Exploring the emotion dynamic of the mother and daughter relationship through dance / Siyu Shen (2024)

The dance piece ‘About Mother, About Daughter’ is based on an analysis of attachment theories of three different mother-daughter relationships: secure, avoidant and anxious attachment relationships Through the authors Ainsworth, Bowlby, and Bosmans, as well as through my own personal questionnaires I gave to participants, the differences in the behaviours and emotional expressions of mothers and daughters in a variety of relationships was explored. Through dance, the work shows the different characteristics of emotional communication in detail, highlighting the profound impact of different mother-daughter relationships. Through the art of dance, as the choreographer, I have explored how to convey emotion in dance, exploring the work of Cvejić, Salmela and others. The emotions of different motherdaughter attachment relationships are developed into a unique choreographic language, enabling the audience to visualise the differences in these emotions and behaviours. I emphasise that through this art form, the aim is to provide a deeper understanding and empathy for the emotional and behavioural differences brought about by different attachment types.