Paper short abstract:

This paper uses dance forums to explore notions of self, and the possible disjuncture between self and self expression.

Paper long abstract:

Excited, tired, happy, uncomfortable: does the body ever lie? This paper explores notions of self, and the possible disjuncture between self and self expression. Social dance is one means by which many individuals work towards a harmony between inner and outer lives. It is when dancing - a form of moving and being in the moment - or in the dance class that the inner being can be revealed as senses of consciousness and social self are arrested. This paper is an examination of social dancers when their guard is dropped, when they feel at particularly at home with themselves, when their reactions are potentially true to their selves. The suggestion here is that the inner landscape can thus be seen flitting across the dancer's face and read in the semiotics of their body movements.