Ariadne’s Thread: A Depth Psychology Exploration of Liminal Immanence in Dance/Movement
Arianne MacBean
Dance chronicle February 12, 2024 DOI: 10.1080/01472526.2023.2299506 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that Ariadne's myth provides clues about the vitality of movement and a concept of selfhood that does not venerate arrival, and that symbols from the myth appear in performances by Martha Graham and Jeanine Durning, offering examples of dancing as liminal immanence. Proposes that a Jungian depth psychology perspective is a generative framework for analyzing dance and choreography in relation to individuation and anima/animus. |
Abstract
Abstract The ancient Greek myth of Ariadne provides clues about the vitality of movement—its expression and action—and how it evokes a concept of selfhood that does not venerate arrival. This article analyzes how symbols from Ariadne’s myth appear in performances by Martha Graham and Jeanine Durning, which similarly offer examples of dancing as liminal immanence. Ultimately this research shows how a depth psychology perspective, based on Carl Jung’s theories, brings unconscious material to consciousness through analysis of image and symbol and might be a generative framework for analyzing dance and choreography as they connect to theories of individuation and anima/animus.