Laughter in dance: A look at the relationship between laughter, sound and movement / Tuesdae Houston (2020)

This research explores laughter in dance in the choreographic process and in performance. Choreographers could approach creation and performance works using the nonverbal tools that are embedded in social behaviour. The investigation focussed on how performers use laughter as a means of nonverbal communication. My intention was to find new ways of choreographing, to construct a different performative experience. What emerged was the embodied practice of the laughersound-movement relationship.

I did not encounter methodologies in dance that used laughter as a tool that were not related to comedy. I combined features of methods applied in other fields to develop working methods that could be applied to my investigation. I used laughter, movement and sound activities as a choreographic tool in the making process

I used an inductive approach to research and the grounded theory method during the process. I would describe my use of practice-based research as a hybrid where I looked to theory for rigidity and looked to practice for insights.

The research found that there is a symbiotic link between sound generation and movement. It also found that there is a phenomenological experience when hearing oneself laugh and dancing. The survey analysis revealed that the laughter-soundmovement relationship can cause high levels of engagement with online and studio audience members, and close proximity had an exponential effect on engagement with studio audience members. The research also found that laughter in performance can express different emotional states clearly and can translate ideas, attitudes and sentiments.