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

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 Mor...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Hetty Blades
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Performance Philosophy 2016-07-01
Series:Performance Philosophy
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.performancephilosophy.org/journal/article/view/105
Description
Summary: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.
ISSN:2057-7176