Embodied Knowledge in Traditional Bugis-Makassar Dance Practice

Traditional dance is often documented as a visible movement repertoire, while the knowledge developed through bodily experience receives less explicit attention. This study examines how embodied knowledge is formed and transmitted through traditional Bugis-Makassar dance practice. This study employs an exploratory, interpretive qualitative approach grounded in local cultural hermeneutics was used to analyze documented observations, interviews, focus group discussions, and supporting materials concerning Bosara, Pakarena, and Anging Mammiri in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The preliminary findings indicate that the body functions as a site of artistic knowing, a repository of movement memory, a medium of cultural interpretation, and a means of transmission. Demonstration, imitation, repetition, correction, rhythm, spatial interaction, and practitioner–learner relationships connect tacit knowing with cultural meaning. The analysis informs a provisional formulation of embodied cultural knowledge. Traditional dance is a living cultural practice in which meaning is experienced, remembered, and transmitted through bodily participation. Preservation and arts education should combine documentation with sustained practice and contextual interpretation. Further practitioner verification and educational trials are needed to assess the proposed formulation.