Chapter 3 Narrative Dance: Imitating Ēthos and Pathos through Schēmata
In: ChoreonarrativesSearch for other papers by Sophie M. Bocksberger in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Purchase instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
Abstract
This chapter examines ancient dance terminology in order to make progress towards a reconstruction of an ancient Greek perspective on mimetic dance. It argues for a reinterpretation of the concept of schēma, which I claim refers to the ensemble of physical features present in the body of a dancer that functions to indicate a particular kind of ēthos or pathos—for instance, one particular ensemble might be said to express the schēma of illness. I begin by considering the history of the term in ancient texts. I consider at length Socrates’ discussion in the Memorabilia, in which Socrates claims that even non-material individual characteristics—such as the ēthos or pathos—may be represented through material media. I next turn to past interpretations of the term offered by other scholars, which, I show, do not yield a term of sufficient nuance or complexity to explain satisfactorily how representation works in narrative dance. I finally consider how the term applies to dance more particularly. In doing so, I look at a few concrete examples from modern and contemporary ballet, before turning to the ancient case study of Xenophon’s Symposium, which includes a long and detailed description of an ancient dance performance.