Social Aesthetics of Rhythm: Comparing Theatrical Dance and Adult-Newborn Interaction

The present contribution takes up the challenge proposed by convenors to bridge the divide between sociology and aesthetics, and -perhaps more importantly- between the social dimension and the aesthetic one. We try to do that by focusing on rhythm, and its role in both the domain of everyday life and the artistic one. The theoretical approach that lays at the basis of this proposal is the outcome of an interdisciplinary effort between sociology -in particular, ethnography and ethnomethodology- and philosophy -more specifically, social ontology. The approach is processual and pays attentions to the details of social interaction. We deem rhythm as one of the latter's key element. We take into consideration two "extreme" and somehow opposed cases, both concerned with non-verbal interaction mainly. On the one hand, we focus on theatrical dance, one among the most sophisticated forms of human interaction, in which rhythm clearly plays a fundamental -and explicit- role. On the other hand, we analyse adult-newborn interaction, as a sort of "degree zero" of social communication. The empirical material on which the contribution is based comes from two ethnographic researches, both employing an ensemble of techniques including participant observation, qualitative interviews and video-analysis. One has been conducted on the field of theatrical dance, in companies as well as dance schools (2006-2009). The other one consists in a case study, that has followed the everyday interaction and caring activities among a newborn, her parents and other members of the intimate circle, from birth to first birthday (April 2010 - April 2011). By comparison, we try to "extrapolate" the core aspects of rhythm in human interaction, and draw some reflections on the role of aisthesis in social life. We present rhythm as a meaningful -and sharable- pattern, endowed with an aesthetic dimension; a field of tensions and relaxations that lays at the foundations of human action-in-interaction. More specifically, we try to show how being in the flow of rhythm equals projecting oneself into the processual (i.e. moment-by-moment), intersubjective generation of a (common) rhythm. This, on the one hand, often entails mutual entrainment, with its pleasurable dimension, while, on the other hand, can be seen as a non-verbal, first order method of turn-taking in interaction. Ultimately, we conceive rhythm as the basic "sense" of sociality and sociability.