Philosophy of Dancing
Philosophy of Dancing attemps to explore what we can learn through the dancing about the actual movement of life and the cause and structure of thoughts through dancing. Contrary to conventional philosophical thinking, the project attempts to take holistically. Because dance is not just one aspect of the body. Rather, the body of dancing and dance, whether in contemplation or experience, encompasses the entire space in which the body is currently dancing. Its rhythmic plays with the current dynamics and brings them to the point. Because dance and dancing are only present in the moment, in the „here and now“. This is why dance is also referred to as art of time.
Time and its structure are a common aspect of dancing and thinking. The time in forms such as „rhythm“ or „dynamics“ shows that our thinking is not something that stands still. The Phenomenology, that explores our consciousness and its perception of time will show that dancing and thinking are generated by the same movement structure (or we can call it „meta-choreography“).
However, a holistic approach based on a dance philosophy requires more than just looking from „outside“ to „inside“. The Phenomenological method usually examines phenomena without including knowledge in order to arrive at their essential properties. And we pay attention to the subjective perspective from which the investigation is conducted. The method is therefore suitable for a philosophy of dancing. Because of dance touches on the external and internal phenomena that surrounded it.
This is why phenomenology forms the framework of the project. We begin with a phenomenology of dance, in which the essential characteristics of dance for the movement structure of thought and life in actuality/practice are highlighted and discussed. In this context, I introduce what I listed at the beginning: Body, time, space and rhythm of dance. Through the phenomenology we come from an external perspective and describe more the external movement structure of the actuality and its dance. Because their path leads from outside to the inside. From there, the project takes philosophical-methodical steps back to ontological viewpoints. For dance does not only have eyes that come from outside in. Rather, dance is embodied hearing. And therefore a philosophy of dancing should take both perspectives into consideration. The other way could be ontology, because it deals with being and the cause of principle of being. Ontology also comes more from inside out. I deliberately write „more“ because both philosophical methods touch on inner and outer aspects. But in ontological views we often present an underlying substance. In contrast, phenomenology is less about the absolute and more about how we are and perceive in any particular situation.
When it comes to time and we assume that the structure is dynamic, then we come to Heraclitus in the ontological space. He describes the ontological principle dynamically, namely in terms of the Logos. His statements tell us how the Logos is structured, how we can recognize, experience and incorporate it. We find these aspects in detail in Hegel, Nietzsche and Bloch. The point is that their views coincide with the essential movement of dance. And this has its roots in the fundamental understanding of muses in the ancient Greek-language area. The task of project is therefore to show that the philosophy of Heraclitus, Hegel, Nietzsche and Bloch explains how the Logos can be embodied and that this is essentially follows the phenomenological methods. In detail: Heraclitus covers all aspects. In the case of Hegel, Nietzsche and Bloch I will take a closer look at the Heraclitus. Hegel mainly sheds light on the aspects of the idea movement, Nietzsche fouces on the larger experience and Bloch deals with the possibility of integration.
The framework is concluded with a phenomenology of actuality, in which all the findings of project´s are summarized and discussed. It also states that the actuality unfolds according to the paradigm of dance.
