Dance Commons^™

Critical Embodied Praxis For Social Justice And Peace Educators: A Story Of Personal Transformation Through Analysis Of My Jewish And Settler Identities, Cara Michelle Silverberg

Capstone Collection

In this paper, I examine definitions of and relationships between violence, oppression, peace, liberation, and embodiment in the context of critical pedagogy in order to construct a theory of critical embodied praxis for social justice and peace educators. Considering the body to be a tangible vessel through which narratives and mechanisms of violence are expressed and maintained, I explore the potential of the body to be a vessel through which liberatory narratives may be generated and shared. After constructing a theory of critical embodied praxis, I illustrate this framework in action through a personal narrative that explores the intersections …

Stigma Mitigation Through Fine Arts, Kendall Owens

Honors Theses

Social stigma has plagued our society for centuries. It isolates groups of people based on erroneously defined characteristics causing stigmatized persons to be viewed as socially “abnormal”. This debarment from full social acceptance results in poor population health and well-being. Fine arts have been an integral component of society since the beginning of civilization; current and past research have found involvement in fine arts to improve health and well-being in many ways. In this project, relevant studies related to stigma, fine arts, and population health will be reviewed to support the argument that “fine arts combat and mitigate the …

“In The Beginning Was Body Language” Clowning And Krump As Spiritual Healing And Resistance, Sarah S. Ohmer

Publications and Research

In the neighborhood of HollyWatts in Los Angeles, dance allows a shift from existing as bodies presented as sites of threat and extinction to sources of spiritual empowerment. Clowning and Krump dancers—their subjectivity and their dancing bodies—negotiate survival from trauma and socioeconomic marginalization. I argue that the dancers’ performances act as embodied narratives of “re-membering in the flesh.” The performance acts as a spiritual retrieval and re-integration of traumatic memories and afflictions into memory through the body. Choreography and quotes from dancers support the claim that Krump and Clowning is “re-membering in the flesh” that enacts self-worth, self-defined sexuality, and …

Year Of Cuba 2019-2020, Nashieli Marcano, Leslie Drost

Research Guides & Subject Bibliographies

No abstract provided.

Jean-Étienne Despréaux, Bibliophile, Dominique Bourassa

Library Staff Publications

This paper delves into the life and career of Jean-Étienne Despréaux (1748-1820), as read through a catalogue of his library. The catalogue, the earliest known detailed record of books owned by a dancing master, was printed after Despréaux’s death to announce the sale of his library in a 3-day auction. It reveals Despréaux’s wide-ranging reading interests and his desire to build a comprehensive collection of books about dance—a collection that would anticipate the modern notion of a canon of historical dance monuments. The most interesting book in the collection is a copy of the 1589 edition of Thoineau Arbeau’s Orchésographie …

The Use Of Personality Testing In Personnel Selection, Riya Kumar

CMC Senior Theses

Research has shown that more than 45% of American companies are opting to integrate personality tests in their recruitment processes. Given this surge in personality testing, this thesis examines whether personality testing is a valid predictor of job-fit and performance in the context of personnel selection. A large proportion of this paper is focused upon the Big-Five factor model, its limitations, and derivative tests of the model. The impact of technology upon personality testing is also discussed as an emerging field. By tracing and examining the history of personality testing to current day, I have found that personality tests are …

Do You Want To Run A Regression? Nah, I Think I’Ll Dance One Instead: Physicalizing Econometrics, Rachel Lau

Senior Independent Study Theses

This project asked how can one make use of an econometric tool, specifically the regression model, as a source for choreography. Through integrating my research on dance choreography and econometrics, I created a dance piece that demonstrates the numerical relationships of a realized regression equation. The dance was separated into three sections, with each examining an econometric concept. Taking the primary question at hand one step further, this project also explored how this approach to choreography can be generalized so that almost any regression model can be a choreographic tool. Subsequently, a guideline was devised to provide other choreographers various …

Dancing Through It: Enhancing Psychological Recovery In Dance, Peta A. L. Blevins

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Achieving elite level performance in dance requires intensive training and physical demands that may put dancers at risk of underrecovery and overtraining if not balanced with adequate recovery. Dancers have been shown to be susceptible to overtraining and burnout (Koutedakis, 2000), however, little is known about how dancers balance training and non-training stress with recovery to counteract negative training outcomes. This thesis investigated psychological recovery among vocational dance students, using a mixed-method study design to examine dancer experiences of stress and recovery, and the effectiveness of a mindfulness intervention in enhancing psychological recovery in vocational dance training. Study 1 explored …

Place Of Joyful Gathering: The Story Of Cleveland's Karamu House, Jacey Kepich

Researchers, Instructors, & Staff Scholarship

Recognized as the oldest active African American theater in the United States, Karamu House is truly a ‘Cleveland collection’. Portions of its history are housed in several institutions: the Cleveland Public Library, Western Reserve Historical Society, and Cleveland State University. In 2021 Karamu donated its administrative and programmatic archives to Case Western Reserve University’s Kelvin Smith Library. CWRU is home to one of the first academic theater programs in the country, and given that the Karamu materials will live alongside KSL’s archives of Playhouse Square – a venerable institution that dominates the cultural spotlight – KSL will help make Karamu’s …

Sea Squad, Liam Geary Baulch

The Goose

The Sea Squad is a band of cheerleaders against climate change. Taking action as a team in formation, they gather momentum, inviting all people to cheer with them, mimicking the infinitely expandable nature of the seas' molecular structure. The work was developed and performed as a bilingual project at Est-Nord-Est in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec, Canada, and has since been performed and exhibited internationally. The following poems are some of the chants that Sea Squad use to get a crowd cheering together against climate change.

Wukongism: Monkey King, Kungfu/Jazz, And Asian/American Performance, Sissi Liu

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Wukongism offers one of the first non-western epistemic frameworks to examine theatre and performance that traverse beyond the shifting taxonomies of national, cultural, racial boundaries, and in particular, Asian/American theatre and performance. Wukongism, or shapeshifter consciousness, is built on the narrative of Sun Wukong the Monkey King, a supernatural shapeshifting character from the 16^th century classic Chinese novel Journey to the West. Juxtaposing physical shapeshifting (plastic surgery and performing of the racialized face) with institutional shapeshifting (reinventing and eliminating invisible and hypervisible boundaries), this dissertation project posits Wukongism as a means to examine the varying, fluid, and precarious …

Flying Closer: The Intersection Of Circus And Dance, Emma Thomas

Honors College Theses

Dancers entering the professional industry must consider whether to be a jack of all trades, able to perform any style and any skill, or a specialized performer who has achieved mastery of one specific technique. Because commercial dancers require a greater variety of skill sets, and jobs for commercial dancers such as cruise ships, backup dancing, and Broadway shows, are increasingly asking their dancers to perform aerial arts - and circus companies such as Cirque Du Soleil, and Circa are blending circus and dance, I am arguing that a dancer entering the commercial industry has to also consider the value …

Processing Emotional Expression In The Dance Of A Foreign Culture: Gestural Responses Of Germans And Koreans To Ballet And Korean Dance, Zi Hyun Kim, Hedda Lausberg

Journal of Movement Arts Literacy Archive (2013-2019)

Artistic dance differs between cultures with regard to the formal movement repertoire and methods to represent dancer's emotions. The present study explores how differently the spectators perceive the dance scenes of their own and foreign cultures. We showed German and Korean participants sad and happy dance scenes of the French ballet Giselle and Korean dance Sung-Mu. To learn the perceived thoughts and feelings of the participant from the dance scenes, we analyzed the frequency of their hand movements and gestures, which were accompanied by verbal descriptions of the participant's appreciation immediately after observation of the dance stimuli. The videotaped …

Voices Of Notators: Approaches To Writing A Score--Special Issue, Teresa L. Heiland

Journal of Movement Arts Literacy Archive (2013-2019)

In this special issue of Voices of Notators: Approaches to Writing a Score, eight authors share their unique process of creating and implementing their approach to notating movement, and they describe how that process transforms them as researchers, analysts, dancers, choreographers, communicators, and teachers. These researchers discuss the need to capture, to form, to generate, and to communicate ideas using a written form of dance notation so that some past, present, or future experience can be better understood, directed, informed, and shared. They are organized roughly into themes motivated by relationships between them and their methodological similarities and differences. …

Childhood Development: How The Fine And Performing Arts Enhance Neurological, Social, And Academic Traits, Katherine Rowe

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Abstract

Childhood development has always been a major topic when studying psychology and biology. This makes sense because the brain develops from the time a child is conceived to the time that child has reached around the age of twenty-seven. Doctors, psychologists, and sociologists look at numerous things when studying childhood development. However, how common is it for researchers to study how the fine and performing arts affect childhood development? Sociologists tend to be extremely open and mindful of all aspects of things such as culture, sexuality, religion, and even age. By taking a sociological standpoint when studying the arts …

How To Be The Perfect Asian Wife!, Sophia Hill

Art and Art History Honors Projects

“How to be the Perfect Asian Wife” critiques exploitative power systems that assault female bodies of color in intersectional ways. This work explores strategies of healing and resistance through inserting one’s own narrative of flourishing rather than surviving, while reflecting violent realities. Three large drawings mimic pervasive advertisement language and presentation reflecting the oppressive strategies used to contain women of color. Created with charcoal, watercolor, and ink, these 'advertisements' contrast with an interactive rice bag filled with comics of my everyday experiences. These documentations compel viewers to reflect on their own participation in systems of power.

Written With Love: An Interpretation Of Love Stories Through Movement And Emotion, Olivia Crawford

Undergraduate Distinction Papers

What is love? People all over the world have different stories pertaining to this phenomenon, but do the experiences in our personal lives stop us from understanding the experiences of others? Although it may be difficult to see other points of view besides, it is possible to connect to stories that are not our own. The purpose of this study is to assess how people perceive and connect to different love stories, and how these perceptions differ between those in the fine arts and those in the arts & sciences. Participants in this study will be exposed to a dance …

Ua12/2/2 2018 Talisman: Grit, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

2018 Talisman yearbook.

• Gibson, Helen. Grit
• Zambrano, Max. Cash Cows – Chaney’s Dairy Barn
• Holt, Delaney. A Quarry Story – White Stone Quarry, Caden Quarry
• McKee, Rylee. Beautiful Grit – BellaMoxi, Dance
• Voorhees, Jessica. Digging Deep – Jean-Luc Houle, Anthropology
• Lucas, Kaley. Black Mountain
• Edwards, Aly. Roots of Stigma – McKenna Vierstra, Jordan Frodge, Max Williams, Robin Farrell
• Eastham, Lillie. Grab ‘Em by the Ballot – Time’s Up Movement
• McCarthy, Hannah. Flesh Memories
• Barritt, Brooklyn. Making a Place at the Table – Dungeons & Dragons
• Gary, Summer. For Adoption: Unwanted Mutt
• Waters, Adrianna. For the Love of Creation – Art …

The Global Dance Network: Reykjaví­K, Iceland, Takes On New Moves, Emily Creek

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research is an exploration of the contemporary dance community in Reykjaví­­k, Iceland. The research questions guiding this thesis were founded in a desire to understand how the dance community in Reykjaví­k creates its own agency and meaning within the city of Reykjaví­­k, as well as how the dance community in Reykjaví­k takes imported dance knowledge, localizes it and creates local meaning. With this goal of understanding the ways the community navigates the wider global dance network from its location as a northern island, I utilize concepts from the anthropology of globalization as well as dance anthropology. I specifically employ …

Ua68/17 What's Happening With Dance On The Hill, Wku Theatre & Dance

WKU Administration Documents

Newsletter created by and about WKU Dance.

Ua1c6/7 Entertainment Photos, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Images of entertainment events.

Mountain Dance: A Transdisciplinary Exploration Of Environmental Dance As An Autopoietic Expression Of Ecological Connectivity And Synthesis, Dianne Eno

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This research explores the complexity of the human-nature relationship through the emergent arts-based lens of environmental dance. The work is guided by a transdisciplinary mission—to actively create bridges and connections between and among disciplines typically thought to be independent bodies of knowledge in their own right: here they merge and become synergistic partners, producing a new way of knowing that is greater than the sum of two independently-partnered disciplines. A transdisciplinary approach opens us to know a multiverse where a holistic perspective expands the traditionally singular viewpoint of the existing predominant Cartesian paradigm. The study allows space for “environmental dance” …

A Danza De Las Tijeras Continuidad Dinámica Y Reivindicación De La Identidad Indígena Andina / Dance Of The Scissors Dynamic Continuity And Reclamation Of Andean Indigenous Identity, Cinthia Durán

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research project aims to analyze the contemporary ways in which the Dance of Scissors is practiced and reproduced to determine if its continuity outside the place of origin, with all the modifications that it has experienced, can be considered a form of cultural resistance. Resistance in this context is addressed in two specific ways: as a dynamic continuity of Andean indigenous identity and as a tool of cultural vindication. To achieve this goal, during the work period the research methodology consisted of interviewing dancers and scissors musicians; be a participant as observer of skills and essays of Tijeras dancers …

Embodying Rhythm Nation: Multimodal Hip Hop Dance As A Site For Adolescent Social-Emotional And Political Development, Lauren M. Roygardner

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This exploratory study employed qualitative methodology, specifically values analysis, to learn more about how being involved within Hip hop dance communities positively relates to adolescent development. Adolescence was defined herein as ages 13-23. The study investigated Hip hop dance communities in terms of cultural expertise (i.e. novice, intermediate and advanced/expert) to look specifically at dance narratives (i.e. peak experience narratives and “I dance because” essays) and hip hop dance performances. The primary purpose of this dissertation was to (1) explore how adolescents use multimodal Hip hop dance discourse for social-emotional development and critical consciousness, and to (2) understand how values …

Bodies As Living, Twirling Sacrifices: Performing Black Girlhood, Liturgical Dance, And The Black Church Tradition, Brianna Heath

Cultural Studies Capstone Papers

The purpose of this study is to investigate liturgical dance in the black church tradition as a gendered space. I argue that black girls perform their sexuality as ascribed to hetero-patriarchal ideology—as preached within the black church—through liturgical dance. This ideology akin to politics of respectability separates the sacred from the secular which causes a tension. This tension shows up in the hyper-ness of liturgical dancing. This study discusses this by contextualizing liturgical dance within a history of black concert dance and embodied practices of resistance. This study frames liturgical dance within the black dance tradition, black feminist studies, and …

Benefits Of Expressive Dance Classes In Women Experiencing Homelessness, Ashley J. Runnells

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

This project represents multiple layers of a therapeutic dance experience intended to assist homeless women in increasing their sense of social connectedness, happiness, and self-esteem. Therapeutic dance classes were conducted at Mercy House in Harrisonburg, VA, illuminating the benefits to participants as well as the challenges of engaging this population. Further exploration occurred during the January dance therapy intensive workshop regarding developing of therapeutic dance interventions. The project concluded with a choreographed site-specific dance work exploring the stories of the participants, and a tangible creative response by way of a tea bag dress. Lessons learned included the rich opportunities present …

Meaningful Movement: A Study Of The Benefits Of Dance In An Academic, Social, And Professional Environment, Olivia Blum

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Meaningful Movement: A Study of the Benefits of Dance in an Academic, Social, and Professional Environment is a short film that develops the argument that dance programs are essential on college campuses due to the benefits they provide students. Told through the personal narrative of one student, Olivia Blum, this film delves into what it means to be a dancer, especially at a school supported by Division I Athletics. Meaningful Movement showcases the similarities between these two drastically different activities, one a sport and one an art form. So, why is dance important? Why isn’t it appreciated in the same …

Repeat After Me: Dance Program Evaluation For The Friendship Circle, Michelle Sire

Honors Projects

Approximately 1 in 6 children in the United States are diagnosed with one or more developmental disabilities or delays (Boyle et al., 2011). Although the number of therapeutic approaches for children with developmental disabilities has increased, no single treatment or combination of treatments is effective in relieving symptoms for all individuals (Scharoun, Reinders, Bryden & Fletcher, 2014). Therefore, there is a need to continue to explore alternative therapeutic methods. Research over the past twenty years has found dance/movement therapy (DMT) to be an effective form of treatment for children with special needs, specifically in terms of functioning and well-being. However, …

Lacuna: Transcendence Of The Human Body Through The Space Between, Anica Bottom

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

Examination of humans as dancers interaction with our surrounding environment. Performance and experimental movement improvisation clips shown.

An Evaluation Of The Pointe Program To Guide Dance Instructors To Use Behavioral Coaching Procedures With Their Dance Students, Mallory J. Quinn

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluated the POINTE Program, a manualized behavioral intervention designed for use by dance instructors to improve student dance performance using behavioral coaching procedures. This study consisted of three phases. Phase 1 was a formative evaluation of the POINTE Program, which assessed the technical adequacy of the manual. Feedback from 3 experts in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and 4 dance instructors were used to improve the manual content in this phase. Overall, the experts and instructors viewed the POINTE Program as providing accurate information on the basic ABA backgrounds and suggesting behavioral coaching procedures appropriate for use in a …