Performance Ethnography: The Theory and Method of Dual Tracking

Abstract

This article explores the use of dual tracking, or digital video overlay, in performance ethnography. It proposes a reflexive approach to ethnographic filmmaking in which the ethnographic subject and videomakers work collaboratively to uncover the interior realities motivating the performance. The authors review previous approaches to ethnographic filmmaking and then suggest digital video overlay as a method of presenting the actual performances and the subjective experiences of performers simultaneously. The authors' collaborative video, Soukous in San Diego (1999), in which Congolese musician Dominic Kanza reviews his biography, rehearses, and performs concerts, is discussed. The theory of dual tracking is explained, followed by a methodological application and suggestions for future research.