A Note on Mr. Margolis and the Definition of Dance

Julie Van Camp

California State University, Long Beach

pp. 53-56

in: Andrea Baldini, Feng Peng, Hae-Wan Lee & Peter Cheyne (eds), The Definition of Art and the Legacy of Joseph Margolis, East Asian Journal of Philosophy 2 (2), 2023.

Abstract

I demur to Margolis’ insistence that we form a generalized concept of art before the formation of a definition of specific art forms. I consider the elements proposed for a definition of “dance” by Margolis, including “dance notation, dance style, and dance as the expression of a contingent culture.” I note the problems with the third element, especially the blind spot shared by many of us to anything other than Western culture.