| What is the importance of touch in social partner dancing? How do partner dancers perceive touch, and how does it fit in with their other senses? How do dancers use touch to understand themselves, the music, and their world? This essay is based on ethnographic research conducted in four partner dance scenes in Amsterdam—tango, salsa, Lindy hop, and kizomba—including interviews with 21 experienced dancers and observations of 12 social dance parties. The social dance party is analyzed as a space which both puts constraints on the dance improvisation that occurs there, as well as offers possibilities for experimentation and the development of new techniques. The leader-follower relationship is also analyzed, with particular focus on how dancers conceptualize this relationship and how touch functions within it. Finally, the essay proposes that dancers train their sensory engagement and their boundaries, just as they train their movement, in order to control their affective experiences in the dance space. Drawing from the diverse perspectives offered by the interviewed dancers on topics such as musicality, safety, and appropriate touch, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the sensory and social dimensions of partner dance, giving insights into the ways in which dancing bodies engage with other bodies and the world. |
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