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Devon
Bailey
Biography
Dr Devon Bailey is a Senior Lecturer at the UJ Department of Philosophy. Her research expertise is in the Philosophy of Art and Aesthetics, specifically the Philosophy of Dance. Between 2005 – 2013, she danced for Hip Hop crews: B-Supreme, Cadence Crew, SA Hip-Hop Award-winning Freeze Frame Crew, and a breakdance division of Freeze Frame called Beauty and the Beasts. She competed in the Hip Hop Indaba Breakdancing competition with her crew “Beauty and the Beasts,” and won the solo section in 2012. She has appeared on several stages including the Red Bull Beat Battles in 2013, and several corporate events throughout her dance career. She represented South Africa at the Hip-Hop International Competition in San Diego, USA in 2015 and is now an occassional Hip-Hop dance instructor to students at UJ APK.
Performance: Kow thyself, love thyself
Dance has historically served as a means of self-expression for many individuals across the globe. In my 2021 book chapter “Self-knowledge through Dance: Considering the Female Breakdancer in South Africa,” I explain how one’s knowledge of self deepens when one includes the bodily dimension. It is my view that one’s knowledge of self leads to a love of self that is otherwise dictated by societal standards that are often unrealistic and unattainable for women. This dance is a snippet of a full performance showcasing the insecurities that women face regarding themselves and their appearances based on societal expectations. It demonstrates the stages of insecurity, learning to embrace one’s own body and identity, and eventually coming to terms with how being different and confident in a world that inspires conformity and self-loathing especially among women can be achieved.
Keywords: Dance, self-knowledge, self-expression, self-perception