MARTOR no. 30 / year 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.57225/Martor.2025.07
AUTHOR:
Márton Hajnal
Budapest History Museum, Hungary
ORCID: 0009-0001-4526-200X
PAGES: 119-134
KEYWORDS: Disability studies; theatrical dance; choreography; inclusion; CandoCo.
ABSTRACT:
In this essay, I outline a few possible points of connection between disability studies and theatrical dance. I then draw on the theories presented to analyse the first performance of the CandoCo company in Hungary. I present two models that can be used fruitfully for the analysis of dance performances. The first, the ‘misfit’ model refers to an approach that focuses not on the individual but on their relation to the environment. The second model draws on Sarah Whatley’s (2007) division of five strategies of inclusion in dance performances, featuring dancers with disabilities. The choice of each strategy may depend on the viewer’s initial attitude and prior performance experiences, while any production can elicit either one of them. Whatley considers two viewer attitudes that approach a conservative, solid aesthetic: a view that simply ignores disabilities and a view that evokes new aesthetic approaches. CandoCo has performed three times in Hungary, first at the Sziget Festival in 2002 with the Triple Bill show. Triple Bill included three excitingly different choreographies (CandoCo 2002a, 2002b, 2002c). In Phasing, choreographed by Jamie Watton, David Lock performed in his wheelchair appearing as a misfit in the series of scenes that featured three performers, which triggered mainly conservative viewer strategies. Conversely, Javier de Frutos’ Sour Milk urged the audience to view the seated position associated with wheelchairs in a novel way. Finally, in Shadow, choreographed by Fin Walker, we could analyse the relations between disability and choreography through physical contacts between the dancers.
HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE:
Hajnal, Márton. 2025. “Disability and Dance. Possible Theoretical Approaches to Analyse CandoCo’s First Guest Performance in Hungary.” Martor 30, 119-134. [DOI: 10.57225/Martor.2025.07]
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