"It caught me" Dance, Possession, and Revolt

Abstract

Bodies in possession and in revolt are often framed as being “caught” by some other entity—a spirit, a force, or a memory. Cases of rebellion involve a loss of intentionality of movement, unlike a subject who wills and decides. What is the political significance of the illegibility of such movements, before they are consigned to taxonomies and diagnoses that render them pathological, criminal, or demonic? What thinking about dance might this permit?