Responsible Knowing in Partnering

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Keywords:

partnering, dance philosophy, epistemology, care ethics

Abstract

How partners encounter each other plays a role in whether they will be able to sustain their interaction. How partners go about maintaining their interaction reveals features of their epistemological system, particularly with respect to factors like what they know, what they take to be relevant to the interpretation, and what they value. In this way, the value system (what partners want) and the epistemological system (what partners know) intersect. By focusing on the role of reasoning and understanding, I believe we stand to gain a clearer picture of how expectations about interactions inform the dynamics between partners. This, in turn, affords a picture of what partners can actually achieve in and through their connection. I am particularly interested in considering what features of interaction are necessary for maximizing the affordances of the partnership. I say this not as a utilitarian interested in maximizing good simpliciter, but as a social epistemologist thinking about the contingent goods that are present in relation (e.g. care). The epistemic picture assumes that there are things that are knowable in dancing together, while the ethical picture assumes that partners are responsible for the things they ought to know.

Author Biography

Ilya Vidrin

Dr. Ilya Vidrin is Assistant Professor of Creative Practice Research at Northeastern University (USA). Vidrin’s work engages with and investigates ethics of interaction, including the embodiment of care, trust, cultural competence, and social responsibility. Vidrin holds a B.S. in Psychology and Neuroscience from Northeastern University, a Master’s Degree in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard University, and a PhD in Performing Arts from the Centre for Dance Research at Coventry University. Most recently, Vidrin has been visiting artist at the Harvard ArtLab, National Choreographic Center, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, EXC 2020 Temporal Communities (Berlin), and the New Museum (NYC).

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Published

25-06-2024

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 2 (2023): Responsive Bodies: The Ethics of Temporal Community in Contemporary Dance

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Articles

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