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An ethnochoreological investigation of oral traditions of contemporary dance transmission in higher dance education in Greece
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Date
2025-12
Abstract
This research marks the first large-scale ethnochoreological investigation into contemporary dance transmission processes in the Greek region, essentially laying the groundwork for further research into understanding, preserving and academically grounding dance in this context.
Moreover, this study portrays institutionalized contemporary dance in the 21st century, reflecting on its complex interaction with history, political influence, and the evolving pedagogical ethos of contemporary dance in higher education in Greece. The research is anchored in time and place through ethnographic documentation of the massive art protests occurring after issuance of Presidential Decree 85/2022, downgrading both the financial and the academic status within the dance sector.
Furthermore, this investigation draws parallels between dance scholars such as H. Thomas (2003), A. Lepecki (2010), S. Fraleigh (2013), D. Gilbert (2014), Y. Hardt(2020), T. De Laet (2020) and E. Charalambous (2022), anthropologists, namely D. Howes (1991a), T. Ingold (2000) and S. Pink (2009), ethnochoreologist such as G. Kurath (1960), A. Kaeppler (1978), T. Buckland (1999), pedagogue H. Giroux (2020), educational theorist J. Dewey ([1916]2008) and scholar W.J. Ong (1982), among others, while exploring three intertwined concepts, those of oral tradition, embodied knowledge and contemporary dance transmission. It also introduces the concept of ‘moveprints’ (what the body receives after transmitted movement) and ‘somatoralities’ (the multifaceted, multilayered and embodied oral practice of contemporary dance transmission).
Additionally, it illuminates key dimensions of the cyclical, embodied and oral pedagogy shaping contemporary dance transmission within Higher Professional Private Dance Schools in Greece. Dance ethnographies, ethnographic interviews with course directors, contemporary dance educators, dance students and autoethnographic material all create a clear outline vis-a-vis higher dance education in Greece. More specifically, autoethnography was used in a multi-dimensional way, associated both with this academic inquiry and my very own artistic evolution. Transitioning between roles, from dancer to dance educator and researcher, my autoethnographic writings formed an internal space, becoming the backbone of this four-year investigation.
This study proposes that the body is not just a repository of movement and memory but on the contrary, a living archive capable of storing, generating and re-activating knowledge, while interacting with other bodies in space, and time. Ultimately, this investigation aims to vocalize (our) dancing experiences as valuable forms of embodied knowledge that can serve as a threshold for future generations.
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University of Limerick
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Sustainable Development Goals
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Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International