Postdramatic Dance: Conceptualisation of the Concept

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to substantiate the expediency of using the concept of “postdramatic dance” in modern choreography. The research methodology consists in extrapolating the concept of “postdramatic theatre” by G.-T. Lehmann to the plane of modern dance, analysing modern dance practices through the prism of the theory of postdrama. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that the concept of “postdramatic dance” is conceptualised as an independent phenomenon and the need for its comprehensive study is substantiated. Conclusions. Postdrama (postdramatic theatre) is an adaptation of postmodernist principles to theatre, determined by specific artistic techniques that are formed directly in theatrical, and more broadly – stage and off-stage art, which includes dance. The principles of postdramatic theatre in contemporary dance embody the concept of moving away from the dramaturgical, narrative-centric approach and emphasise the process of creation, the acquired experience, corporeality, and the nonlinearity of the unfolding of events. In postdramatic dance, movement loses its illustrative qualities and acquires the features of a universal language for transmitting physical, mental, social, and cultural states. Performance in contemporary dance implements the principles of postdramatic theatre: it destroys the boundaries between the stage and the viewer, art and everyday life, making the viewer an active participant. The principles of postdramatic theatre were developed in their own work by Pina Bausch, William Forsyth, and DV8 Physical Theatre, destroying the linear narrative and creating a theatre of movement. We see the prospects of the study in recreating a holistic panorama of the development of postdramatic dance as a phenomenon of the world and domestic cultural and artistic space, clarifying common and distinctive features with postdramatic theatre, identifying specific manifestations of postdrama in the work of modern Ukrainian choreographers.