"A Skillful Breaking of Expectations": Embodied Knowledge, Communication, and Connection in West Coast Swing Dance

Cox, Nicole

"A Skillful Breaking of Expectations": Embodied Knowledge, Communication, and Connection in West Coast Swing Dance

Files

Cox_thesis_2012.pdf(3.87 MB)

Cox_release_2012.pdf(51.38 KB)

Date

2012

Authors

Cox, Nicole

Advisor

Ghannam, Farha, 1963-

Department

Swarthmore College. Dept. of Sociology & Anthropology

Type

Thesis (B.A.)

Language

en_US

Terms of Use

Full copyright to this work is retained by the student author. It may only be used for non-commercial, research, and educational purposes. All other uses are restricted.

Abstract

West Coast Swing dancers use an embodied language to create a space in which definitions of social relationships and cultural norms are redefined. What results, is a network of individuals who feel a particular connection to their fellow Swing dancers both within their local community and globally. This thesis places embodied experience at the center of human interactions to ask the question: what are the characteristics of West Coast Swing that allow people to transcend traditional social boundaries and create community? Through ethnographic research conducted at West Coast Swing dances, classes, competitions, and events, I explore the ways in which the body is a key feature in the mediation of human relationships on and around the dance floor, and the thematic and structural elements of West Coast Swing that allow it to accept a multitude of social and cultural identities, while providing a platform of commonality. I focus on the roles of bodily learning, embodied communication, and improvisational play, in creating bonds between individuals within the West Coast Swing community, and locate this current trend within the larger historical context of Swing dance traditions.