Knowledge of the body established through personal identity and exposure to dance cultures as the theme of choreographic communication

The development of British contemporary dance practice has been dependent upon the assimilation of cultural forms. The outcome of this process of absorption could be perceived as the British relativist style, situating the European performer between the dominant influence of American 20th century theatre dance and Asian dance traditions. In this paper we aim to break down choreography as a methodological process, proposing that there cloud be a clearer distinction between choreographic methods and compositional practices to allow for discussion of particular stages of the artistic development process in creating a choreographic work. At the core of this dialogue are the compositional and teaching experiences of an American trained British dance practitioner in different parts of South East Asia. The encounter with what could be referred to as the cultural ‘Other’ allows us to trace the use of the body and mind (conscious and unconscious) in the development of compositional practices. The paper negotiates between compositional and choreographic methods and the theories of Françoise Lyotard and Henri Bergson to allow for an integration of the processes of creation within the interpretation of choreography