See Me! A Discussion on the Quality of Performing Arts for Children Based on a Performative Approach
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Nagel, L. (2013). See me! A Discussion on the Quality in Performing Arts for Children Based on a Performative Approach. InFormation-Nordic Journal of Art and Research, 2(2). http://dx.doi.org/10.7577/if.v2i2.734Abstract
In this article, the writer discusses and analyses what happens to the evaluation of quality in
performing arts for children when we move from the notion of art as an object to art as an event. Erika
Fischer-Lichte´s theory on the so-called performative turn in the arts and more specifically, the term
feedback loop, constitute the article´s theoretical backdrop. Two audience-related episodes, the dance
performance BZzBZz-DADA dA bee by ICB Productions (3–6 year olds) and the theatre performance
Thought Lab by Cirka Teater (for 6-year-olds and above), serve as starting points for the theoretical
discussion. By adopting Siemke Böhnisch’s performative approach to theatre analysis, focusing on the
terms directed-ness2 and contact in relation to the audience, the writer seeks to show a dissonance (and
its reverse) between the performers and the audience in the two respective performances. The term
dissonance describes moments of unintended breaks in communication, moments of which the
performers are most likely unaware. These moments, however, become apparent when the audience´s
reactions are included in the analysis, and we become almost obliged to consider the child audience as
qualified judges of quality, as opposed to allowing ourselves to dismiss their interactions as either noise or
enthusiasm.