From expressions to ecstasy: Understanding the phenomenon of experiential interaction between the performer and audience in dance
J. Shashi Kiran Reddy, Contzen Pereira
Dance Movement & Spiritualities July 1, 2018 DOI: 10.1386/dmas.5.1.89_1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Indian contemporary dancer Astad Deboo and his audience, examined through a first-person case study |
| Topics | MDMA |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key points | Proposes that resonance between the inner experiential states of performer and audience produces a 'non-local' interaction in which each feels the other within. Argues this hypothesis could be tested by simultaneously tracking brain activity in performer and observer during a performance to see whether they report similar active zones at the same moment. |
Abstract
Abstract The act of dance appears as a pattern of conscious movements in space and time, but a dancer who has the ability to go beyond the limits of space and time (experientially) can bring about a non-local experience of oneself and the audience making it an ecstatic communion. In this paper, we are interested in examining the extent of subjective experience of a dancer and his audience; hence, we take up a case study in first-person to understand the performer-audience interaction. For this purpose, we chose Indian contemporary dancer Astad Deboo, an artist who is known to create such a magical two-way interaction consigning his audience as well as himself to a state of being mesmerized. The art of creating a non-local experience seems to be his forte, where the audience can feel him within, while he feels his audience within. To explain this phenomenon, we propose the resonance of inner experiential states of the performer and audience as the underlying mechanism that creates a non-local interaction between them. To validate the present hypothesis, one must subject both the performer and observer to experimental studies, which involve simultaneous tracking and monitoring of the active zones in the brain associated with performing and performance viewing. In the above context, it would also be interesting to see if there exists a point of time during the performance event, where both these subjects report similar active zones in the brain.