Embodied performances of sexuality and gender: A feminist approach to dance movement psychotherapy and performance practice

Abstract

This paper is situated within contemporary views of sexuality and gender and advances in conversations across disciplines. It offers a model of ‘Embodied Performances’ that combines elements of dance movement therapy (DMT), performance and feminism. By drawing from examples of my practice and research, an explanation of how it is possible to deconstruct and re-constitute (or ‘undo’ and ‘re-do’) the performance of sexuality and gender in everyday life and in performance (dance/film) is provided. It is argued that embodied performances of sexuality and gender highlight an ‘autobiographical,’ ‘relational’ and ‘political’ unfolding through verbal and non-verbal expression. By building on feminist notions of working in the spaces ‘in-between’ dominant discourses and embodiment through language, this paper presents examples of how the process and outcomes of DMT and performance-making assist in moving beyond dominant hegemonic discourses. Furthermore, it is argued that bodies and discourses can be in constant dialogue with the potential to transform one another.