Lecture by Susanne Ravn

Thus, it remains unclear how we might describe and understand, for example, the energy, effort, and ease felt when we engage in dance and sports activities, and, not least, how these embodied experiences create the ground for certain meaning-making to take place in and through movement.

– I will argue that phenomenology can help us part of the way toward analyzing and describing movement, but that it cannot “stand alone”. Movements are practiced and performed according to different ideas, rules, skills, performance settings, and so on, and practitioners’ experiences of their movement, interactions, and skills have clearly been shaped by these field-specific characteristics. In practical terms. Clearly, football is different from ballet, and the meaning-making that unfolds through movement differs.

She will then present and discuss the concept – and analytical framework – of movement praxis to address how movement practice is always also part of a larger narrative and connected to certain traditions. In the discussion and exemplification of movement praxes, she will also home in on kinesthesia (often described as a movement-sensitive modality) and discuss how kinesthesia contributes to meaning-making in movement across different praxis.

More information about Susanne Ravn

“A source of inspiration for researchers and students”

Professor Susanne Ravn's research focuses on understanding the knowledge embedded in movement practices such as dance, sport, and martial arts, and translating that knowledge into academic research.

– My main interest is in the bodily ‘investment’ in actual practices. I aim to bring the understanding of movement practices into dialogue with academic theories of embodiment and movement.

From dance practice to research

Dance has played a central role in Ravn’s career. She taught dance at her university and has written several textbooks in the field, some of which are still used at GIH. Her experience as a dancer and teacher strongly shaped her research interests.

– Dance research and practice have developed a rich vocabulary for describing movement, making it a fascinating starting point for studying movement more broadly.

During her PhD work, she became interested in how dance is often treated as a single phenomenon, even though reality is far more diverse.

– If you look at dance across cultures – or even within the same country – you see huge differences. Square dance, ballet, creative dance, and party dancing are all very different practices and experiences. To understand dance, we need to embrace that diversity.

Exploring movement beyond physical activity

Ravn´s interest in movement goes back to her master’s thesis.

– I became curious about the types of knowledge that practitioners gain through various activities. People who practice dance, martial arts, or sports develop a deep understanding of movement that’s often hard to express in academic theory.

Ravn’s work aims to build a dialogue between practice and theory. She often draws on phenomenology, a philosophical approach that emphasizes lived experience, to analyze how movement is perceived and understood. At the same time, she challenges current theories by including insights from practitioners.

Understanding movement in its own right

While physical activity is widely recognized as beneficial for health, Ravn believes that movement is often overlooked.

– We know that physical activity is good for us. But movement is often treated simply as a tool to achieve other goals, such as improved health or learning outcomes. Instead, we need to understand movement as something meaningful.

To achieve this, researchers need to examine more closely what occurs during different activities.

– When we discuss activities like soccer or dance, we often describe them in relatively broad terms. However, we must "open the box” and understand what is really happening while being here, in this activity, somehow invested in movement. This knowledge can help us better understand how movement functions in education, health interventions, and other settings.

Movement, meaning, and culture

Ravn’s research shows how culture, narratives, and movement are enmeshed matters.

– When studying movement, we also need to consider the traditions, stories, and social settings characterizing an activity. These aspects affect how we experience movement, how we make sense of it, and what it signifies to us.

By exploring movement in this broader way, Ravn aims to deepen our understanding of how movement grounds our experience of meaning and, in a fundamental sense, operates in society — from sports and dance to education and daily life.

Professor Susanne Ravn leads the Research Unit of Movement, Culture and Society at The University of Southern Denmark in Odense, Denmark.