I know it and i name it as i do itshruti ghoshi know it and i name it as i do it: Embodied practice as a key to understand performance

Abstract

In his article “Performing Arts and Cultural Identity in the Era of InterCulturalism,”1 Sun Huizhu recalls an experience during the period when he taught in Los Angeles. He describes how Fan Yisong, a Chinese visiting professor, caught the attention of the students who were extremely amazed by the way Fan sat for long hours in a beautiful posture, without his back touching the chair. Huizu notes that the particular physical disposition which distinguished Fan was a result of his six years of training in Chinese Opera, in Beijing. Be it Fan’s sitting posture or the way he carried himself in public, what appeared as a miracle to the students had almost become second nature to Fan, owing to his intense body training. In the context of restoring traditional identity in an era of cultural changes, Huizu opines that it is this disciplined body which contains within itself the marks of a tradition. He remarks that amid several emerging cultures, the way to preserve one’s own cultural identity first necessitates discerning those elements from one’s culture which are relevant in contemporary times and then sustaining them through continuous practice. Particularly in the context of dance traditions, Huizu points towards the importance of embodied practice as a key to preserve and promote these traditions.