Cooperation, Communication, and Collaboration: The Sociality of a Corps de Ballet. Issue 2 (3rd May 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mattingly, Kate; Young, Laura Kay
• Is Part Of: Dance chronicle. Volume 43:Issue 2(2020)
• Page Start: 132
• Page End: 144
• Publication Date: 2020-05-03
• Subjects: Corps de ballet -- embodied knowledge -- eusociality -- proprioception -- empathetic mentorship; Dance -- Periodicals; Dancing; 792.805
• DOI: 10.1080/01472526.2020.1767966
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0147-2526

Abstract

Abstract: This paper analyzes the relational and cooperative labor of a corps de ballet . In particular, attention is called to the ways the dancers' embodied knowledge and decision-making processes constitute a vital part of a production's impact. Two key aspects of dancers' performances as a corps de ballet are collaboration and cooperation, which are components of eusociality, a term used to describe the highest level of organization of sociality, commonly observed in honeybees. Through embodied experiences and attention to dancers' decision-making, we find a corps de ballet operates in ways that are similar to democratic decision-making processes in honeybee behaviors.