Back to the Dance Itself: Phenomenologies of the Body in Performance, edited by Fraleigh, S.

Abstract

Back to the Dance Itself: Phenomenologies of the Body Performance, edited withvessays by Sondra Fraleigh, is a compilation of the many ways one might take up phenomenology in and through dance. Just the title itself, shifting the singular emphasis of ‘phenomenology’ to the plural, gives a sense of what phenomenol- ogy is, and could be, within a field bound by methodological tradition. Sondra Fraleigh introduces the various chapter contributions to the book in relation to categorizations she puts forward such as philosophical phenomenology, transcendental phenomenology, existential phenomenology, heuristic phe- nomenology, hermeneutic phenomenology, eco-phenomenology, performative phenomenology, and neurophenomenology, but these are by no means fixed. Sondra herself speaks to how several of her academic pieces work across several of the aforementioned categories. Yet, to begin here, in just taking a moment to consider that there are many approaches to phenomenological re- search is profound given the tensions that have emerged in the field as of late that focus on what phenomenology is and what it is not (i.e., Smith, 2018; van Manen, 2017a, 2017b; Zahavi, 2019). I recommend that anyone with an interest in imagining creative ways to engage in phenomenology pick up this book as it situates inquiries into dance and the body in performance in a variety of contexts including the natural environment, children’s art, improvisation, literature, and site-specific museums.