Re-generative Habit

Abstract

‘Re-generative Habit: Dancing the mimetic faculty’ examines the role of habit in choreographic practice through a comparison with Walter Benjamin's concept of the 'mimetic faculty'. This article considers the intersection of habit, dance and language as being distinct yet interconnected expressions of an innate mimetic ability. Drawing on Benjamin's theories of the ‘mimetic faculty’ and ‘non-sensuous similarity’ from his philosophy of language, I examine how these concepts intersect in my choreographic practice, using my recent screendance project 'Mimeisthai' as a case study. This project presents a specific example of a 'performance-generating systems' approach to dance-making, inspired by Danish Canadian dance theorist Pil Hansen, and highlights the inherent tension between established habit and the desire for creative innovation. By emphasizing the relational, performative and dynamic aspects of habit within creative practice, this article challenges familiar views of habit as being simply automatic behaviour. Instead, habit is depicted as a flexible, versatile element that not only offers stability but also opens up possibilities for new forms of expression to emerge.