Prácticas corporales y articulaciones de resistencia en la danza como performance social

Abstract

The body is one of the central axes –both in theory and in practice– of performance. Due to this important link between corporeality and performance, the paper aims to reflect on dance as social practice, understanding the body as a social sign through which groups transmit their norms and beliefs, and as an important link with the world to express concerns and problems within society. In this context, body language is considered a legitimate alternative to verbal discourses. Therefore, performance studies and dance analysis constitute an important tool for the observation of bodily practices and social behavior. The researcher argues that bodies have the capacity for perception and expression. For this reason, social actors have agency to express themselves through their bodies not only in an aesthetic-artistic way, but also to find in them a tool for resistance within complex power relations. To reaffirm this position, the article explores as an example Brazilian dance in the Lerma Valley (Salta, Argentina), where it was possible to observe these issues. Furthermore, the research highlights dance as social practice in everyday life where especially women take power of their bodies articulating themselves through dance.