Body, Corporeality, and Modern Dance: a Perspective from Spirituality

Abstract

This work aims to provide a bibliographic reflection on the role of the body in the performance of modern dance as an interpreter of the actor’s subjectivity, seeking to understand the concept of spirituality and contemplating these theories using the multidisciplinary approach proposed in different fields of knowledge, while embracing contributions from Sociology, Performing Arts, and Religious Studies. We will use works by Laban (1978), Le Breton (2012), and Eliade (2009, 2013) as a starting point for understanding the body as having its own spirituality, which is the most valuable phenomenon for dancers and their compositions. The initial proposition of this study is to observe the body beyond the anatomophysiological perspective and to perceive the need for fluidity in the structure and aesthetics of modern dance, while also incorporating notions into the already established model of what the body is and how these notions apply to modern dance. Ultimately, this article contributes to expanding the perspective of modern dance in relation to the body as a unique component for the dancer’s personal transcendence.