Somatic Depth Exploration via Performing The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto: A Performance Autoethnography Study

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the intersection of somatic depth psychology, artistic practice, and cultural identity through the lens of a performance autoethnography conducted by an immigrant female violinist. The study examines the process of locating an inner artistic voice and embodied musicality to transcend conventional boundaries between lived experience and artistic performance. By integrating personal, familial, and cultural narratives with performance practices, the research traces connections between lived realities and deeper psychological frameworks, including dreams, myths, archetypes, somatic rituals, and synchronicities. Employing Jungian literary criticism, the theory of the collective unconscious, and the heroine’s journey as foundational frameworks, this work utilizes analytic tools of Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) and Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) to interrogate how the collective unconscious can be embodied in performance. Findings suggest that engaging with dream- derived musical symbolism and somatic archetypes—particularly those emerging from vulnerable yet transformative life experiences—enables performers to embody unconscious creative forces.

This research contributes a methodological and theoretical framework for artists, educators, and marginalized communities seeking healing and agency through artistic practice. By centering the body, cultural heritage, and unconscious wisdom as vital sources of creative authority, the study advocates for performative practices that affirm these elements as life-affirming resources, offering pathways for empowerment and emancipation in both artistic and personal realms.