Dancing in the street as feminist empowerment: the choreographic discourse of Bellywarda and L'Armee des Roses

ABSTRACT

The reaffirmation of female bodies in public spaces is a constant in feminist social movements. Indeed, the role of the female body in public spaces and conveying a social message is vindicated by artists from all disciplines, whether by occupying the streets in protest of unequal women's rights and equality or sexual harassment and rape, or in other social demonstrations. In the field of dance, some companies perform expressly in public spaces with the precise aim of conquering these arenas as a stage to visibilise female bodies, highlighting their diversity and demanding more equality and freedom. In this article, we use collective interviews with two French companies committed to promoting feminism in the streets Bellywarda (FatChanceBellyDance (c)) and L'Armee des Roses (performing the cancan), to analyse the choreographic discourse related to this concept. We aimed to study the appropriation of public spaces, interactions with the public at large and their reception of these performances, social links between dancers, and the transmission of feminist values. Observation of these dances and the interview outcomes was addressed from the perspectives of the sociology of emotions, phenomenology of urban spaces, and women's studies. The context of the COVID-19 pandemic prevented us from examining the public reception of these street actions, but we were able to discuss the current situation in France in which dance is considered a 'non-essential cultural asset' during the second lockdown, when this research takes place.