A motive is generally defined as a state of physiological or psychological arousal which influences how we behave. For example, a physiological arousal such as hunger, or thirst motivates us to get something to eat or drink. A psychological arousal such as the need for love and companionship motivates us to seek the company of others and interact with them. Both arousals could occur simultaneously, for instance, the desire for sex and the desire for love. In simple words, a motive is a reason to do something. For example, a motive for exercise is results a better health and weight loss. Most actions have motives. A robber might have motivated to rob a bank because he desperately needs money. Therefore, motive comes first when someone plans to do something.
In dramaturgy or any other theatrical stream like choreography, a piece is made not just subconsciously but dramaturgs or choreographers spent their time and resources because they have their own motive. Motives might lead to something negative like robing if we don’t set them properly. Katherine Profeta on her book Dramaturgy in Motion at Work on Dance and Movement Performance address motives as, “Above all else what needs careful examination and disclosure is one’s own motives for entering the intercultural collaboration, including what assumptions are being made about what the other members of the collaboration represent within the conversation.” (189) By this, she means intercultural collaborations are risky for those participants since they are trying a new thing due to some motivation of their own. Planning these motives in symmetry with other participants is a pre-requisite for the actual performance.
A motive is a reason for all my progress in life. Without motive, I worry to start writing an essay. If it wasn’t my motive to get educated, I would have been quit school from middle school when I start not responding my parents properly. A motive is a key to do something, to achieve our goal. It pushes us to inspired by someone or something and make us work hard to get a better person. Aakash motivates his dancers when he hits the floor with his feet during rehearsals and their dedication to the dance increases suddenly. However, mainly my most meaningful movement is getting on a stage. However, if I don’t have a motivation, I won’t have any incentive to get to the stage and that means I am losing one meaningful thing from my life. Hence, I choose motive because, for the existence of a meaningful movement, motive is essential.
Profeta, Katherine. 2015. Dramaturgy in Motion: At Work on Dance and Movement Performance. Madison, Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press,
Hi Yohannes,
I'm going to address your second paragraph, because that is the one that was really engaged with the readings and the concerns Profeta raised. Disclosure of motives to collaborations is essential for an ethical engagement, especially when privilege and power are unevenly distributed, so that there is a possibility to negotiate the scene of engagement. What does that mean? Profeta talks about how Ralph Lemon first thought of his West African collaborators as the dancers that could show him something different about himself. The West African dancer may not have wanted to travel such a long distance to support him in that goal. Profeta also tells us that sometimes motives are only partially disclosed – sometimes not at all – because of translation issues, of the need for the money that the gig provides — all of which foreclose cultural dialogue. So when she talks about motive – part of it is an exchange to level the playing field so people have some autonomy to decide to play or not. But she also warns that even when this occurs, there are some obstacles – like the need for money or miscommunications – that should be taken into account for everyone does not have the luxury of refusal of the working conditions even if their motives are not well addressed.