1

Assessing How Spatial Rhetoric Affects the Discourse Community of Dance

Lauren Dula

University if Central Florida

ENC 1102

Professor Mooney

April 5, 2020
 2

My topic is the dance discourse community and how the people within the community

use spatial rhetoric and how it effects their communication and productivity. I will be explaining

the three themes of the research which are rhetoric, communication and dance. For the

researched article it is essential to know and understand what rhetor is. According to Downs,

rhetoric is “a set of principles the explain and predict how people make meaning and interact”

(460). Every time a person is communicating or interacting with someone, they are using

rhetoric whether they realize it or not (Downs, 460). Thus, in the discourse community of dance

verbal and nonverbal ways of communicating are crucial to making the community run

smoothly. For dance an instructor must use specific lexis to explain a dance move for the dancer

to do. Another example of how rhetoric is significant in the dance community is even the space

of where dancers practice is important to how each person in the community interact.

I chose the discourse community of dance because I am personally an active member in

the community. I have been dancing most of my life, so I never really thought how we

communicate and why we do it. Furthermore, it made me question just how important space is.

This assignment has made me think and question how dancers use language to communicate and

how the specific space we are dancing in affects our productivity and communication.

At first, my research question was how does the dance community use rhetoric to

communicate and how does it affect their productivity? However, since the dance world is too

broad, and I do not have enough time or even the tools to be able to research that in depth I

decided to just focus my research on Knights and Damsels Dance Company. I chose to focus my

research on this UCF dance club because it is still within the discourse community of dance and

will make my research more attainable. Thus, I have changed my research question to how does

the Knights and Damsels Dance Company use spatial rhetoric to communicate and how does it
 3

affect their productivity? This UCF dance club will allow me to conduct primary research

without it being too much and it will also enable me to finish the research and analysis in a

timely manner.

The research in the article are two case studies that find the importance of space in the

discourse community. For the case study I observed two KDDC practices, one being at UPAC

which is a smaller room and a different practice at PAC which is a much larger space. I also

interviewed the artistic director of KDDC because she is the main choreographer for KDDC and

can give insight as both a choreographer but also a dancer. The questions I asked focused on the

space of the two different rooms and how that can affect the communication but also

productivity of a practice. These answers can be found in the appendix.

According to Johns (2019), a discourse community contains a group of people who

communicate and share common goals. One of the main themes is rhetoric, which Downs

(2019) states that rhetoric can be anything and it can have specific requirements depending on

the situation. The rhetorical situation that is commonly used is spatial rhetoric and space is a

theme that affects dancers and choreographer. According to Bannerman (2014) it can influence

the way a teacher/choreographer communicates to their students. After analyzing Bannerman’s

observations, a choreographer needs a certain amount of space to be able to create a piece. Thus,

if the dance room is quite small and there are many dancers it will be difficult for the instructor

to see their vision clearly and Bannerman (2014) thinks that it affects the communication process

as well. Furthermore, Duffy et al (2019), explains the significance of artistic roles and the

importance of the space. They surveyed dance educator participants to see if space and a

collaborating approached helped with productivity. Spatial rhetoric is very important to a

dancers and dance instructors’ productivity. Both authors, Friesen and Vincs & McCormick
 4

found that space has a great effect on the dancer mobility. This can inhibit productivity because

of a dancer cannot move to their best ability than not much can be completed.

Another theme that is important is how the dancers and choreographers in this discourse

community communicate and collaborate and whether space has an impact on it. According to

Haroutounian (2019), language is important to communicate artistic ideas to the people who

participate within the discourse community. The people in the discourse community use verbal

and nonverbal language to communicate. Gehm et al (2011) believes that discourse community

of dance uses choreography to communicate a message to not only the people actively in the

discourse community but also the people not in it as well. The community also uses verbal

language and has a specific lexis. A person outside of the discourse community would have a

much more difficult time understanding what the people within the community are talking about.

Furthermore, Mumford explains that space can affect a choreographer’s creativity. For example,

a larger stage will enable the choreographer to in vision and experiment different artistic paths

with dancers, while a small stage would make it much more difficult.

The reason I chose to focus on the discourse community of dance is because I am

currently a member of it. Furthermore, because I am in the community and have practiced at

many different places and venues such as a parking lot, dance studio and auditorium each of

these places had an impact on our practices. Thus, I decided to find research and eventually

conduct research of my own. Most of the secondary sources used case studies as their

methodology. This is most likely because the authors can observe and interview the dance

instructors and students on why the practice goes better with specific things such as a mirror,

dance floor and stereo. The reason why I chose to conduct case studies as my methodology is so
 5

that I can observe and interview dancers in different dance practice setting to see how different

spatial rhetoric can affect their practices.

This researched article shows a continuation of similar results and findings from my

secondary sources research. These continued results show that space is an important aspect to

the dance discourse community, especially for making rehearsal productive. Furthermore, it also

showcases other important aspects, such as space having an influence on collaboration author

Duffy (2019) found that space can have an affect the dancers and choreographer’s way of

communicating. It can be assumed that the affect of communication due to space can also have

implications on the overall productiveness of the practice or performance.

Methods

For my research methodology I have chosen to conduct two case studies. The first case

study I observed a practice at UPAC and wrote down things I observed. I wrote down specific

things in the room that I pointed out, such as a mirror, stereo and what type of dance floor

(marley or wood). While observing, I focused on looking for how the space was affecting the

dancer’s mobility. I also looked for how the space was affecting how the dancers and

choreographers were communicating with each other and whether it was positively or negatively

impacting the practice. For the second case study I looked for the same aspects in the PAC room

and wrote down my observations. After the observations I interviewed the artistic director and

asked her specific questions primarily focusing on the different rooms and how she thinks those

rooms can impact a rehearsal and also which room she thinks is most beneficial for KDDC and

why (Appendix C).

 6

Results

Case Study #1

Observation: Appendix A

My observation at UPAC shows that the small room with over 40 dancers made it very

difficult to dance to the fullest. It also made the dancer a lot more distracted and frustrated as

some people were talking and not focusing. This led to the choreographer to be frustrated and

lecture the dancers on talking. This took time away from rehearsal and negatively impacted the

productivity.

Interview: Appendix C

During the interview the artistic director made it very clear that the practices at UPAC

cause problems in rehearsal. She notes that although there is a mirror and marley floor the

physical size of the room makes it difficult for the dancers to focus and dance to the best of their

ability. She also mentions that it is easier for her get frustrated with the team because the small

space causes communication issues.

Case Study 2:

Observation: Appendix B

The observations made during this practice at the PAC location is that there is a much

larger space for the dancers to move. I also noted that the dancers were able to have more

mobility. Because of the larger space the dancers were not as close to each other which helped

the dancers to stay focused and not talk as much. This helped the choreographer to teach more
 7

choreography. The overall practice at this space ran much smoother and was exponentially more

productive.

Interview: Appendix C

During the interview the artistic director explained that the PAC building has much more

space for the dancers to execute their dance moves. This helps her to be able to see her creative

vision better. Also, she explains that the larger space helps to not distract dancers and improves

the overall productivity of the practice.

For the discourse community of dance, there are many aspects that creates this

community. My research question focuses on how spatial rhetoric can affect a dancer’s

productivity and their ability to move full out. This is relevant to the discourse community

because it will showcase just how important spatial rhetoric is to both dancers and

choreographers in the community. Furthermore, by finding which space works best for the

people in the community it will explain whether the space where dancers execute their moves is

important and safe to not only them but also the choreographers involved.

Coding Chart

Observation at Observation at Interview about Interview about

UPAC PAC UPAC PAC
Most Useful There was not a There was a lot Director says Director says
lot of room more space for that UPAC that PAC has
available for the the 45 dancers to makes it difficult much more
dancers, not very move, very for the dancers space available
useful useful for to move to the and less
practice best of their distractions
ability. Making which make the
this space not practices run
very useful for smoothly.
rehearsal.
Dancers ability Due to the lack There is a lot The Director The Director
 8

of space it more space for explains that explains that the

makes it hard for the 45 dancers to because there space gives the
the dancers to move full out. isn’t much space dancers the
dance to their the dancers ability to dance
fullest potential. cannot move and up to par which
do the helps the choreo
choreography come to life.
full out.
Productivity Due to the lack Because there is The Director The Director
of space and more space explains that it is says that it is
crowdedness making the room harder to be easier to be
there is a lot less crowded the productive in productive in
more dancers can this space. this space.
distractions separate
making it themselves
difficult for it be enough to where
a productive there are less
practice. distractions and
because they can
move full out it
makes practice
much more
productive
Elements of the Consist of Mirrors, Marley Consist of Mirrors, Marley
room/space mirrors, Marley floor, stereo, mirrors, Marley floor, stereo,
floor, a stereo larger and door floor, a stereo larger and door
but small, door closed but small, door closed
open open
Collaboration Much more Much easier Much more Much easier
with dancers difficult due to attained due to difficult due to attained due to
more larger space and more larger space and
distractions and less distractions. distractions and less distractions
crowdedness. crowdedness.

Discussion

After analyzing the two Case studies, my primary research, through the coding chart I

realize that there are many similar themes with my observations and the Directors answers to my

questions. My findings show that the space for a dancer is very significant and can affect their

ability to move and the overall productivity of a practice. This is significant because it shows
 9

that a lack of space for a dancer can inhibit their ability to dance up to par and can affect the

collaboration between dancers and choreographers. My findings answer my research question

by explaining that spatial rhetoric applies to the discourse community of dance because there are

certain elements such as, smooth floors, mirrors and a stereo that create a typical dance room.

Furthermore, spatial rhetoric plays a crucial part in the community because the size of the dance

room can also affect the productivity of the dancers. My primary research findings support the

claims of the secondary sources. Many of the secondary sources claim that a space can affect the

dancer’s ability and the way in which choreographers collaborate which is like my primary

research findings. Both data/findings with the primary research and secondary sources suggest

that spatial rhetoric plays an important part in the discourse community. Without the specific

elements that make a dance room it is difficult for people in the discourse community to create or

dance to the best of their ability.

Conclusion

Overall, with the collection of the secondary resources and my primary research, it is

evident that spatial rhetoric plays an enormous part on the discourse community of dance

because it affects the communication and the productivity of a practice. My primary research is

only focused on one dance group at the University of Central Florida. Although this was

necessary for my research due to the time constraint; the small sample size is a limitation to my

research. Another limitation is that I only observed one practice from each dance space which

only creates a small amount of research. For the future, this research could be expanded in many

ways, such as finding how sound can affect a practice. Also, still relating to space, an expansion

of my research would be to observe many different studios or dance groups and compare how

their spaces affect their rehearsal.

 10

References

Bannerman, Heneietta. (2014). “Is Dance a Language? Movement, Meaning and

Communication.” Dance Research: The Journal of the Society for Dance Research,

32(1), 65–80. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43281347.

Duffy, A. B., & Beaty, A. (2019). Flexibility of Artistic Roles and Shared Ownership between

Dance Educators and Students in Choreography and Performance. Research in Dance

Education, 20(2), 130–147

Downs, D. (2019). Rhetoric: Making Sense of Human Interaction and Meaning-Making.

Writing About Writing. Boston, MA: Bedford, St. Martins.

Friesen, J. (1975). Perceiving Dance. Journal of Aesthetic Education, 9(4), 97-108.

doi:10.2307/3331982

Gehm, S., & Von Wilcke, K. (2011). Communicating, Distilling, Catalyzing.: On the Creation of

Dance Congress Worlds. Emerging Bodies: The Performance of Worldmaking in Dance

and Choreography Bielefeld: Transcript Verlag. 225-234.

www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv1wxt9q.19

Johns, A. M. (2019). Discourse Communities and Communities of Practice: Membership,

Conflict and Diversity. Writing About Writing. Boston, MA: Bedford, St. Martins. 319-

342.

Mumford, P. (1985). Lighting Dance. Dance Research: The Journal of the Society for Dance

Research, 3(2), 46-55. www.jstor.org/stable/1290557

 11

Vincs, K., & McCormick, J. (2010). Touching Space: Using Motion Capture and Stereo

Projection to Create a "Virtual Haptics" of Dance. Leonardo, 43(4), 359-366.

www.jstor.org/stable/40864130
 12

Appendix A: Observation at UPAC

 13

Appendix B: Observation at PAC

 14

Appendix C: Interview with KDDC Artistic Director

15
16