Regions of likeness: The poetry of jorie graham, dance, and citational solidarity

Relations between dance and language are complex. Yet dance is not pre- or a-discursive; technique—the grammar and vocabulary that make dance go—also organizes interpersonal conversations that support pedagogical and performance communities. Citational solidarity with nonacademic texts, particularly Jorie Graham’s poetry, enlarges these conversations, making them available to audiences beyond technique’s outsiders. This essay explores the theoretical underpinnings and mechanics of such citational solidarity, as well as the rhetorical utility of the lyric, as these emerge in writing about bodies, sociality, and language.