ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to contribute to the philosophical reflection on how human beings relate to each other in dance. In philosophical discourse, human beings are often referred to as 'subjects'. Merleau-Ponty's investigation into intercorporeity reveals a profound bodily connectedness between human beings. On his own account, he chose to apply a metaphysical approach; that is, a philosophical interrogation that starts from 'our fundamental relation with Being'. Nancy's philosophical perspective on the relationship between bodies is highly relevant to his thoughts on bodily togetherness in contemporary dance. Moving from Merleau-Ponty to Nancy is philosophically advantageous. The problem of a metaphysical monism has now dissipated. Nancy does not adopt the notion of 'intercorporeity' in his work, but he does write extensively about the relationship between bodies. The emotional, affective aspect of the relationship between bodies should be thematised more explicitly. Jean-Francois Lyotard introduced the concept of the sublime to philosophical discourse, with reference to the sublime in the world of art.
