Dance - the art of relations

Humans were expressing their needs and emotions in movement far before developing speech or any other civilised skills. The body as a source of movement is the closest and primary form of experiencing life as well as perceiving the surrounding world. Dealing with dance as a form of artistic expression, I question the essence and meaning contained in dance presentations from both the perspective of a dancer and as a researcher. Contradictory to visual arts, literature and even music, dance is a living ephemeral art that evolves in time and space in front of the spectator. Without time and space the experience would not be possible. By observing transformations within the art of dance, searching for deeper understanding of its roots as well as for artistic self reflection, I have come upon with principles which can define the essence of dance. In addition to the previously mentioned condition of time and space, there is a fusion of body and mind. Dance exceeds stereotypes and limiting ideologies. Dance as a field of art practice is able to challenge both the artist and the spectator. All the elements – body, mind, time, space, artist, spectator may take different configurations influencing each other. Therefore dance is the art of relations. The direct input on the individual character of dance experience and interpretation lays in body awareness. This phenomenon is explained through the phenomenology of perception by the French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and further developed studies by the contemporary researcher Richard Shusterman. The potential of dance seems to be infinite which might be the reason for the unlimited explorations of artists in relation to dance voyaging beyond the boundaries of the discipline. In this text a variety of contemporary dance art is presented by introducing examples of chosen artists and their works. Art performances which are hard to classify, often cause controversy and difficulties with reception and interpretation. There is another element necessary for the understanding of the contemporary art of dance and this is the theory and practice which builds a discourse that develops a tradition. This paper is a reflective analyses which goes beyond explicit meanings and theories while at the same time following the primal essence of dance