The Construction of Authenticity in the Creative Process: Lessons from Choreographers of Contemporary Dance

Abstract. The literature on authenticity of cultural production has systematically examined the perceived authenticity of both the producer and the cultural product but not of the
creative process. This study aims to address this lacuna, adopting Carroll and Wheaton’s
typology of type and moral authenticity to examine how contemporary dance choreographers construct authenticity during the creation of a new choreography. Our analysis of
data from 23 contemporary dance companies reveals that the two meanings of authenticity
dynamically reconstitute one another in the creative process. First, choreographers construct
moral authenticity through transformation of form, deconstructing established artistic dance
forms and introducing new movements from a bricolage of techniques. Second, they
construct type authenticity through wrapping expression, facilitating the deconstruction of
the values attached to the bricolage of techniques into artistic dance aesthetics. Finally,
choreographers evoke both moral and type authenticity through a creative process of reconstruction. Our noteworthy finding reveals how the construction of authenticity in the
process of creating a new choreography, and the dynamics between the two meanings of
authenticity, serve significantly as a means of communication among the involved actors,
thereby enabling the creative process.