Understanding Space through the Experience of Dance

(Thesis Statement)

"Space, said choreographer George Balanchine, 'is everything'. A symphony can be enjoyed live or on record, a play can be seen or read, but dance emerges through the single medium of space. Without space, dance does not exist. "

"There are ceremonies that determine space, and spaces that determine ceremonies."

Bernard Tschumi

Architecture can be experienced in various forms. Though we often consider sight the primary means through which architectural space can be understood, one would also argue it is more relevant to examine how the whole body responds and "sees" space. Movement is an important vehicle for the understanding of space, and it should be an important part of the intention of the architect. In dance, as in theater or any performing arts, there is a fluid exchange and interconnectivity with the surrounding environment that can create the setting for performance to take place. It is through space and movement that dance exists.

The intention of this thesis proposition is to investigate how movement activates space, through the study of contemporary dance, proposing a method of understanding architecture that is based on the ideas and language of dance. The goal is to investigate how the study of contemporary dance can help info􀂆 the creation of architectural space. It is the intent of this investigation that through the study of movement via contemporary dance, an architectural application that emphasizes movement can be developed.