Le nu en danse contemporaine : L’exotisme « comme pulsion de curiosité »

This paper explores the ambiguity of the naked moving body. The anthropologist noticed a double discourse on her fieldwork in contemporary dance theaters in Switzerland: on the one hand, an acclimatization to nudity due to diffusion, on the other side, a strong exoticism (curiosity, fascination). Meanings of the exhibition of naked bodies in dance are investigated, considering both dancers’ and spectators’ perspectives. The different experiences and conceptions of nudity on stage are explored, in dialog with dance scholarship. The assumption of nudity as transgressive is put into question. The author mentions different modest strategies used to reduce the erotic violence of the flesh, drawing on the notion of modesty by H.P. Dürr. This paper sheds light on the relation between nudity, sexuality and eroticism in contemporary dance, as well as on the performativity of the naked body.