Vital Signs: poetry, movement and the writing body

This article outlines a collaborative enquiry between a dancer and a poet. It considers some past and present
collaborations between poets and dancers before framing the authors’ interest in the traditions of North
American postmodern dance and European Physical Theatre. Utilizing Daniel Stern’s theory of vitality
dynamics and his interest in interdisciplinary artistic collaboration, the authors consider some key aspects of
their creative work in the light of these ideas, focusing in particular on the usefulness of the concept of syntax
for reflecting on the interrelation between language and movement.