Representations of war recur throughout art, whether celebrating the glories and heroism of conflict, or depicting its horrors and follies. This paper uses qualitative audience research to examine soldiers' own responses to the representation of soldiers in choreographer Rosie Kay's dance performance 5 Soldiers: The Body is the Frontline. This article explores how for military audiences the satisfaction of an internalized sense of authenticity allowed them to accept the performance as a legitimate representation; at the same time the presentation of war in a choreographic language meant that the performance was also abstracted, with theatrical and stylized elements that were far from authentic as a documentary. This paper proposes that it was the combination of authenticity with theatricality that generated empathetic investment and made 5 Soldiers an articulate witness to the military experience.

中文翻译：

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通过舞蹈向士兵代表士兵：真实性、戏剧性和见证他人的痛苦

战争的表现在整个艺术中反复出现，无论是庆祝冲突的荣耀和英雄主义，还是描绘其恐怖和愚蠢。本文使用定性观众研究来检验士兵自己对编舞罗西凯舞蹈表演中士兵表现的反应5名士兵：身体是前线. 本文探讨了军事观众对内在真实感的满足如何让他们接受表演作为一种合法的表现；同时，以舞蹈语言呈现战争意味着表演也是抽象的，具有戏剧性和程式化的元素，与纪录片的真实性相去甚远。本文提出，正是真实性与戏剧性的结合产生了移情投资，并使5名士兵军事经验的清晰见证。