Randall Auxier: From Presentational Symbol to Dynamic Form. Ritual, Dance and Image

Susanne Langer’s symbol theory includes the interesting and difficult idea of the presentational symbol, and the interpretation of this idea requires some other new ideas about the fundamental nature of “form.” I will expand these ideas beyond Langer’s account and sometimes at the expense of her favored views, especially as regards her use of the idea of “image,” which she does not give its due attention. The development from ritual (which can consist of mere “signals,” in Langer’s sense of that term), to dance involves the transformation of the sensuous medium (both visual and kinesthetic orientation, as well as movement) into a virtual symbol by means of bodily action. Bodily action in such situations is quasi-teleological –the proto-dance, repeated movement that organizes time according to the order of collective desire (a release of energy –an accursed share—and a recollective aid to sensus communis), changes into something done both for its own sake and for the sake of communication (the latter being a less than ultimate concern). This is a massive, even cataclysmic change. Dance is the best form of bodily action for illustrating this kind of change, but its implications reach into every kind of meaningful action.