Body without Organs Model of Corporeality as a Productive Corporeal Paradigm in Steve Paxton’s Concept of Contact Improvisation

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to reveal the features of postmodern dance through the prism of the concept "body without organs" and to analyse the defined model of corporeality as a productive bodily paradigm in S. Paxton's contact improvisation. Research methodology. The analytical, typological, historical and cultural method, the method of cultural analysis (to understand the cultural meanings of the "body without organs" model of corporeality, which are revealed and constructed by postmodern dance practices), the phenomenological method, which contributed to the understanding of dance as a special type of socio-culturally oriented bodily practices, were applied, as well as generalisation method. Scientific novelty. The concept of "body without organs" is studied in the theoretical works of A. Artaud, as well as within the framework of the philosophy of postmodern corporeality of J. Deleuze and F. Guattari; the question of the body and dance as a possible overcoming of its automatisms is considered. The concept of postmodern dance along the lines of the "body without organs" model was analysed and its features as a productive bodily paradigm in the paradigm of contact improvisation by S. Paxton was revealed. Conclusions. In accordance with the specifics of postmodernism, the concept of "body without organs" is positioned as the result of a meaningful application of the fundamental idea about the immanent creative potential of the rhizome (a decentralised semantic environment to the phenomenon of corporeality. In the dimension of postmodern dance, the "body without organs" model has become the most productive bodily paradigm in Steve Paxton’s contact improvisation. S. Paxton’s concept, within which contact improvisation is considered as a specific formation of "spherical space", the result of a change in spatial-kinaesthetic orientation within a short time, involves focusing on the boundaries of body space, understanding its inner essence in relation to external space, the birth of movement in the process communication. Like most postmodern dance practices, contact improvisation is not focused on the final result, but is focused on the continuity of the process and the transformation of the aesthetic experience. According to S. Paxton, sustained movement and spontaneous movement are the poles of the spectrum of possibilities that define his research, as technical dance provides a basis for thinking about improvisation – dance techniques provide information about how movement affects the structure of the body. The model of the "body without organs", which is not limited by any standards of movements, in a duet is revealed in a variety of relationships with the partner’s body. Both bodies balance on the rules of continuous contact, weight transfer, and balance to ultimately acquire newly formed capabilities.

Keywords: corporeality, postmodernism, "body without organs" model, A. Artaud, J. Deleuze, F. Guattari, contact improvisation, S. Paxton.