Dancing in the street as feminist empowerment: the choreographic discourse of Bellywarda and L’Armée des Roses

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.28939/iam.debats-136-1.6

Abstract

The reaffirmation of female bodies in public spaces is a constant in feminist social movements. Indeed, the role of the female body in public spaces and conveying a social message is vindicated by artists from all disciplines, whether by occupying the streets in protest of unequal women’s rights and equality or sexual harassment and rape, or in other social demonstrations. In the field of dance, some companies perform expressly in public spaces with the precise aim of conquering these arenas as a stage to visibilise female bodies, highlighting their diversity and demanding more equality and freedom. In this article, we use collective interviews with two French companies committed to promoting feminism in the streets Bellywarda (FatChanceBellyDance©) and L’Armée des Roses (performing the cancan), to analyse the choreographic discourse related to this concept. We aimed to study the appropriation of public spaces, interactions with the public at large and their reception of these performances, social links between dancers, and the transmission of feminist values. Observation of these dances and the interview outcomes was addressed from the perspectives of the sociology of emotions, phenomenology of urban spaces, and women’s studies. The context of the COVID-19 pandemic prevented us from examining the public reception of these street actions, but we were able to discuss the current situation in France in which dance is considered a ‘non-essential cultural asset’ during the second lockdown, when this research takes place.

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Author Biography

Maria Patricio Mulero, Université Toulouse 1 Capitole

Maria Patricio-Mulero es doctora en Sociología y Gestión de la Cultura por la Universitat de Barcelona y la Université Paris 8. Investiga sobre la sociología de la literatura, la interacción de los escritores y artistas con las ciudades, las políticas culturales y la danza y el feminismo. Es miembro de los laboratorios CECPI (Universitat de València), LLA Creatis (Université Toulouse Jean Jaurès), LCEIE (Universitat de Barcelona) y CRESPPA (Université Paris 8). Actualmente, enseña en el Departamento de Lenguas y Culturas de la Université Toulouse 1 Capitole.

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Published

2022-05-24

How to Cite

Patricio Mulero, M. (2022) “Dancing in the street as feminist empowerment: the choreographic discourse of Bellywarda and L’Armée des Roses”, Debats. Journal on culture, power and society, 136(1), pp. 103–117. doi: 10.28939/iam.debats-136-1.6.

Issue

Vol. 136 No. 1 (2022)

Section

SPECIAL ISSUE

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