A Swan Lake: Exploring the Materiality of Water in Alexander Ekman’s Ballet
Abstract
This article analyses Ekman’s ballet A Swan Lake from the perspective of new materialism, which is understood as the agency of the non-human, particularly the role of water in the creation of movement and in the script of the ballet. The question guiding this article concerns how the materiality of water takes place in Ekman’s ballet. I propose that by paying attention to the corporeality of dance itself as a discursive practice (Barad 2003), it is possible to appreciate the creation of a kind of language or code that can be interpreted. Following Barad, a discursive practice not only is language or what is said but allows certain things to be said. Here, both the bodies of the dancers and the water allow things to be said. In other words, encounters of the materiality of the human, that is, the bodies of the dancers with the non-human agency of the water, provoke new ways of moving and therefore form part of the choreographic composition, thus co-creating the ballet itself.
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Dance is an enjoyable, non-therapy-focused activity that may provide a range of benefits for people with Parkinson’s. The internal simulation of movement through observation, imitation, and imagery, is intrinsic to dance and may contribute to functional improvements for people with Parkinson’s. This study explored the feasibility and potential benefits of a dance program designed by a collaborative team of dance artists, researchers, physiotherapists, and people living with Parkinson’s. The program incorporated motor simulation through observation, imitation and imagery of movement, supported by creative themes, expression, and music. A 6-week pilot trial of the program was conducted with 10 people with Parkinson’s. A focus group following the trial ( N = 8) provided insights into the use of imagery, observation and imitation within dance, and the link between creativity and functional outcomes, as well as indicating multidimensional benefits of dance as reported in previous studies. Exploratory outcome measures also suggested potential effects on motor simulation, functional dexterity, and quality of life. The present study demonstrates the feasibility of a co-developed dance program for Parkinson’s and indicates how creative elements of dance may support functional outcomes. Future research should examine the role of motor simulation processes in dance for Parkinson’s, including the potential to develop transferable cognitive-motor skills. This study also highlights the value of collaborative partnerships in designing dance for health programs, which may optimise beneficial effects by using creative approaches to incorporate evidence-based elements, with guidance from individuals with lived experience to ensure the relevance to their goals.
This article intends to shift current discourse on material thinking and agency from thinking of and through materials to thinking with materials; we therefore argue that re-locating the affects and agency of costume materiality in the changing material environment at this current moment is essential. Responding to the global environmental crisis and based on the emergent philosophical concepts of extramaterialism and costume thinking, examined through the prism of ecosomatics, we propose a critical approach to think and (co)create in contemporary costume praxis informed by ecological sensibility. Through acknowledging that the material, the natural and the cultural are not separate but co-constitutive, our aim is to provoke new insights into more-than-human material agency. This is explored by addressing the relationship between living and non-living things and the systems created through the inter- and intra-actions between these elements via the medium of costume. By analysing the use of biobased materials as costume matter in two case study productions, the article positions costume design as a critical tool for new performance narratives and cultural landscapes to be considered and created. It pushes the boundaries of wider philosophical understandings and innovations in costume with the potential to influence broader, environmentally aware cultural and societal contexts.
Purpose: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is associated with motor and non-motor symptoms that negatively influence the person’s quality of life. To reduce illness and increase quality of life, alternative treatments of PD such as dance might be experienced as beneficial. The aim of this study was to explore experiences of how a dance program in Sweden influences perceived physical, social, and emotional wellbeing in persons with PD.
Method: A qualitative method with semi-structured interviews and content analysis was used, and 10 participants with variations in age, gender, and how long they had been diagnosed with the disease were interviewed.
Results: The results showed that dancing was experienced as improving health, which implied feeling both calmed and excited, getting better sleep, and being able to move with more focus and freedom. The dance program was experienced as a social context through the importance of community, feelings of togetherness, and being able to compare oneself with others. Experiences of self-support included experiencing increased self-esteem and joy, but also a sense of being confirmed and having structure, which gave meaning to everyday life.
Conclusions: To reduce illness and increase quality of life in persons with PD, it is important to investigate alternative treatment methods, and this study shows the importance of participating in a dance program in Sweden for the life situation and health of people with PD.
Purpose
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a condition which causes significant difficulties in physical, cognitive and psychological domains. It is a progressive condition which people have to live with for a long time; consequently, there is a need to understand what contributes to individual adjustment. This review aimed to answer the question “how do individuals adjust to PD?”
Method
A systematic search of three databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL and PsycINFO) was carried out of papers documenting the adjustment process when living with PD and the findings were synthesised using a meta-ethnographic approach.
Results
After exclusion based on eligibility criteria, 21 articles were included and were assessed for quality prior to analysing the data. Three main themes are proposed relating to the process of adjustment: “maintaining a coherent sense of self”, “feeling in control” and “holding a positive mindset”. Although many of the studies described challenges of living with PD, the results are dominated by the determination of individuals to self-manage their condition and maintain positive wellbeing.
Conclusion
The results highlight the need to empower patients to self-manage their illness, mitigating the effects of Parkinson’s disease and supporting future wellbeing.
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IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION
• Individual identity disruption impacts on the self-value and sense of self coherence in individuals living with Parkinson’s disease.
• Healthcare professionals should appreciate the complexity of the adjustment process which is related to the ability to maintain a coherent sense of self, to feel in control and to hold a positive mindset.
• Healthcare professionals should ensure information and knowledge related to self-management is tailored to an individual’s understanding and experience of the disease.
In this visual essay, I explore the way costume can be used as a research tool and how playing with my modular ‘Insubordinate Costumes’ enables different creative interpretations and offers diverse dramaturgical possibilities. The term ‘Insubordinate Costume’ evolved from my research and is used to reflect the defiant, rebellious and unruly nature of performance-defining costume, which flouts practicalities and textual confines to embrace the role of protagonist. In order to explore the agency of ‘Insubordinate Costume’, I developed flat-pack modular costumes, which can be constructed in different ways and organized workshops with both single performers and small groups in order to analyse a range of different approaches to performance making. The rule of play is essential to the approach to these costumes, both in the playful essence of the costume and in the way the body interacts with it. Although the modular pieces are always the same, the resulting sculptural forms created by each performer have always been unique, as have their performances. Looking at New Materialism theories, my practice research can be considered as an assemblage of human and non-human elements, which together have a greater power and the ability to generate a performance.
Ihminen ankkuroituu elämään kerronnallisuuden kautta erilaisia tarinoita kertoen ja niitä kuunnellen. Tarinoiden kertominen onkin ikivanha tapa hahmottaa paikkaansa maailmassa ja yhteiskunnassa, joka koostuu laajasta tarinavarannosta: esimerkiksi tarinoina elämänkaaren kulusta tai kulttuurissa vallitsevista säännöistä ja normeista. Tällöin narraatiot jäsentävät samalla yksilön ymmärrystä kulttuurista, mutta myös sitä miten ihminen ymmärtää maailman. Näiden kahden narratiivin, yksityisen ja julkisen, muodostamasta eräänlaisesta dialogista muotoutuu oma ainutlaatuinen suhteensa kerronnallisuuteen: jokaisella on oma (elämäkerrallinen) tarina kerrottavanaan.
Aims
Many older adults with Parkinson’s disease experience challenges negotiating identity, often with negative implications for wellbeing. This study explores how older adults with Parkinson’s disease negotiate identity post-diagnosis, specifically addressing how they recount their management of identity and its impact on their occupational engagement.
Methods
Using a constructivist narrative approach, three participant sessions were conducted with five older adults with Parkinson’s disease. Line-by-line and thematic coding was completed.
Results
Three major themes emerged across narratives including: (a) Attempts to convey, maintain, and negotiate identity; (b) Resisting a disabled identity and (c) The centrality of occupation and social roles in negotiating identity.
Conclusion
Common themes of personal and social identity that threaten or support an older adult with PD’s decisions about occupational engagement were identified. Results of this study can be used by occupational therapists to better understand the influence of identity on occupational engagement.