Embodying Dances of India in France: A Movement Analysis and Micro-Phenomenological Approach
Federica Fratagnoli, Stacie Allan
Dance chronicle May 4, 2026 DOI: 10.1080/01472526.2026.2695517 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | Brigitte Chataignier, a "dance-traveler" practicing traditional Indian dance (mohiniattam) abroad |
| Duration | Research protocols initiated in 2017 and continuing to the present |
| Key findings | Argues that combining Hubert Godard's movement analysis with micro-phenomenological interviews (Vermersch's explicitation interview, Petitmengin's elaborations) can access and articulate a dancer's previously unspoken, unnoticed subjective experience of mohiniattam. The authors contend this pairing reveals subtle embodied nuances of choreographic engagement and offers methodological and theoretical insight into practice, perception, and cultural transmission in Indian dance performed abroad. |
Abstract
This article examines the use of Hubert Godard’s movement analysis alongside a micro-phenomenological approach—drawing on Pierre Vermersch’s explicitation interview and Claire Petitmengin’s subsequent elaborations—to explore the embodied experience of a “dance-traveler” engaging with traditional Indian dance. Focusing on the case of Brigitte Chataignier, the study investigates how her previously unspoken and often unnoticed subjective experience of mohiniattam can be accessed and articulated through a series of research protocols initiated in 2017 and continuing to the present. By combining detailed movement analysis with first-person accounts, the article highlights the methodological and theoretical potential of micro-phenomenology to reveal the subtle, embodied nuances of choreographic engagement, offering new insights into the intersection of practice, perception, and cultural transmission in the context of Indian dance performed abroad.