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Integrating Mindfulness Meditation in a Creative Process in Dance

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Integrating Mindfulness Meditation in a Creative Process in Dance UNIVERSITÉ DU QUÉBEC À MONTRÉAL INTEGRATING MINDFULNESS MEDITATION IN A CREATIVE PROCESS IN DANCE THESIS PRESENTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAS TER IN DANCE BY MONICA COQUOZ SEPTEMBER 2017 UNIVERSITÉ DU QUÉBEC À MONTRÉAL Service des bibliothèques Avertissement La diffusion de ce mémoire se fait dans le respect des droits de son auteur, qui a signé le formulaire Autorisation de reproduire et de diffuser un travail de recherche de cycles supérieurs (SDU-522 - Rév.07-2011 ). Cette autorisation stipule que «conformément à l'article 11 du Règlement no 8 des études de cycles supérieurs, [l'auteur] concède à l'Université du Québec à Montréal une licence non exclusive d'utilisation et de publication de la totalité ou d'une partie importante de [son] travail de recherche pour des fins pédagogiques et non commerciales. Plus précisément, [l 'auteur] autorise l'Université du Québec à Montréal à reproduire, diffuser, prêter, distribuer ou vendre des copies de [son] travail de recherche à des fins non commerciales sur quelque support que ce soit, y compris l'Internet. Cette licence et cette autorisation n'entraînent pas une renonciation de [la] part [de l'auteur] à [ses] droits moraux ni à [ses] droits de propriété intellectuelle. Sauf entente contraire, [l 'auteur] conserve la liberté de diffuser et de commercialiser ou non ce travail dont [il] possède un exemplaire.» UNIVERSITÉ DU QUÉBEC À MONTRÉAL L'INTÉGRATION DE LA MÉDITATION DE LA PLEINE CONSCIENCE DANS UN PROCESSUS DE CRÉATION EN DANSE MÉMOIRE PRÉSENTÉ COMME EXIGENCE PARTIELLE DE LA MAÎTRISE EN DANSE PAR MONICA COQUOZ SEPTEMBRE 2017 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I am deeply grateful to Johanna Bienaise, my thesis advisor, for her clarity, efficiency, wisdom and warmth in helping me complete this project. I felt supported and guided through each step of the process. I am also very appreciative of the FARE scholarship and the Quebec government for funding paii of this research­ creation. The support of the UQAM Dance Department in the form of financial and staff aid was also essential in making this research possible. My outside eyes, Katya Montaignac, Sylvie Cotton and Josée Gagnon were precious allies on this journey and I am appreciative of their contributions, discussions and feedback. I would especially like to thank my family for their support and encouragement, in particular rny mother, Michèle Ashley, and step-father, Jean-Claude Bürger, for their steadfast and unconditional love, no matter what. I am deeply blessed. I would also like to express my gratitude towards my dear friends and colleagues: Rebecca Barnstaple, Clarisse Delatour, Elise Hardy and Hélène Messier, partners in dance and life; Isabelle Fortier and Anne Goldenberg for accompanying me on preliminary parts of this research. I would also like to express rny appreciation to Evan Henritze and Marlon Barrios Solanos for reading sections of this work and offering insightful comments. I am particularly beholden to Kike Garnero Parra for his love, patience and care during the writing of this thesis. He was a steadfast source of support during the all phases of the research-creation process, including the most difficult. Finally, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all of my teachers for inspiring me to follow a path of leaming and transmission that is age old. I walk in the footsteps of all those who have corne before me. May this work be of benefit to all. TABLE OF CONTENTS RÉSUMÉ ... .......... .. ... ... .. ...... ..................... .. ............. .. .................. .. ........... ........ .. .... ... viii ABSTRACT ....... .. .. ..... .. .. .... ..... ... .. .. ... .... ... .. .... .... .. ..... ............ .... ....... ......... .... .. .... .. ...... X CHAPTERI INTRODUCTION .. ...... ...... ...... .. .... ... .... ......... ... ..... .... ........... ...... ... .... ....... .............. .... 1 1.1 Origins of the Study: Personal Trajectory in Light of My Artistic Practice ... ... 1 1.2 Motivation for Research, Research Issues and Questions .. .. ........ .. ..... ... .... ........ 3 1.3 Situating my Artistic Practice ... ... ... ... .. .............. ... .. ... ....... .... .......... ... ................. 5 1.4 Situating my Meditation Practice .... .............. .. ... ..... .. ...... ... ......... .. ... ........ ... ....... 6 1.5 State of the Question: In the Artistic Milieu .. ............. ....... ....... .. .... .. ................. 8 1.5 .1 Buddhist influences in Western Modern and Contemporary Art .. ... .... ... .... 8 1.5.2 Buddhist Influences in Postmodern and Contemporary Dance ......... .. ..... 10 1.5 .3 The Relationship ofBuddhism to the Arts ... ....... .. ... ..... ... .... ..................... 12 1.6 State of the Question: In Academic Literature ... ........ ............ .. .... ... ........ .. ....... 13 1.7 Methods: Research-Creation ........ ..... ....... .... ... .. .......................... ........ ..... .. ... ... 16 1.8 Limits and Hopes for the Study ... ... ........ ....... ... .... ...... .......... .. ....... .. ................ 17 CHAPTERII THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK. .... .. ... .. ... ... ........ .. ... .......... ..... ... ..... .... .... .. ..... ...... ... 18 2.1 Mindfulness .. ...... ... .................. .... .. ... .... ..... .................. .............. ....... .. .. ............ 19 2.2 Mindfulness Meditation: Theravada Buddhist Meditation Based on the Satipatthana Sutta .................................. .............. .. ..... ... .. ................................. .. .... 19 2.3 The Four Foundations of Mindfulness ... ............ ... ... .. .......... ... .. ..... .. ..... ... .. .. .... 21 2.3.1 TheBody ... .... ..... ........... .. ... .... .. ... .. ............................................... ..... .. .... .. 21 2.3 .2 Vedana ........ .. ...... ............ ..... ...... .... .... ............................................ ............ 22 2.3.3 The Heart/Mind ... ... ..... ... ..... .. .......... .... .... ... ........ ...... .. ... ..... ......... ....... .. ..... 22 2.3.4 Dhallllna .................... .. ....... ... ............... .... .... ........... .. ................................. 23 2.4 The Three Skillful and Unskillful Roots of Mind ..... .......... .. ............... ..... .. .. ... 24 2.5 The Brahma Viharas or the Four Heavenly Abodes .... .. ... ..... ........ ... ........... .... 25 2.6 Anatta or "Non Self' in Buddhism ..... .. ............. .. .. ......... .. .............................. .. 26 V 2.7 The Five Aggregates: Components of the Self in Buddhism ....... ...... ....... ... .... 27 2.7.1 Forn1 ........ .... .... ..... ..... .... ... ... ........ ........................................ ... .... .............. .. 27 2.7.2 Vedana ..................................... .................................... .......... .. .. ... ... ... ....... 28 2.7.3 Perception ... ................ .. .... ... .. .. ... ..... .... ... ... .... ... ...... ................ .............. .. .. 28 2.7.4 Mental Factors ............... ...... ...... ................................ ... .... ......... .. ...... ... ... .. 29 2.7.5 Consciousness ......................... ... ........... .. .... ........ ....................................... 29 2.8 Deconstructing the Self in Postmodem, Queer and Feminist Theory .... .. ... .. ... 30 2.9 Experiences ofReceptivity and Non-Self in Dance Artists ............................. 32 2.10 From Theory to Methods .. ..... ... .... .... .............. .. .... ... .. ...... .......... .. ... ..... .... ....... 33 CHAPTERIII METHODOLOGY ... .............. ..... ... .... ..... ... ............................ ........ ... ............ ............. 35 3.1 A Bricolage of Research Methods: Autopoieses, Heuristic Inquiry and Mindfulness ............ ... ..... .. .... .. .... ...... ............ .. .............. .... ..................................... 35 3.2 The Creative Process .. .... .... ..... .......... ..... .. ....... .. ... .. ... ....................................... 39 3.3 Gathering Information ... ... ... .. ... ... ....... ... ...... ...................... ...... .... .... ... .. .. .. ........ 40 3.2.1 Journal .. ....................... ........ .... ........................................... ... .................... 40 3.3 .2 Video Recordings ofRehearsals and Performances ...... .. .... .. .... ... .... ......... 41 3.3.3 Explicitation Interview ...................................... ........................................ 42 3.4 Method of Analysis ..... ..................... ............................ .. .. ....... ...... .... ... ... ... .... .. 42 3.5 Ethical Considerations .................................... ...... .. ................ ............... ....... .... 44 CHAPTERIV RESULTS and DISCUSSION ....... ... ......................... ................. ... ... .... .. .................... 46 4.1 The Creative Process .. ..... ......................... ...... .. .... ..... ....................................... 47 4.1.1 Working With What Was There: An Open Attitude, No Plan .. ...... .......... 48 4.1.1.1 Empty Space: Exploring the Environment Through the Senses .. ... ... 49 4.1.1.2 Black Tarp: Conflicting Attitudes Towards Being Seen .................... 51 4.1.1.3 Trusting My Intuition: Repeating Explorations as a Way of Setting Material .. ............. .. .. ........ ..... ..... ............ .. ......... .... ...... ... ..... ..... ........................ 52 4.1.2 The Tension Between Being and Doing ......................... .
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