Addressing “Another” in the Aftermath of School Shootings Using Dance and Rhetoric

Abstract

This chapter investigates dance and rhetoric as resources for sensemaking and discussing school shootings in their aftermath, such that people might speak to one another empathetically and respond as active agents of change. Inspired by the production process and performance of “Equipment for Living: An Artistic Exploration of School Shootings,” the 2019 dance concert choreographed by the author, community is proposed as an additional resource for addressing and healing from school shootings. Burke's dramatism is paired with his concept of “equipment for living” to discuss dance as an alternative to traditional media, such as print journalism, for addressing “another” in the aftermath of school shootings. Another refers to (1) people conjured in the act of performance, collaborators involved in the production process of media, and audience members invited to participate as active viewers and (2) the problem of rhetorically framing school shootings with the term “another.”