Pass The Flow: The Subcultural Practice of Liquid Dance

Abstract

This dissertation explores how the subcultural practice of liquid dance emerged from US rave culture and continues to sustain itself and evolve in today’s era of social media and EDM festival culture. I draw upon the concept of flow as a lens to trace the historical, aesthetic, digital, social and subcultural trajectory of liquid dance. I analyze how this subculture continues to evolve through individual practice, as well as how dance is shared through online and live dance exchange. My dissertation consists of seven chapters that provide both academic and practitioner perspectives of liquid dance. My research methods combine a multidisciplinary approach to implementing semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and digital archival research. My fieldwork consists of interviewing fourteen liquid practitioners, as well as conducting ethnographic research at an EDM festival where liquid dancers annually attend and participate. The purpose of this project is twofold. One, to contribute new knowledge to the field of dance studies on the specific dance genre of liquid, which up until now has not been documented in this field. Two, to provide a space for practitioners to openly share their perspectives in a collaborative effort to produce new knowledge. From the beginning, it has been my intention to produce a dissertation that provides the foundation for a continuing series of academic discussions from which to draw upon for further, future research and critical engagement with liquid dance. This document may also be used as a template for scholars across disciplines to deploy as a lens to analyze and critique other subcultural dance practices within the continuum of rave, club and dance music festivals.