Monstrous Through Movement
by Christina Brewer
See Christina's Dance Now
Monstrous through Movement
People are familiar the male monster in literature but the analysis of female
monsters is very rare. In monster literature, women are generally innocent, inferior to the
male beast and very submissive. So, in my project, I decided to discuss and analyze
examples of female monsters through the art of dance. I use this creative art to illustrate
different qualities of a female that are evident in the historical view of female monsters.
Initially, explaining the mental and physical monstrous characteristics in females through
dance is a challenge; but through my analysis, I have noticed a correlation between dance
and literature. In my project, I present female monsters derived from the works we have
studied throughout the semester; I also use the concepts of Freud and Douglas and other
readings.
Modern dance relates to Freud’s idea of binary opposition of order/chaos.
In
ballet, spontaneous movements are suppressed. However, in modern dance, one has the
freedom to express his or her true emotions in any movement and it is often preoccupied
with dramatic narrative. This rejection of the standard form of dance, ballet, illustrates
the monstrous characteristics of the dance itself. The dance piece utilizes movements
spontaneously, and the sequence of the movements is inconsistent throughout the dance,
as to Sula is inconsistent in her life and in her emotions.
Sula presents many monstrous qualities because of the way she expresses
herself, and her lifestyle demonstrates monstrous qualities that we have learned
throughout the course of the class. In the novel Sula, Toni Morrison’s female character
micmics the monstrous dance movements . The main character, Sula, displays a strong
monstrous personality. Unlike the character Nel in the novel, she is very unconventional
and independent and her feelings are numb in relationships with men. Her upbringing and
lack of stability in the household impacted her personality. In addition, she lived with her
grandmother, who was a former prostitute. Thus, her many monstrous qualities revolve
around her upbringing and the mystery behind her evil behavior.
Sula’s upbringing parallels to that of Frankenstein and the monstrous
nature of the
dance. They both were not taught the morals of society and they were brought into an
unfamiliar world that neither of them knew which caused them to inflict harm on others.
The two characters are similar to the character played in the dance piece. The dancer
uses movements that are familiar to oneself, but not familiar to others. In addition, the
appearance of the dancer contributes to its monstrous-like qualities.
The Medusa is a perfect example of a female that carries qualities of a
monster through her unconventional appearance. She had a dreadful face and a look that
turned people into stone. Her powers of destruction and her awkward looks make her into
a monster. Similar to the dance piece, the appearance of the dancer is not appealing. The
dancer’s clothing and hair are disheveled, giving the dancer a monstrous and an uncanny
appearance.
Freud defines the uncanny as always being unfamiliar and uncomfortable
to us; uncanny can be a form of action or a concept that “ought to have remained secret
but has come to light”( Freud 200 ). Sula presents this type of uncanny when she blurts
out vulgar language. Her use of curse words is an act that is familiar and homely to her
because she was raised in a household that allowed that type of behavior. Her boisterous
curse words in public show her lack of femininity and her monstrous-like behavior.
Morrison illustrates Sula’s monstrous-like behavior when Sula accidentally throws
Chicken Little in the river in where he drowns. Since Sula was never taught responsibility
she carelessly kills the young boy.
In a close examination of the dance piece, one will notice the mysterious
and
poignant character that also reflects Freud’s idea of the uncanny. In the dance piece, the
nature is developed through the dancer’s movements. For example, the dancer wears a
black shawl that covers her face, especially the eyes, showing the viewer that the
character is mysterious. In Freud’s idea of uncanny, he emphasizes that the eyes
are human being’s most vulnerable organs and the one we rely on the most.
In the dance piece, one will notice the dancer covering her eyes, making them uncanny.
The sporadic movements in the dance piece that are not always in the same
sequence with each other creates a monstrous effect. The dance piece is mostly
performed in modern dance, contrasts to classical ballet. Modern and contemporary
movements in the dance piece do remain outside the boundaries of classical ballet
technique. Similar to Mary Douglas’ idea of chaos remaining outside the boundaries of
order and stability.
Mary Douglas’ idea of order and chaos is demonstrated in the dance piece.
For
example, the dancer uses a long black shawl that the dancer later on throws out. The
long black shall is a representation of the marginal boundary between order and chaos.
The dance illustrates rebellion, similar to the state of many female monsters, such as the
female characters in The Bloody Chamber and Dracula. All the female characters in these
novels illustrate evil actions. Initially good-natured, the characters eventually decided to
rebel against the norm and demonstrate evil actions.
The Company of Wolves by Angela Carter provides an example of a female
character crossing the marginal boundaries of chaos and order. Initially the young girl
acts as a little innocent girl, but the young girl begins to demonstrate monstrous acts:
“…and she will pick out the lice from his pelt and perhaps she will put the lice into her
mouth and eat them, as he will bid her, as she would do in a savage marriage ceremony”
( Carter 118 ). As described in the quote, the young girl towards the end becomes
monstrous because she takes possession of the beast and turns his control into chaos.
Thus, she illustrates Freud’s idea of binary opposition between good / evil. Similarly,
certain movements in the dance piece illustrates Freud’s idea. The dancer utilizes slow,
soft, innocent movements which progresses into emotional, rapid, undefined, aggressive
ones.
The costuming is unlike the standards of ballet. The dancer is wearing all black
which is a typical color that represents gothic and horror and the loss of order and
stability. However, in classical ballet, dancers wear white or bright colors. The female
dancers wear their hair in buns; while in this modern dance, the dancer’s hair is worn
down and out of place. The hair is able to have the freedom to create its own movement.
The dance also consist of emotional and strong sharp movements; whereas,
In classical ballet, the movements are fluid and the dancers are based around the center of
the body. With this piece, the dancer uses sharp movements to convey anger, anxiety,
pain, and darkness. The dance consist of many movements that are monstrous- like:
whiplash movements, stamps of the feet and hands, linear shapes, fast kicks, running,
falls, and contractions.
The music in the dance contributes to the mood of the environment and helps
present the qualities of the dance. The music is slow paced and emotional, allowing the
dancer to use varied movements to present the monster. There are certain moments
in the song where the artist is laments emotional thoughts causing her to move in a more
dreadful way as if she us being led by the music. This concept is similar to the situation
with Lucy in Dracula. Dracula’s actions affect the actions of Lucy when transforms her
into a vampire like him.
In conclusion, dance illustrates and relates to several of Freud’s and Douglas’
ideas and to the female monsters that we have encountered in the readings throughout the
semester. Music and visuals are factors that contribute to the monstrous theme of the
dance piece, as well. Thus, dance can illustrate many aspects of a monster.
Works Cited:
1. Douglas, Mary. Purity and Danger: An Analysis of the Concepts of Pollution And Taboo. London: Routledge, 1996.
2. Du Brul B. Jack. The Medusa Stone. New York: Onyx Book, 2000.
3. Freud, Sigmund. Writings on Art and Literature. Stanford:
Stanford University Press, 1997.
3. Morrison, Toni. Sula. New York: Knopf, 1973.
