198 performance as art
of visual stimulation. He cites, however, an e-mail correspondence with
Gallese where the latter grants the possibility in principle of proprioceptive
stimulation producing stimulation in the visual areas of the brain. But, as
Shusterman also concedes, this doesn’t give us any basis for ascribing visual
awareness , let alone clear visualization of a particular posture. Nor, indeed,
does this deal with the need for the visual image to be perspectival, of the
actor viewed from the back. The firing of the mirror neurons involved in
observing an action is presumably not perspectivally coded, but reflects a
classification of the bodily motions under some goal.^20
In support of Montero’s claims, it might be thought that dance training
does, or should, make an aesthetic difference to one’s ability to appreciate
dance. This would fit with our judgments in other areas of art. For example,
we assume that painters are able to see facture in paintings that escapes the
eye of the untrained viewer, however aesthetically sensitive that eye, and
that only a trained musician can properly appreciate the virtuosity of certain
performers. But we can remain skeptical about the idea of proprioception
as an aesthetic sense, yet still acknowledge that only one with the relevant
dance training can properly appreciate certain aspects of dance perform-
ance. For such training may be necessary to appreciate what the performer has
achieved. If we think that the artistic achievement of the artist is one element
entering into the artistic value of the artwork, then, just as a knowledge of
the practice of painting is necessary to appreciate a painter’s achievement, so
a knowledge of dance technique may be necessary to appreciate the artistry
demonstrated by the dancer in executing a given sequence of movements.
This line of reasoning will be challenged by those who think that an art-
ist’s achievement has no bearing on the artistic value of her work. The argu-
ment, here, would be that, as appreciators of dance, our concern is only with
the realized artistic spectacle, not with the messy mechanics that go into
producing that spectacle. But if there are reasons to reject such an “empiri-
cist” conception of artistic appreciation and artistic value,^21 then we may
agree with Montero that an experiential acquaintance with techniques and
practices in the performing arts may be necessary if we are to fully appreci-
ate at least some artistic performances as the works that they are.
Notes
- John Milton, Paradise Lost Book VII, ii, 30–31.
- Indeed, the principal objective in Russell’s classic 1905 is to show how such
utterances do make genuine statements. - This requirement corresponds to Thom’s requirement that a performance
involve an address to an identified audience. But one can identify an audience
without the latter being present.