Une Danse Brute - Dancing on the Outside
Category: Research | Role: Performer, Researcher | Venue: Theaterhaus Mitte, Home Studio
For my research project “Une Danse Brute – Dancing On the Outside,” I set out to explore how the concept of Art Brut could be applied to dance. It quickly became clear that the term “brut” can indeed be applied to many forms of art, though I believe the translation “raw” is misleading. The artworks I encountered are often characterized by an immense attention to detail; they contain intricate forms, numbers, and symbols, and frequently imply a spiritual character. I knew myself that it would not be easy to find an equivalent for such an aesthetic in dance. My aim was to rediscover in dance the affect that, at least in my visual experience of such artworks, was conveyed immediately and directly; which initially requires no cognitive classification, in the realm of dance. However, there is a significant obstacle here: dance is ephemeral; it leaves no product behind. Since I assumed that Danse Brute is not primarily performance-bound, but rather a practice of movement as an end in itself, it was actually clear that I would either have to become a voyeur or start with myself. I chose the latter. In the studio, I began to recite Jean Dubuffet’s Art Brut manifesto “Anticultural Positions” aloud and to move intuitively to it—consistently replacing the word “Art” with the word “Dance.” While this did not produce any movement material, I came to better internalize what Danse Brute can be—the embodiment of imagination rather than concepts. So I recalled dreams and irrational mental images and sensations and began to embody them. In this case, embodying means bringing the invisible realm of the imagination outward through one’s own body via movement and posture. In doing so, I discovered that, above all, minute movements and extreme tension lead to the qualities I had aimed for. At times, I held my breath while moving. In retrospect, I now understand why it is called Art Brut, or raw art: it is not about something being unfinished; it is about something not needing to be made palatable. Embracing this seems to me to be a major challenge in the field of dance, one that I will continue to work on.
