‘…wind in my hair, I feel a part of everywhere…’: creating dance for young audiences narrates emplacement.

Abstract: This article is a reflection from a moment during the tour of my performance work for young audiences – ‘Found’. I explore how the meaningfulness shared in the moments dancing together captures much broader narratives about the transformative connections of Being-in-Place: emplacement. I respond to Pink’s call to explore embodied experiences through emplacement (Pink, 2010). Therefore, I use emplacement as a lens to theorize experiences during the practical performance work of ‘Found’, beyond the visual aesthetic of seeing live dance. This articulating and valuing the significance of where Self begins, or ends or is continuous in environment shares inquiry with colleagues in architecture (Pallasmaa, 2005, Rasmussen, 1959), social sciences (Deleuze and Guattari, 1983, 1987), and geography (Lefebvre, 2004). I suggest ramifications on how dance offers somatic dialogue that can empower children to take part in, and become aware of, their own presence in the co-created reality of Place.

Keywords: emplacement, embodiment, Place, Being-in-Place, choreography, dance, children.

https://doi.org/10.1386/jdsp.11.1.39_1