ABSTRACT
This chapter puts cognitive theory into dialogue with both archaic Greek poetry and modern analyses of gesture, agency, and embodiment. I suggest that, read together, these two distinct sets of theoretical work can enrich our understanding of the phenomenological force of Greek song. Focusing on select fragments of Alcman and Sappho, I explore how these songs imagine the experiences of both performers and spectators, modeling and potentially shaping their own reception. I argue that the insights of cognitive research, when situated within the theoretical discourse of dance and performance studies, illuminate the possibilities for both acculturation and agency within the live performance of archaic Greek song.
