Distributed corporeality: Anatomy, knowledge and the technological reconfiguration of bodies in ballet

Abstract

Various specialist cultures configure bodies as complex technological devices. We know little about how exactly this is done. I focus on one of these cultures, classical ballet, to praxeologically reconstruct the conceptual, situational and material configuration of bodies as particular instruments. The technologization of the body is closely intertwined with the scientification of the practice – its ladenness with scientific knowledge about the body and an elaborate apparatus for the production of bodies. When anatomical knowledge and didactics intertwine in ballet class, this facilitates an opening of the black box ‘body’ for technical improvement. ‘A body’ becomes a plurality of (in this case, anatomically distinguished) actants. This distributed corporeality suggests that ‘the body’ is an assemblage that becomes apparent as such in moments of its modification. The empirical case as well as the analytical approach here give reason to reconsider the distinction between humans and non-humans that still prevails in actor-network theory and elsewhere.

“Our flight suits are not just plain blue”: The co-production of coordination and bodies in a military air display squadron

“…Although similar to aspects of body training highlighted in sports activities (e.g. Müller, 2018; Spencer, 2009; Wacquant, 2004), such disciplination has so far remained a blind spot in studies of organizational coordination, including those investigating such demanding contexts as trauma centres, military operations, or sports races (Bechky & Okhuysen, 2011; Bouty & Drucker-Godard, 2019; Faraj & Xiao, 2006; Godé & Lebraty, 2015). There is however no clear reason for assuming that, in organizations, bodies will function smoothly and withstand operations without physical disciplining.…”

“…Earlier studies (e.g. Müller, 2018; Potter, 2008) have examined bodywork in terms of the transformations it aims to produce and have thus framed it as preparatory to practice. We add to them by showing that bodywork goes further and is a component of the practice itself.…”

“…First, they have shown that learning of cultural (Gvion, 2015; O’Connor, 2007), sporting (Müller, 2018; Potter, 2008; Spencer, 2009; Wacquant, 2004), health (Prentice, 2007) or military (Godfrey et al, 2012; Lande, 2007) practices involves bodywork, that is an ‘intensive and finely regulated manipulation of the organism’ (Wacquant, 1995, p. 73) aiming at educating participants and transforming them into practitioners. Second, scholars have also investigated body pedagogics (Shilling, 2017) as the means by which such bodywork is performed.…”

“…Second, scholars have also investigated body pedagogics (Shilling, 2017) as the means by which such bodywork is performed. They emphasized that the (re)configuring of bodies is a purposeful and long (Potter, 2008; Spencer, 2009) repetitive process played out both during specific training sessions that turn bodies ‘into material’ to ‘forge’ them (Müller, 2018, p. 877) and also ‘diffusely through [. .…”

The Body Multiple And The Multimodality Of Death

“…Неразрывная связь когнитивных, аффективных и перцептивных компонентов человеческого способа бытия и действия в мире, мышления и телесности легли в основу концепций воплощенного разума [Varela, Thompson, Rosch 1993]. Синтез концепций пространственной распределенности разума и других функций человеческого сознания и их телесной воплощенности привели к изменению взглядов на тело и его границы и разработке концепции распределенного тела [Müller 2018]. Все эти подходы, подчеркивающие вовлеченность тела и разума в гибридные целостности и сборки, объединяющие тела и инфраструктуры, телесные органы и инструменты, позволили обратить внимание на изначально гибридный характер человеческих практик, умений и привычек: они формируются как устойчивые паттерны действий (соматотехники) и затем образуют за счет их инкорпорации в схему тела основу индивидуальности каждого человека.…”