Dena Davida presents the anthology Fields in Motion.
December 23rd 2011
Article about the anthology Fields in Motion edited by Dena Davida PhD.
-Oliver Koomsatira
Licia Perea's character portrayal of Frida Kahlo by photographer Dorit Thies, 1992.
Ethnography is defined as the branch of anthropology in which different cultures are studied and described. The founder and co-artistic director of Tangente Dena Davida edited the anthology called Fields in Motion which brings together 28 dance-scholars who share the meaning they found dance has in our contemporary culture. This book shares the insights of dance teachers, dancers, creators, programmers, spectators, students as well as scholars who come from five different continents.
You may ask yourself why it should be of any interest to examine dance in such depth. After all, isn't dance just people who move their body and feet to the rhythm of music? What importance does it have in relationship to culture, let alone to my existence? That's a valid question. For many of us, when I say dance, we may think of the reality TV shows So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing With The Stars or the Radio-Canada show Ils dansent. Ok, so these people are very talented artists who are showing off their talent to the world, so what? Perhaps you didn't know that in Quebec there are 61 publicly funded dance companies, of which 586 shows were presented in 2009, generating $5,671,794 in ticket sales. Why did 272 057 Quebecers go see a dance show in 2009? What is the deal with this thing called dance? Perhaps it isn't such a mundane topic, after all.
If you look any culture on earth, you'll realize that every single one of them have a few traits in common. Every culture developed a way to communicate: language and literature. Every culture developed a form of music and as soon as music exists, every culture has developed a precise way to move to this music: dance. Doesn't matter how primitive or advanced a civilization may be, their people will talk, sing and dance. Perhaps dance can make us discover much more about us than we previously thought. A baby will dance to music before he can even talk. Teenagers will fall in love dancing to a song at a high school dance. Adults will flood the clubs on Friday and Saturday nights, dancing to the point of exhaustion in search of that special someone. Newlyweds will most assuredly dance in front of hundreds of friends and family members after they say "I do". Just one more dance.
In Fields in Motion, the authors dive into their own area of interests relating dance to human culture. Karen Barbour from New Zealand reflects on her experiences as a solo contemporary dancer and professor, leading her to re-consider ways women move to express everyday experiences. Ralph Buck, Warwick Long and Sylvie Fortin examine student and teachers' experiences of working with the Feldenkrais method within a series of contemporary dance technique classes.
Bridget Cauthery explores the performance of trance in the choreographic work of South African shaman and dancer Vincent Sekwati Mansoe. Anne Cazemajou analyzes the impact that a contemporary dance teacher has on her research project. Monica Dantas seeks to understand the concept of the Anthrophagic Manifesto which is a major force in the Brazilian art world.
Editor Dena Davida seeks the meaning and senses that are embedded in a choreographic project that the Montreal dance company O Vertigo presents to its public. Jennifer Fisher shares a new methodology that involved sending a participant home with a tape-recorder and a set of guiding questions to reflect on the ballet piece The Nutcracker.
One after another, 24 passionate authors share their insights, expanding on the topic of dance in relationship to contemporary culture. Fields in Motion is currently on sale for anyone who would be interested in going on an exciting journey into the worlds of dancers, spectators and researchers within a variety of social and cultural contexts. Want to offer a thoughtful Christmas gift to a dance lover? To get your copy, order online on the Wilfrid Laurier University Press's website. You can get a 25% discount on the book priced at 39.95$ if you order online.
http://www.wlupress.wlu.ca/press/Catalog/davida.shtml
FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK!
You may ask yourself why it should be of any interest to examine dance in such depth. After all, isn't dance just people who move their body and feet to the rhythm of music? What importance does it have in relationship to culture, let alone to my existence? That's a valid question. For many of us, when I say dance, we may think of the reality TV shows So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing With The Stars or the Radio-Canada show Ils dansent. Ok, so these people are very talented artists who are showing off their talent to the world, so what? Perhaps you didn't know that in Quebec there are 61 publicly funded dance companies, of which 586 shows were presented in 2009, generating $5,671,794 in ticket sales. Why did 272 057 Quebecers go see a dance show in 2009? What is the deal with this thing called dance? Perhaps it isn't such a mundane topic, after all.
If you look any culture on earth, you'll realize that every single one of them have a few traits in common. Every culture developed a way to communicate: language and literature. Every culture developed a form of music and as soon as music exists, every culture has developed a precise way to move to this music: dance. Doesn't matter how primitive or advanced a civilization may be, their people will talk, sing and dance. Perhaps dance can make us discover much more about us than we previously thought. A baby will dance to music before he can even talk. Teenagers will fall in love dancing to a song at a high school dance. Adults will flood the clubs on Friday and Saturday nights, dancing to the point of exhaustion in search of that special someone. Newlyweds will most assuredly dance in front of hundreds of friends and family members after they say "I do". Just one more dance.
In Fields in Motion, the authors dive into their own area of interests relating dance to human culture. Karen Barbour from New Zealand reflects on her experiences as a solo contemporary dancer and professor, leading her to re-consider ways women move to express everyday experiences. Ralph Buck, Warwick Long and Sylvie Fortin examine student and teachers' experiences of working with the Feldenkrais method within a series of contemporary dance technique classes.
Bridget Cauthery explores the performance of trance in the choreographic work of South African shaman and dancer Vincent Sekwati Mansoe. Anne Cazemajou analyzes the impact that a contemporary dance teacher has on her research project. Monica Dantas seeks to understand the concept of the Anthrophagic Manifesto which is a major force in the Brazilian art world.
Editor Dena Davida seeks the meaning and senses that are embedded in a choreographic project that the Montreal dance company O Vertigo presents to its public. Jennifer Fisher shares a new methodology that involved sending a participant home with a tape-recorder and a set of guiding questions to reflect on the ballet piece The Nutcracker.
One after another, 24 passionate authors share their insights, expanding on the topic of dance in relationship to contemporary culture. Fields in Motion is currently on sale for anyone who would be interested in going on an exciting journey into the worlds of dancers, spectators and researchers within a variety of social and cultural contexts. Want to offer a thoughtful Christmas gift to a dance lover? To get your copy, order online on the Wilfrid Laurier University Press's website. You can get a 25% discount on the book priced at 39.95$ if you order online.
http://www.wlupress.wlu.ca/press/Catalog/davida.shtml
FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK!
