The International Journal of the Arts in Society: Annual Review

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Dance in the Weave of the City: A Proposal for Five Case Studies


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1 The University of Auckland, New Zealand
     

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Dance practices of diverse cultural dance forms are part of the fabric of Auckland communities. The research project introduced here explores whether and how these dance practices may contribute to learning about own culture and the culture of others, and whether and how participating in these dance practices may incite a felt connection for participants to Auckland as their city. The study uses ethnographic research methods and narrative inquiry. It is underpinned by a holistic, non dualistic understanding of humans, uses a phenomenological approach to capture people's lived experience and lastly frames dance as a socially and culturally constructed practice that is a major way of meaning making and learning. Additionally non-representational theory offers a framework to conceptualise cultural dance in Auckland as an urban practice that may have the potential to considerably add to the multi-cultural city of the future. This article presents the themes and theories which I (Dagmar Simon) engaged with during the first year of my PhD and introduces the research design that I developed. The article's authorship also acknowledges the input of my two supervisors (Dr. Ralph Buck and Dr. Jennifer Hand) as they have helped form and direct my questions and research.

Keywords

Cultural Dance as an Urban Practice, Cross-Cultural Encounters in the City, Multi-Culturalism, Dance as a Way of Knowing and Learning, Dance Ethnography, Non-Representational Theory, Dance and Social/Cultural Geography, Auckland, Aotearoa/New Zealand.
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  • Dance in the Weave of the City: A Proposal for Five Case Studies

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Authors

Dagmar Simon
The University of Auckland, New Zealand
Ralph Buck
The University of Auckland, New Zealand
Jennifer Hand
The University of Auckland, New Zealand

Abstract


Dance practices of diverse cultural dance forms are part of the fabric of Auckland communities. The research project introduced here explores whether and how these dance practices may contribute to learning about own culture and the culture of others, and whether and how participating in these dance practices may incite a felt connection for participants to Auckland as their city. The study uses ethnographic research methods and narrative inquiry. It is underpinned by a holistic, non dualistic understanding of humans, uses a phenomenological approach to capture people's lived experience and lastly frames dance as a socially and culturally constructed practice that is a major way of meaning making and learning. Additionally non-representational theory offers a framework to conceptualise cultural dance in Auckland as an urban practice that may have the potential to considerably add to the multi-cultural city of the future. This article presents the themes and theories which I (Dagmar Simon) engaged with during the first year of my PhD and introduces the research design that I developed. The article's authorship also acknowledges the input of my two supervisors (Dr. Ralph Buck and Dr. Jennifer Hand) as they have helped form and direct my questions and research.

Keywords


Cultural Dance as an Urban Practice, Cross-Cultural Encounters in the City, Multi-Culturalism, Dance as a Way of Knowing and Learning, Dance Ethnography, Non-Representational Theory, Dance and Social/Cultural Geography, Auckland, Aotearoa/New Zealand.

References