O corpo no nado artístico: um compasso da técnica, estética arte na fenomenologia de Merleau-Ponty

Abstract

To think about the movement of the body in water is to admire the strength of this body in life. In this sense, our study is a research guided by the qualitative approach, with a crosssection of the studied population, analyzed, in the methodological process, by MerleauPonty's phenomenology. The study has as its general objective to discuss the conceptions of the athletes of Artistic Swimming in order to expand the meanings of the body in this sport for Physical Education. Its specific objectives are: to understand the conceptions of the athletes of Artistic Swimming about the body; to understand the technical, aesthetic and artistic meanings of the body in Artistic Swimming; and to highlight how the performances of Artistic Swimming can expand the knowledge of the body for Physical Education. The participants of the research were the athletes of the Senior category of a traditional sports club in Brazil. Data collection was carried out through interviews and observation. Data analysis occurred through description, reduction and interpretation of the phenomenon studied. From this perspective, the body and artistic swimming were interpreted as singular senses and meanings are created about them, involving the understanding of significant registers and the search for the delimitation of nuclei of meanings in the interpretation of gestures, physiognomies and intersubjective understandings in the light of the phenomenology of perception. The athletes' conceptions about the body: they reproduced the mind-body dichotomy as an instrument constantly polished and perfected through physical and mental training; as well as a support for the construction of performances, trained to the rigor of the rules/norms and to the other's gaze. Regarding the technical, aesthetic and artistic senses of the body, the following stand out: perception, revealed in feelings and sensations both in and out of the water, an environment that brings peace and, at the same time, tensions, challenges, doubts, ecstasy and frustrations; intentionality, in the choreographic constructions, in the subjectivity of the subjects who perform each gesture during the performance; and expressiveness, in the choreographic act itself, in the communicative execution, in the dialogue between body and art. Thus, these elements were relevant to broaden conceptions about the body for Physical Education, without disregarding the contexts of motor skills, competitiveness and creativity of the athletes themselves. Thus, we recommend investigations that contemplate a sensitive look at the theme, usually treated under a reductionist view of the body.