Embodied Explorations: Investigating the essence of a malagasy funeral ritual

About the project

"Embodied Explorations: Investigating the essence of a malagasy funeral ritual" is a PhD research project conducted by Gwen Rakotovao that investigates the enduring essence of the Malagasy funeral ritual Famadihana through the lenses of dance and choreography. This research explores how dance practice and choreography can function as methodologies to study, interpret, and transmit the multiple layers of the essence of a funeral ritual and its context. By situating choreography at the intersection of ritual, embodied knowledge, and contemporary performance, the project seeks to understand the ritual’s perpetuity and its potential to generate Afrofuturistic imaginaries within contemporary dance. Ultimately, the research aims to contribute new perspectives to artistic research, contemporary dance, and cultural discourse by examining how tradition and transformation coexist through embodied practice.

Description of the structure and content of the seminar

The seminar begins with an introduction to the project’s aims, research questions, and methodological and artistic approaches. This is followed by a group dance presentation with first-year BA Circus students, offering the audience an embodied exploration of the research framework. A formal response by the opponent, Liisa-Rávná Finbog, opens a dialogue on the research’s artistic, theoretical, and cultural implications, followed by discussion. After a break, a collective experiment brings all participants together, emphasizing communal embodiment and shared experience. The seminar concludes with questions and reflections from the audience, fostering exchange between research, practice, and spectatorship.

Participants  

PhD student: Gwen Rakotovao
Opponent: Liisa-Rávná Finbog
Supervisor: John-Paul Zaccarini

Seminar schedule

13:00–13:05
Welcome: John-Paul Zaccarini
13:05–13:40
Introduction of the artistic research project: Gwen Rakotovao followed by a practice-based presentation with a group of Circus students. 
13:40–13:50
Break
13:50–14:20
Response from opponent: Liisa-Rávná Finbog
14:20–14:30
Break
14:30–15:15
Discussion with Liisa-Rávná Finbog and Gwen Rakotovao
15:15–15:25
Break
15:25–16:00
Invitation to a short practice-based experiment with the whole group followed by questions and discussion with the audience.

Read more about the PhD project here