PHENOMENOLOGY OF MOVEMENT: FROM THE THEORY OF MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY TO THE THEATRICAL PRACTICE OF JACQUES LECOQ

The article investigates Maurice Merleau-Ponty's phenomenological concept of the body as a necessary condition for human experience, focusing on the body's ambivalent nature as both a subject (Leib) and an object (Körper). The scientific problem lies in the lack of systematic analysis connecting Merleau-Ponty's philosophical theory with the theatrical practice of Jacques Lecoq. The aim is to prove their deep structural affinity by analyzing the concept of movement. The methodology is based on an interdisciplinary approach, combining phenomenological, hermeneutic, and comparative methods. The scientific novelty of the work is in demonstrating for the first time how Lecoq's practical principles– undulation, inverse undulation, and eclosion (unfolding), along with the use of the neutral mask–serve as a practical embodiment and confirmation of Merleau-Ponty's theory of concrete and abstract movement. The results show that movement is not merely physical displacement but an intentional act. Lecoq's methods are viewed as tools of «practical phenomenology,» where the neutral mask functions as a theatrical epoché, compelling the actor towards creative, abstract movement. The practical significance lies in enriching theatre pedagogy with a philosophical foundation and providing philosophy with empirical material for understanding corporeality. Thus, the theater is a space in which the interaction of abstract and concrete movements becomes particularly evident. Concrete movement as a direct interaction with the world and abstract movement as the creation of new worlds show the horizon of possibilities of experience that the body can experience and participate in the creation of its new forms. Of particular interest is the analysis of positionality in theatrical space through the prism of Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology. The prospects for further research lie in expanding this approach to other twentieth-century theatrical systems that also put the body at the center of their attention (for example, Jerzy Grotowski, Eugenio Barba). In addition, an interesting direction is the application of phenomenological analysis of movement to contemporary performative practices, dance theater and digital art, where the problem of corporeality and its representation acquires new, even more complex dimensions.