Dance, Philosophy, and Somaesthetics

Abstract

This essay examines the question whether dance can do philosophy by considering the manner in which dance processes used in the studio can advance philosophical investigations of human embodiment. Two contemporary improvisation techniques are discussed, Gaga technique developed by Ohad Naharin and Contact Improvisation developed by Steve Paxton.

How to Apply Somaesthetics?

“…Granger (2015) has applied practical somaesthetics in anti-racist education, which starts from identifying racist embodied habits and related feelings in one's body. Eric Mullis (2016), for their part, brings together contemporary feminist philosophy and the practice of contact improvisation to explore the social values and ethical attitudes related to gender and ability through movement. The interaction with other bodies through touch and the cultivation of trust in contact improvisation serve to promote embodied ethics.…”

“…In constructing (5) the theoretical and philosophical framework for somaesthetic inquiry, one can start, for example, from previous somaesthetic research, which includes, in addition to Shusterman's numerous philosophical texts (e.g., 2008;, many somaesthetic analyses already conducted in various fields (e.g., Bratkowski, 2012;Dhillon, 2015;Granger, 2015;Heinrich, 2023;Höök, 2018;Macpherson, 2021;McKerrell, 2012;Mullis, 2016;Ryynänen, 2015;Smith, 2017;Tarvainen, 2018aTarvainen, , 2018b. One can also lean on the classics on embodiment that have influenced the humanistic and social sciences at large (e.g., Merleau-Ponty, Foucault, Mauss) and, of course, on the related works on embodiment and aesthetics in one's own discipline.…”

The Routledge Companion to Performance Philosophy

“…This links to a second category of arguments about performance thinking: arguments that dance -and, perhaps, physical theatre or other kinds of performance which emphasise their bodily aspect -enhance understanding of human embodiment more generally. Eric Mullis (2016), for example, suggests that engagement as a dancer with certain kinds of improvisational practice (specifically, Gaga technique and Contact Improvisation) is a way to foster new somaesthetic experiences and explore new realms of embodied sensation. Provided we move away from a narrow conception of philosophy as advancing arguments, he suggests, this somaesthetic process is philosophical insofar as it prompts self-reflection on the characteristics of those experiences, and contemplation of the nature and social significance of embodiment more generally.…”

How Do I Know When I Am Dancing?

“…When this occurs, he or she begins to consider personal and cultural factors that fostered the development of his particular mode of embodiment which in turn allows him to consider alternatives. ( Mullis, 2016 ) The activities considered in somaesthetics can be activities that are leading to the art products that are the object of what is considered classically to be an aesthetic experience: Painting, molding, composing music, creating a choreography. But they could also be activities with no other aim than the practice itself, which is often the case for activities such as drawing, playing music, playing a game and of course dancing.…”