Tonic States as the Basis of Bodily States in Dialogue with a Creative Dance Process

This article aims to reflect on the concept of bodily states in dance through artistic and academic investigations of corporeality and dance in the traditional Pernambuco cultural performance Cavalo Marinho. By analysing the artistic investigation process, encompassing field research in the context of this cultural expression, we aim to conduct a dialogue with theoretical approaches to gesture and perception. Thus, concepts of pre-movement and tonic states have significant value in understanding a creative process based on the relationship between perception, memory, imagination, states, and movements. Cet article propose de réfléchir sur le concept d’états corporels dans la danse à partir de recherches artistiques et académiques sur la corporalité et la danse du Cavalo Marinho, expression populaire de Pernambuco. À partir de l’analyse du processus d’investigation artistique, impliquant des recherches de terrain dans le contexte de l’expression culturelle mentionnée, nous cherchons à mener un dialogue avec les approches théoriques sur le geste et la perception. Ainsi, les concepts de pré-mouvement et d’états toniques montrent une grande valeur pour la compréhension d’un processus créatif basé sur la relation entre la perception, la mémoire, l’imagination, les états et les mouvements. This article aims to reflect on the concept of bodily states in dance through artistic and academic investigations of corporeality and dance in the traditional Pernambuco cultural performance Cavalo Marinho. By analysing the artistic investigation process, encompassing field research in the context of this cultural expression, we aim to conduct a dialogue with theoretical approaches to gesture and perception. Thus, concepts of pre-movement and tonic states have significant value in understanding a creative process based on the relationship between perception, memory, imagination, states, and movements.