Philosophical Problems of Dance Criticism

PHILOSOPHICAL PROBLEMS

OF DANCE CRITICISM

Julie Charlotte Van Camp

Submitted to the Temple University Graduate Board

in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy

December, 1981

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The page numbers from the original dissertation are included in the text here as follows: /p. x.

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/p. iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I went to Temple University to study philosophy with Monroe Beardsley, my advisor for this dissertation. It has been an extraordinary privilege to work with him. He vastly exceeds his considerable reputation as a scholar, teacher, and friend of unchallenged stature. My deepest gratitude goes to him for his unflagging support and encouragement over the years and for his wise and generous commentary on this and other endeavors. He represents all that is best and most valuable about scholarship and teaching.

I would also like to extend special thanks to the other members of my dissertation committee: Charles Dyke, for his persistence and good humor in overcoming bureaucratic and psychological hurdles in the final throes of this project; Joseph Margolis, for his brilliant and detailed commentary; and John Fisher, for his solid and reliable guidance.

My appreciate also goes to Grace Stuart and Anne Blumquist, of Temple University, for their leadership through bureaucratic and technical mazes.

To my boss, Don Gibson, Director of State Programs at the National Endowment for the Humanities, I extend my appreciation for his patience with my erratic requests for leave and equally erratic swings in mood and productivity.

And finally, special thanks to my parents, Helen and Leon, and my siblings, Janet, Joy, Jo, and Jon, for their blind faith in my ability to complete this project, despite any and all evidence to the contrary.

/p. v

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER	TITLE	PAGE
I.	INTRODUCTION: PHILOSOPHY AND DANCE CRITICISM	1
	A. Philosophical Work on Dance: Why So Little Has Been Done	2
	B. Philosophical Problems of Dance Criticism	6
II.	THE DEFINITION OF "DANCE"	19
	A. Necessary and Sufficient Conditions	22
	B. Distinguishing Dance from Other Human Phenomena	45
	C. Distinguishing Dance from Other Performing Arts	67
III.	THE MULTIPLE MEDIA OF DANCE	103
	A. The Media of Dance	104
	B. Evaluation of the Mixed Media of Dance	123
IV.	THE IDENTITY OF WORKS OF ART IN DANCE	149
	A. Actual Practices in Establishing Identity of Dance Works	150
	B. Philosophical Theories of Identity in Dance	153
	C. The Lay Observer Test of Substantial Similarity in Copyright Infringement	170
V.	THE PROPER OBJECT OF CRITICISM, SKILLS, AND PRODUCTION FACTORS	219
	A. Evaluation of the Creative and Interpretive Aspects of Dance Performances	220
	B. Production Factors and the Evaluation of Performances	231
VI.	CONCLUSION	257
	BIBLIOGRAPHY	262

Continue to CHAPTER I. "INTRODUCTION: PHILOSOPHY AND DANCE CRITICISM"

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Comments and questions are welcome: jvancamp@csulb.edu

Last updated: August 3, 1997