Date of Award
2011
Document Type
Thesis
Publisher
Edith Cowan University
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts Honours
School
Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA)
Faculty
Faculty of Education and Arts
First Supervisor
Maggi Phillips
Abstract
This paper explores the world of intimate performance, looking at the effect intimate spatial relations have on the connection between performer and audience. The constraints and unspoken formalities of traditional theatre conventions are examined, with a focus on the resulting relationship between the individual audience member and the performer. Comparisons of performances respecting traditional conventions, and those which are site-specific, one-on-one and involve audience interaction, will provide the basis of the examination of the nature of intimate performance and the audience-performer relationship. Performance interaction is compared to nonverbal social interaction and what the blurring of these phenomena means. Essentially I intend to explore the question: how does proximity between performer and audience affect their relationship in the context of western art dance? Intimacy and its subsequent effect on this relationship will be addressed through a collision of performative and social norms, examining manifestations of accepted and expected behaviour, as well as their deviations.
Recommended Citation
MacKenzie, C. (2011). Intimate encounters: A study of the interaction between dancer and observer. Edith Cowan University. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses_hons/1377