The 1960s Body Through Sculptural Movement and Static Dance

One of the major cultural upheavals of the 1960s was a blurring of the boundaries that defined traditional art disciplines. In particular, sculpture, performance art and dance came to share many of the same attributes that once made them distinct practices. The works of George Segal, Allan Kaprow and Yvonne Rainer intersect in ways that dramatically elucidate these issues during this period. This study explores these changes arguing that there was an inverse relationship between the performative nature of Segal sculptures and the non-expressive immobility of Kaprow and Rainer performances. This contradiction where sculpture became more performative and dance became more still, challenged long-standing conceptions of these disciplines. Using theorist Pierre Bourdieu and his habitus as a way to think about the role of the body in these art genres offers an understanding of how 1960s bodies used gesture to limit communication through movement. This work will be particularly useful for those interested in movement studies, early American modern art and also will appeal to anyone curious about how their own body is transformed in the presence of visual and performing arts.