Introduction to Dance Studies

Author: Lü Yisheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-09-01
Features: The essence of expressive dance movements lies not in mimicking life, hence there are no corresponding standards. The audience does not make aesthetic judgments based on whether it resembles symbolic elements, but measures it by its ability to evoke certain deep emotions. Of course, this emotion is also ambiguous, not simply good or bad. The real effect of such movements primarily comes from the physical intensity of the body, which is a high fusion of physical force and emotional expression. It can be said that expressive dance movements are the fusion of "force" and emotion. "The key to the metaphorical symbolism of expressive dance lies in structuring 'force' and 'emotion' into a unified form in the dancer's body, abstracting them into a series of corresponding symbolic representations, thereby seeking their points of convergence, and using the transformation and expansion of 'force' to reinforce and define the emotional intention and enhance its." [10] Johnston's categorization of movements as symbolic representations may not be a consensus among all schools, but his arguments, derived from the practical reality of dance, have indeed clarified the essence of such movements.