Imagined bodies: dancing, transmutation and liberty

Abstract

The objective of this article is to propose a reflection around the body and subjectivity on Contemporary Theatrical Dance. In order to do so, we will use Pierre Bourdieu’s notion of “habitus” as well as the concepts of “radical imagination” and “autonomy” of Cornelius Castoriadis. Our intention is to link this artistic practice to a model of thought that sheds light on its implications and let us apprehend it from a new perspective, making a contribution to the theoretical field of dance. The overall approach to the object of study refers to a communicative perspective, since we conceive Contemporary Theatrical Dance as an artistic practice of creation and composition but also as a discursive instance which implies the presence of an audience that interprets. What is more, Contemporary Dance final work refers to an open-ended, indeterminate and suggestive discourse that does not seek the ratification of instituted imaginaries but aspires to the imagination and creation of new forms and meanings. In this sense, we understand this specific language of the arts as a political praxis that is aligned to the “social autonomy project” presented by Castoriadis for it proposes new ways of understanding corporality and therefore, subjectivity, aiming in this way, to social transformation.