The liminal space: Coping with the mind/body gap as a trans* equality Dancesport dancer

Wong, Yen Nee

Abstract

Dance is unique to many art forms in that it is expressed in and through the human body. In competitive ballroom dancing (Dancesport), the dancing body becomes a symbolic embodiment of culturally patterned notions of genders, sexualities and moralities, moving through space and using touch, bodily postures, movements, stillness and other bodies to convey these ideas. Unlike mainstream Dancesport, equality Dancesport offers more latitude for diverse expressions of genders and sexualities through non-heterosexual dance partnerships. Despite its greater inclusivity, this paper problematises the sex-segregated nature of equality Dancesport events as widening the mind/body gap among trans* dancers. Drawing on the narratives of trans* dancers collected through an autoethnographic study of the United Kingdom’s equality Dancesport scene, I illustrate varying degrees of disconnect experienced by trans* dancers between their performative (Butler, 1990) and sensory (Husserl, 1989) bodies, as the gender they cognitively choreograph and perform on the dancefloor deviates from their everyday lived identities as sensed by the body. I argue that a structuring of thinking through a movement into Turner’s (1967) liminality offers a viable coping strategy for trans* dancers, providing an alternative cognitive space through which creative restructuring of thinking and action can take place. I conclude that Turner’s (1967) liminality can be conceptualised as a platform for play and coping with disconnects between sensory experiences and performative displays of genders and sexualities, potentially integrating the works of Butler (1990) and Husserl (1989).

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (unpublished)
• Conference Name: Talking Bodies 2023 Conference
• Start Date: Jun 12, 2023
• End Date: Jun 16, 2023
• Deposit Date: Aug 29, 2023