writing

Experimental Dance and the Somatics of Language: Thinking in Micromovement is about dance’s relationship to language. It investigates how dance bodies work with the micromovements elicited by language’s affective forces, and the micropolitics of the thought-sensations that arise when movement and words accompany one another within choreographic contexts. Situating itself where theory meets practice—the zone where ideas arise to be tested, the book draws on embodied research in practices within the lineages of American postmodern dance and Japanese butoh, set in dialog with affect-based philosophies and somatics. Understanding that language is felt, both when uttered and when unspoken, this book speaks to the choreographic thinking that takes place when language is considered a primary element in creating the sensorium.

Palgrave New World Choreographies Series
October 2023

Image of the book cover: Experimental Dance and the Somatics of Language: Thinking in Micromovement

reviews

“Nicely’s research is theoretical and experiential. [...] Nicely is able to both zoom in and zoom out in her understanding of language and micromovement; she values the individual, the relational, and the global.”

“Letting Language Dance.” Kristin Marrs, Dance Chronicle (2024)

“Nicely’s book … offers a deep exploration of how language evokes movement and how words lead to sensations… This book is an inspiring and compelling new read for graduate students and researchers around somatics, phenomenology, postmodern dance, and butoh.”

“12 Must-Have Dance Education Books of 2023.”  Jill Randall, Dance Teacher (2023)