Moved to Speak: Toward a Theory of Express-Act-ion in the Choreography of Revisor by Crystal Pite

The choreography of Crystal Pite for the dance-theatre piece Revisor focuses on the body and its capacity to complement speech acts. “Moved to Speak: Toward a Theory of Express-Act-ion in the Choreography of Revisor by Crystal Pite” provides an analysis of the gestures, postures, and other movements Pite choreographs to the recorded spoken text of her performers in Revisor to demonstrate how the body is an essential and informative element in the execution of a speech act. In order to afford the body its undertheorized position in speech act theory, this essay introduces the term “express-act-ion,” a concept that theorizes the capacity of the body to complement speech acts. By exhibiting the instrumental role of the body in the execution of a speech act, this essay extends the conclusions reached in its analysis of Pite’s choreography to the inevitable corporeal presence involved in the execution of speech acts in non-artistic contexts, such as analyses of the political and military actions of Vladimir Putin, specifically in regards to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.