Chorography – A Space for Choreographic Inscription

Abstract

Chorography tries to come to terms with the challenging notion of chôra space in Byzantium. Chorography draws on the intimate relation between the two related Greek notions chôra (chôros) and chorós, translated the first as “space,” and the second as “choral dance,” and which are deeply rooted in the ancient language as an enduring paradigm of Greek thinking and imagination. Choreography is based on the assumption that there is a dynamic relationship contained in these two words chôra (chôros) and chorós, which are creative (generative) of sacred things and fully revealed in the liturgical performance. The contribution of choreography to the study of Byzantine chôra consists of exploring the performative relation between space and movement, insisting on chôra’s dynamic dimension and her cosmic vocation.