Natural and artistic bodies in dance

This article examines the impact of the presence of the human body on how we perceive dance art. It first establishes two basic layers of expressiveness in dance: A natural expressiveness provided by the presence of the real body, and an artistic expressiveness articulated by the choreographed body. It then considers the different dance personas linked to these levels of expressiveness and the strategies choreographers use to create dance works to make human and non human representations and references. This is followed by a discussion about audiences’ experiences of the (physical and emotional) presence of the human body in dance performances and a definition of appropriate artistic appreciation of dance works