Univ., Akad. avh.--Lund, 2006.

The thesis is concerned with the exploration of the notion of ‘flow’ from both a psychological and dance analysis perspective in order to extend the meaning of flow and move beyond a partiality of understanding. The main aim of the thesis recognises the need to understand, identify and interpret an analysis of the moments of flow perceivable in a dancer’s body during improvisatory practice, through technologically innovative means. The research is undertaken via both philosophical and practical enquiry. It addresses phenomenology in order to resolve the mind/body debate and is applied to research in flow in psychology by Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi, and flow in movement analysis by Rudolf Laban and Warren Lamb. The significance of this endeavour can be seen in the reconsideration of the relation between mind and body, and art and science which informs the methodology for the research (Part One). The three main outcomes of the research are related to each of the three subsequent parts. The first research outcome is the articulation of a transdisciplinary approach to understanding flow and was developed by expanding on the current definitions of flow through an innovative transdisciplinary methodology (Part Two). Research outcome two addresses the intersubjective nature of flow, which was identified within improvisation. From this two methods were constructed for the collection and interpretation of the experience of the dancer. Firstly, through reflective practice as defined by Donald Schön. And secondly, an argument was provided for the use of motion capture as an embodied tool which extends the dancers embodied cognitive capabilities in the moment of improvisation (Part Three). The final research outcome was thus theorised that such embodied empathic intersubjectivity does not require a direct identification of the other’s body but could be achieved through technologically mediated objects in the world (Part Four). Subsequently, the findings from the research could support further research within a number of fields including dance education, dance practice and dance therapy, psychology, neuroscience, gaming and interactive arts.

This essay is an attempt to scrutinize dance improvisation in terms of Aristotle’s concept of the practical knowledge phronesis. By remembering and reflecting upon lessons and my own practical knowledge and experience as a teacher in the subject of dance improvisation, I want to examine the ability to improvise as the dance students´ phronesis. Awareness, spontaneity and intuition are vital elements for the comprehension of phronesis and even represented in the basis training in dance improvisation. During the contemplation I have used philosophical books and texts mainly about practical knowledge, intuition and reflection.

[No Abstract]

The Art of Presence: Contemplation, Communing and Creativity reflects on the making of a dance theatre work called Song of Longing presented at Victorian College of the Arts in 2008. Song of Longing was made in collaboration with the cast, who participated in a process centred on improvisation. The resulting performance was a synergy of dance and unaccompanied singing. / The thesis is an investigation of the choreographer's ongoing exploration of movement, singing and improvisation, informed by Buddhist philosophy. Both the writing and the performance mirror an embodied practice - making tangible themes and concepts that have emerged into consciousness. / Central interests include the ‘life-world’ of the artist and its influence on the creative process, the concepts of spirituality, spirit and ‘flow’, the experiential focus of the inquiry, improvisation as presence and the value of art as healing and therapy. / While the perspective of the writing is drawn from the subjectivity of the practitioner, the aim of the work is to draw on the broader fields of research in these areas and to connect with the creative practices of other artists. To this end, a conventional survey of the literature has been augmented by writings and teachings on Buddhism and other spiritual practices, documentaries and visual art. Interviews with artists in Australia and India and thoughts from the performers of Song of Longing are also included.

The Art of Presence: Contemplation, Communing and Creativity reflects on the making of a dance theatre work called Song of Longing presented at Victorian College of the Arts in 2008. Song of Longing was made in collaboration with the cast, who participated in a process centred on improvisation. The resulting performance was a synergy of dance and unaccompanied singing. / The thesis is an investigation of the choreographer's ongoing exploration of movement, singing and improvisation, informed by Buddhist philosophy. Both the writing and the performance mirror an embodied practice - making tangible themes and concepts that have emerged into consciousness. / Central interests include the ‘life-world’ of the artist and its influence on the creative process, the concepts of spirituality, spirit and ‘flow’, the experiential focus of the inquiry, improvisation as presence and the value of art as healing and therapy. / While the perspective of the writing is drawn from the subjectivity of the practitioner, the aim of the work is to draw on the broader fields of research in these areas and to connect with the creative practices of other artists. To this end, a conventional survey of the literature has been augmented by writings and teachings on Buddhism and other spiritual practices, documentaries and visual art. Interviews with artists in Australia and India and thoughts from the performers of Song of Longing are also included.

Syftet med det här utvecklingsarbetet har varit att pröva olika metoder att arbeta med dansimprovisation på gymnasieskolans estetiska program dansinriktningen. Jag har upplevt att detofta har varit svårt i början för eleverna att släppa hämningar och krav och att våga utforskaegna rörelser i tid, rum och kraft. I det här utvecklingsarbetet prövades som metod tre olikauttryck: rörliga bilder, en text eller ett musikstycke. Därför var jag nyfiken på hur elevernaupplevde de olika estetiska inspirationskällorna och om någon kunde öka elevens motivationatt arbeta med dansimprovisation. Samtidigt ville jag knyta ihop några moment ur kursernascentrala innehåll med förhoppning om att eleverna skulle få en ökad förståelse för denskapande processen i dans. För att få en uppfattning av hur eleverna upplevde det härupplägget utvärderades arbetet genom egna observationer och intervjuer av eleverna.Resultatet visade att eleverna upplevde en ökad motivation att improvisera till rörliga bilderoch musik. Eleverna uppfattade även att de hade fått en bredare förståelse avdansimprovisation verktyg för att skapa dans när några moment ur kursernas centrala innehållsamverkade som en helhet. Samtliga elever upplevde arbetet med de olika metoderna som enpositiv erfarenhet. / The aim of this developing project has been to try different ways of inspiration when workingwith dance improvisation at the dance programme in upper secondary education. The sourcesI used in this project were moving pictures, a piece of music and a text. I was interested toexplore if the dance students experienced a greater inspiration from any particular source thatcould result in increased motivation to work with dance improvisation. I also wanted to linkrelevant parts of the purposes of each subjects from the curriculum of the dance programmehoping to bridge the gap between the practice of dance and dance theory and to see if thestudents gained a better understanding of the creative process in dance. The project was assessed through my observations and interviews of the students. The results showed that thestudents felt more motivated to improvise to moving pictures and to music. Students alsoperceived that they had received an increased understanding of dance improvisation as a toolfor creating dance when relevant contents of the different courses interacted as a whole. Allstudents experienced the work of the various methods as positive experience.

Thesis (MChor)--University of Melbourne, Faculty of the Victorian College of the Arts and Music, 2010. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 65-69)

This thesis theorises the practice of three female British dance artists, Miranda Tufnell, Helen Poynor and Hilary Kneale. It engages with the central idea that a combined practice of creative writing and movement improvisation enhances the artist's articulation and assimilation of the experience of dance, consequently developing a deeper connection to the experiences of the body in relation to one's environment. Refuting common perception that the inadequacy of language fails to embody the experience of dance, I argue that the approaches used by these women contribute to a distillation of experience thus revealing the essence of movement. Importantly, it focuses on practices that have been born of the feminist consciousness that facilitated the development of both British postmodern dance and women's writing since 1970. As a result, I utilise Elizabeth Grosz's notions of freedom and writing otherwise, and David Abram's Merleau-Pontian ideas on participation to underpin theoretical endeavours. Fieldwork, in the form of interviews and the participation in/observation of various performances, workshops and training programmes, run by each of the dance artists studied, is presented. The development of my own practice resulting from these enquires is documented, analysed and appraised throughout the thesis. The Introduction outlines research questions addressed and methodological approaches undertaken before considering the historical context of each artist's unique practice. Each case study is preceded by a chapter that identifies biographical circumstances, creative choices, and socio-political conditions that have influenced the careers of these dance artists. The function of writing as a bridge between the subjective embodied experience and objective analysis of that experience is examined alongside an assessment of the scope of each practice as a method of harvesting a [re]connection with nature and its power to generate self-affirming stories. Finally, the conclusion offers thoughts on the difficulties of such an endeavour within the framework of contemporary thought that maintains its stance on the split between [body]dance and [mind]written language.

This research uses dance and film to investigate the creation and conveyance of a kinesthetic experience of place. The choreographer, dancers, and videographer participating in the study aimed to create a kinesthetic experience of place by engaging the senses in a sensory experience of place and exploring the different feeling states of place. The study utilized choreographic methodologies of site-specific dance and screendance to facilitate a creative process rehearsed, performed, and filmed in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation area at Eel Creek. The footage from this choreographic process was edited into a screendance intended to convey a kinesthetic experience of place to viewers. The pilot study, At Eel Creek, and the final screendance, ensō, can be viewed through supplemental files included with this document. The evaluation of the study has resulted in key discoveries into the components necessary for the creation and conveyance of a kinesthetic experience of place.