Liminal space of postmodern dance

Abstract

The article analyzes the concept of liminal space, which became a distinctive feature of theatrical/choreographic performances in the second half of the 20th century. The directors, performers, and viewers enter the created threshold art space and are mentally transformed, gaining a unique artistic experience in the process of participating in the performance. Liminality is considered as a meta-concept. The article examines the ways of expressing liminality in American postmodern dance of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, or rather, in the productions of Judson Dance Theater’s and Grand Union’s members. For this purpose, the concept of liminality is interpreted, and its development in ethnographic, sociological, cultural, and art history discourse is briefly described.