Performance Generating Systems in Dance

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Performance generating systems are systematic, task-based dramaturgies that create performance for or with an audience. In dance, these systems differ significantly from closed choreographed scores and more open structured improvisation. Dancers within these systems rely on predefined sources while engaging in specific tasks under constraining rules. The components of these systems establish boundaries that allow performances to self-organize into shifting patterns, avoiding repetition or chaos. This book identifies the generating components and dynamics of these works, exploring the dramaturgical agency they enable. It discusses how these systems influence the perception, cognition, and learning of dancers, highlighting their importance in the creative process. Additionally, it examines how the combined dramaturgical and psychological effects of these systems address individual and social trauma, which often hinders the ability to learn, relate, and adapt. The book offers analytical frameworks and practical insights for studying or applying performance generating systems in dance, relevant to choreography, dance dramaturgy, education, community dance, or dance psychology. Featured cases provide unique insights into systems developed by notable figures such as Deborah Hay, Christopher House, William Forsythe, Ame Henderson, Karen Kaeja, and Lee Su-Feh.