Choreomusical networks. A methodological proposal for the study of the relationships between music and dance

Abstract

The study of the relationships that exist between music and dance, although it seems an elementary practice, in truth, requires specific and forceful technical domains in both disciplines. The consequence of this reality is that, for many decades, examining these relationships has been convoluted, and of rather vague or inadequate results. Thus, to contribute to this field of study, we present the following writing that focuses on the presenta- tion, development, and methodological systematization around what we have called “choreomusical networks”. With this objective in mind, the article presents in the first instance a summary of the main contributions that the theory of choreomusical relationships has made in the last thirty years (Hodgins 1992; Jordan 2020, 2015, 2000; Damsholt 2017, 1999; Smith 1981), to later approach the actor-network theory (Latour 2008) from the point of view of musical studies (Piekut 2014). Finally, in the third and decisive part of the text, the specific theory of choreomusical relationships is reviewed, from the perspective of the actor-network theory, to build a tracking methodology of choreomusical networks. We believe that a methodology such conceived will provide a useful toolbox for choreomusical analysis and collaborative creative dance and music work. It will particularly address a gap in the current theory of choreomusical relations: that of the trans-sensory fluctuation that occurs as a result of the movement of choreomusical agents and actants.