in different spaces, or performed simultaneously by different people in various locations”. The nature of time in the universe is unrepeatable. In other words, dance performance cannot be duplicated exactly since the power and energy contained in body movings.

Dancing is an activity of aesthetics and ontology. According to Julia Beauquel (2013:165) “dance as art has been philosophically characterised as involving the natural expressiveness of human movements”. Aesthetics deals with the quality of dance. When a dance performance happens, it has an aesthetical value. From the perspective of ontology, dance could be designed movements or unintentional actions. It depends on observers and the environments. People see a series of movements in a specific area and a specific moment could also be recognised as dance. Dance motions can come from daily life. Choreographers and artists who have accepted professional training are able to choreograph the logic of motions or sequences. Generally speaking, when people move their bodies, the movements exist in a space and connect with matters of the world. In conclusion, people do philosophical thinking when they are dancing, and any dance moment cannot be separated with philosophy.

References:

Beardsley, M.C., (1982) “What is Going On in a Dance?” Dance Research Journal, 15:1, 1982, pp.31-36.

Bunker, J., Pakes, A., & Rowell B., (2013) Thinking Through Dance. Hampshire: Dance Books Ltd..

Cunningham, M., (2001) Merce Cunningham: A Lifetime of Dance. New York: Winstar.

Cull, L., & Lagaay, A., (2014) Encounters in performance philosophy. Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.

McFee, G., (1992) Understanding Dance. Abingdon: Routledge.

Morris, G., (1996) Moving Words. London: Routledge.

Stammers, N., (2009) Human Rights and Social Movements. London: Pluto.

Thrift, N.,& Crang, M., (2000) Thinking space. London : Routledge.