My Politically Active Body: How Dancing Through Pleasure Kinesthetically Cultivates Empathy, Understanding, and Peace

I sought to investigate how dancing bodies cultivate empathy and kindness as a means to deconstruct hegemonic hierarchies that privilege some people and oppress others. I began my research by questioning how power structures, identity politics, and spectatorship influence how we perceive each other and ourselves. Through embodied research by way of improvisation and somatic investigation, and through reading feminist theory of the body, I created a dance solo titled Silk and performed it at the Urban Arts Space gallery in downtown Columbus. By dancing Silk I intended to heighten our awareness of how we see and perceive each other by reading (consciously and subconsciously) markers of identity. I theorize that dance exercises our ability to empathize with one another on a kinesthetic and emotional level, facilitating a deeper level of understanding and appreciation for each other and our differences. Through the process of my research I discovered that cultivating empathy through dance performance can create an environment in which humans see past what is visual and instead connect with one another through shared experience. A pinnacle moment during my solo exemplified my theory, in which I hugged an audience member (after receiving verbal consent) and subsequently observed the audience members seeing and smiling at each other through a seemingly kinder gaze. This project addresses the implications about the politics of dancing bodies that remind us of our shared humanity and our potential for peaceful coexistence. Sexism, racism and xenophobia continue to infiltrate contemporary culture and policy. I believe that art and research in this political climate must work to upset these structures of hate. My work, while explicitly feminist and politically charged, demands kindness and emphasizes love and compassion as necessary political action.Arts Undergraduate Research ScholarshipResearch Scholar AwardStudent Funding Initiative (Department of Dance)No embargoAcademic Major: Danc