2014, Vol.51, No.6

The Korean Journal of Dance Studies 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 0.93

pISSN : 1226-900X / eISSN : 2713-9468
https://journal.kci.go.kr/krsds

This study investigated a reality survival TV show Dancing9 Season2, conducting a contents analysis of its linguistic contents. The data collection included transcribing ten episodes of the show. A cumulative coding process yielded seven categories, one of which was competition. The category of competition and its subcategories were weaved through a thematic narrative. Competition was accelerated by dramatic expressions such as war, mortal enemy, battle, survival, etc. Participants used “bad” and “fearful” strategies and speech acts. Participants competed not only with the opponent team(s) but also within their own team. However, the reality TV show with auditioning format brought in another layers of competition, which was constructed by the vote of the viewers. Viewers focused on participants’ personalities, which include consideration, concession, and team-spirit as valid components for competition. Since the show took in viewers’ votes in determining the winner, amity and reservation constructed the landscape of competition along with rivalry.

Problematizing the meager discourse of visual media and the visual within dance scholarship, this research aims to present a general introduction to visual anthropology and to suggest its implications for the benefit of dance studies. Introducing its general history and characteristics, I trace how visual anthropology has departed from the naive realism and positivism to more reflexive and participatory mode of inquiry. The observation that visual anthropological attempts in dance scholarship is much more limited than those in anthropology provokes the main question: Why, while undergoing the same postmodern shift with anthropology, did dance studies pay little interest in visual media? I argue that universalism on body and seeing, as well as dance’s alleged ephemerality and its contingent focus on preservation discourseprevented the healthy discussion and exploration on visual media. Refuting both, I examine the possibilities and threats of reflexivity, the core of postmodern visual anthropology.

This study adopts a method of 'Practice Based Research' in order to examine the researcher's experience of the meaning of Kim Paik-bong's dance works. The process of re-creation of her dances involves expression techniques that intervene the original form with emotional and affective differences. Observing the variations, this research questions whether those variations should be considered as transmutation or development. Discussing the issue of what the definitions of the original form of a dance are and which variations could be considered acceptable, this research suggests that a dance work does not need to be a taxidermied form but a living form that allows numerous transformations and transfigurations. Rather than identifying the noticeable characteristics of Kim Paik-bong's dances, this research focuses on the ways of studying and approaching her dance world, which could contribute the discourse on art research method and art education method.