Book Review
Dance As Text: Ideologies of the Baroque Body
by Mark Franko
Revised Edition
published by Oxford
University Press, 2015
The relationship between
dance and text is a predominant theme in today’s choreographic/performance
arena. It’s everywhere – in Dance Theater, interdisciplinary collaborations,
mixed media immersions, classical ballet and contemporary dance. But of course,
the interconnectedness of these two fields is by no means a new phenomenon – in
fact, the conversation between movement and language may be one of the oldest
dialogues there is.
In his book, Dance As Text: Ideologies of the Baroque
Body, scholar and author Mark Franko tackles this vast subject by looking
at a particular period in history and a specific genre of choreography: French
Court Ballet staged between the late 1500s and the late 1600s. By analyzing
actual examples from that era, Franko unlocks the deep communion between dance
and text during that century, while simultaneously making a connection to the
present day.
Dance As Text: Ideologies of the Baroque Body impresses on many fronts. If French Court Ballet
is a new subject for you, as it was for me, by the time you reach the end of
the book, it will no longer be unfamiliar. In its five main chapters, along
with a prologue and epilogue, Franko covers the topic with curiosity, breadth
and plenitude. From the literal architecture of geometrical dance (where bodies
spelled words and patterned narrative symbols) to a more deconstructed
treatment of choreography and gesture as textual metaphor. Franko’s commentary
on Burlesque Ballet includes the genre’s distinct physical vocabulary as well
as the messages it was attempting to convey within a theatrical container. Both
subtle and overt messages of sexuality, identity and gender fluidity;
statements that brought to light the socio-cultural realities of the time.
Chapter five takes us to the late 1660s where Franko shares a number of
concurrent and related developments in dance and text: a move toward institutional/syllabus-based
ballet, the rise of the comedy-ballet and a rethinking of the dance interlude in
performance structure (his discussion of this last one is especially affecting
and thought-provoking). The epilogue, titled “Repeatability, Reconstruction and
Beyond”, brings a dance dramaturgy perspective to the table. While an interesting
manner in which to close the book, some of the ideas posited in these last
twenty pages are less convincing. But they do get you thinking, to be sure. And
even though Dance As Text: Ideologies of
the Baroque Body focuses on choreography and narrative, Franko also manages
to relate the two disciplines to the evolution of music composition in these
hundred years - fugue versus single melodic voicing, harmony versus dissonance
and much more.
Some structural
components of the book deserve special mention. Because Dance As Text: Ideologies of the Baroque Body focuses on language
and physicality in French Court Ballet, there are a number of French quotes and
literary excerpts throughout. I loved how Franko included the original French
followed by an English translation. It not only gives atmosphere and context,
but also helps transport the reader (at least this reader) to that time and
place from so long ago. Also, amongst his thoughtful discussion and analysis,
Franko cleverly unpacks terminology commonly used in dance studies - terms like
avant-garde, burlesque, baroque, discourse, practice and theory. He provides a
more comprehensive understanding of their meaning and intent, and encourages
the reader to think differently and more broadly about these themes and
concepts.
Another important
achievement of Dance As Text: Ideologies
of the Baroque Body is that from the very beginning of the book, Franko
draws a parallel between French Court Ballet and present-day performance. How
can baroque court ballet speak to today’s choreographic endeavors? While it may
not be the main thesis of the book, the connection Franko makes between the
past and the present is undeniable. Even separated by hundreds of years, commonalities
abound – a blurry border between art and life; an active approach to immersive
viewership; performance art as a means to solution; a porous line separating the
performers and the audience. I was particularly struck by how Burlesque Ballet
of that period sounded very much like today’s Dance Theater.
Last point for potential
readers. Dance As Text: Ideologies of the
Baroque Body is one of the most academic texts I’ve read, perhaps geared
towards graduate level students in dance and performance studies. Much of the language
is thick and heavy; knowing that ahead of time may be helpful.