Overview This chapter outlines and discusses the problem which has provided a springboard for this research and to which this project seeks to address: namely, that of a pattern of limited representations within female characterisations occurring within some instances of UK dance theatre. The main thrust of this research and key important work is to be found in the new method I offer and outline in the subsequent chapters of choreographing character. Before doing this however I wish to give examples of what I perceive to be the problem of the limited ways women are represented in characterisations in some instances of UK dance theatre. In order to give examples of this I present three specific modes in which I perceive women are being represented in limited ways. I do this through examining aspects of female characterisations within key choreographic works of Lloyd Newson’s DV8, Jasmin Vardimon, and I refer to thinking from: social Luca Silvestrini’s Protein Dance. psychological discourse drawing from discussions on the function of stereotypes. I also refer to feminist thinking in order to expound on ways in which female stereotyping and subsequent objectification can happen. I then refer to Stanislavski in order to demonstrate his analysis of how clichés and stereotypes can come about in performance. I refer to discussions and thinking on stereotyping as this provides a methodical understanding of the ways in which limited representations can start to happen in broader and performance contexts. Understanding limited representations through such discussion is useful towards seeing how such representations can be problematic. I conclude by stating that such limited representations partly transpire due to a lack of accounting for the complexity and fullness of experience of an individual in the character creation process. I start to propose a resolution to this problem in the following chapters through an integration of Stanislavskian approaches to acting alongside a Heideggerian, phenomenological account of truth.
Overview This chapter outlines and discusses the problem which has provided a springboard for this research and to which this project seeks to address: namely, that of a pattern of limited representations within female characterisations occurring within some instances of UK dance theatre. The main thrust of this research and key important work is to be found in the new method I offer and outline in the subsequent chapters of choreographing character. Before doing this however I wish to give examples of what I perceive to be the problem of the limited ways women are represented in characterisations in some instances of UK dance theatre. In order to give examples of this I present three specific modes in which I perceive women are being represented in limited ways. I do this through examining aspects of female characterisations within key choreographic works of Lloyd Newson’s DV8, Jasmin Vardimon, and Luca Silvestrini’s Protein Dance. I refer to thinking from: social psychological discourse drawing from discussions on the function of stereotypes. I also refer to feminist thinking in order to expound on ways in which female stereotyping and subsequent objectification can happen. I then refer to Stanislavski in order to demonstrate his analysis of how clichés and stereotypes can come about in performance. I refer to discussions and thinking on stereotyping as this provides a methodical understanding of the ways in which limited representations can start to happen in broader and performance contexts. Understanding limited representations through such discussion is useful towards seeing how such representations can be problematic. I conclude by stating that such limited representations partly transpire due to a lack of accounting for the complexity and fullness of experience of an individual in the character creation process. I start to propose a resolution to this problem in the following chapters through an integration of Stanislavskian approaches to acting alongside a Heideggerian, phenomenological account of truth.