Groove Fields. Understanding the Dance Floor from an Art-Based Research Perspective

Abstract

This contribution examines groove dynamics across various spatial contexts such as the dance club and the artistic performance space. As groove dynamics do not occur in a spatial vacuum but are embedded in affective environments, they need to be approached from an interdisciplinary perspective that ties together findings from experimental field studies, performance studies, musicology, cognitive hermeneutics etc. and places them in the physical, anatomic and acoustic contexts of concrete dance situations. In that way, the dance floor can be understood as a space of entanglements where acoustic, movement and kinaesthetic grooves mark and create a fluid territory of improvisational interaction and communication.

Keywords

• groove
• bounce
• entrainment
• improvisation
• club dance.