Thesis (MPhil (General Linguistics))--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / Bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Viewing cross-cultural dance performances on international tours or as part of international
dance festivals has become common practice all over the world. For critique writers,
choreographers/ dancers and the audience the accessibility of such a diverse variety of dance
has both advantages and disadvantages. Cross-cultural differences in these performances
challenge strategies of viewing and perception which may lead to aesthetic enrichment but
these performances also risk being misunderstood. In dance critique writing, such a
misunderstanding may result in a negative critique projecting, in a worst scenario, negative
prejudices on the respective cultures.
This thesis investigates how attitudes towards, and perceptions of, cultural differences are
reflected in cross-cultural dance critiques, through the use of particular linguistic and stylistic
devices. Analysis strategies deriving from Critical Discourse Analysis and Text Analysis are
used to uncover the critique’s strategies to communicate their evaluation including ways of
persuasion and power. I analyse six critiques from three countries on the performance
Beautiful Me performed on international tours by the Vuyani Dance Theatre from South
Africa. My initial hypothesis is that cultural differences may lead to negative critiques due to
intercultural misunderstanding. Since viewing Performance Art is not only influenced by the
critique writer’s cultural background but also by their perception attitude towards the
performance, the analysis takes perception modes such as a theatre semiotic approach and a
phenomenological approach into consideration.
Interestingly, different perception modes seem to have a greater impact on the outcome of a
critique than cross-cultural differences. This means that most negative evaluations must have
their origin in the applied strategy of viewing and perceiving dance. The critic seems to
interpret and embed the perceived features of the dance performance into specific cultural or
socio-political contexts forming an individual, often complex evaluation. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Om te kyk na kruiskulturele dansuitvoerings deur dansgeselskappe op internasionale toere of
as deel van internasionale dansfeeste, het wêreldwyd algemene praktyk geword. Vir kritici,
choreograwe/dansers en die gehoor hou die toeganklikheid van so ’n diverse verskeidenheid
dans sowel voordele as nadele in. Kruiskulturele verskille in hierdie vertonings daag kyk- en
waarneem-strategieë uit, wat tot estetiese verryking mag lei. Daar is egter ook ’n
moontlikheid dat hierdie vertonings verkeerd geïnterpreteer mag word. Só ’n waninterpretasie
in dansresensies mag lei tot negatiewe kritiek wat, in uiterste gevalle, negatiewe vooroordele
oor die betrokke kulture projekteer.
Hierdie tesis doen ondersoek na die wyse waarop houdings teenoor en persepsies van
kultuurverskille in kruiskulturele dansresensies deur middel van spesifieke talige en stilistiese
middele gereflekteer word. Analitiese strategieë uit die velde Kritiese Diskoersanalise en
Teksanalise word gebruik om kritici se strategieë wat ’n oordeel kommunikeer, bloot te lê. Ek
analiseer ses resensies uit drie lande wat handel oor die vertoning Beautiful Me wat deur die
Suid-Afrikaanse dansgeselskap Vuyani Dance Theatre tydens internasionale toere opgevoer
is. My aanvanklike hipotese is dat kultuurverskille aanleiding mag gee tot negatiewe kritiek
vanweë interkulturele misverstande. Aangesien die beoordeling van Uitvoerende Kunste nie
slegs deur die kritikus se kulturele agtergrond beïnvloed word nie, maar ook deur hul
waarnemingshouding teenoor die vertoning, neem die analise waarnemingsmodusse soos ’n
teater-semiotiek-benadering en ’n fenomenologiese benadering in ag.
Interessant genoeg, lyk dit asof verskillende waarnemingsmodusse ’n groter impak het op die
uitkoms van kritiek as kruiskulturele verskille. Dít beteken dat die meeste negatiewe oordele
hul oorsprong moet hê in die toegepaste strategie van dans kyk en waarneem. Dit blyk dat die
kritikus die waargenome eienskappe van die dansuitvoering interpreteer en inbed in spesifieke
kulturele of sosio-politiese kontekste wat aanleiding gee tot die verskillende, dikwels
komplekse maniere van beoordeling.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/6840 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Gortz, Ann-Christin |
| Contributors | Bernard, Taryn, Huddlestone, Kate, University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | vi, 89 p. |
| Rights | University of Stellenbosch |
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