Work(s) and (Non)production in Contemporary Movement Practices

Authors

Keywords:

Ontology, practice, analytic philosophy,

Abstract

This paper considers how the presentation of movement practices in performance contexts blurs the distinction between making and performance, raising questions about the nature of dance ‘works’. I examine the way that practice is foregrounded in the work of UK dance artists Katye Coe and Charlie Morrissey, and American choreographer Deborah Hay, troubling distinctions between the internal and external aspects of performance. In response to this, I examine the applicability of the work–concept (Goehr 1992), to current dance practices, suggesting that the concept is an open one and refers not solely to stable art objects, but also indicates open-ended entities, which are formed through a confluence of practice and performance.

Author Biography

Hetty Blades, Coventry University

Dr Hetty Blades is a Postdoctoral Research Assistant in the Centre for Dance Research (C-DaRE) at Coventry University, where she completed her PhD in 2015. She has published papers and chapters on the ontology of dance in relation to technology, addressing philosophical questions around ontology, identity, and analysis. She is an Editorial Assistant for the Journal of Dance and Somatic Practices.

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29-07-2016

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