Abstract
The aim of this paper is to clarify Deborah Hay’s words, “invite being seen,” and what Hay has
assumed from the dancers’ practice and the role of the audience by use of those words.
Since 1970, Hay has shifted her choreographic resources from physical to perceptual, and since
then she has focused on the inner body. She also notices the whole body as a teacher. Because of this
awareness, she elaborates her distinctive choreographic tool, “the practice of performance,” where
she uses her language to make dancers bring attention to their bodies, especially their cells, and it
eventually becomes a dance piece.
In her “practice of performance,” Hay says, “invite being seen.” The words are created by Hay
herself and are practiced by the dancers. The dancers practice as they show a willingness to be seen,
while giving attention to every cell in their bodies. For the audience, Hay gives them a new role. She
also encourages the audience to bring attention to the dancers. In order to show how Hay “invites
being seen,” I examine The Man Who Grew Common in Wisdom (1987) to see what the dancers and
audience experience. Through the words, both dancers and audience bring attention to the dancers’
inner body and this makes them work together for a dance piece.
