ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the relationships between dance and nature, as seen in the works of Isadora Duncan, Anna Halprin, and some of the choreography of Pina Bausch, such as Água, which was inspired by Brazil. We also consider the Art on the Beach project created by the Casa da Ribeira Arts Foundation, with the collaboration of artists from Natal, Brazil, and funding from the Brazilian Ministry of Culture and private sources. Based on these examples and the first-person narratives of the dancers who participated in the project, we explore the notion of ‘Ecochoreography’ (Nóbrega, 2015) within the framework of Merleau-Ponty’s philosophy, notably with regard to the relationships between the body and nature (Merleau-Ponty, 1956–1960), and the notions of body ecology and emersiology (Andrieu, 2011, 2016).
