Dance Commons^™

Dancing In The Digital Age: How Social Media Shapes The Commercial Dance Industry, Luke Lisowski

Honors College Theses

Social media has fundamentally transformed the commercial dance industry, reshaping how dancers establish careers, connect with industry professionals, and promote their artistry. This thesis examines the impact of social media platforms – such as Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube – on career growth by facilitating networking opportunities, increasing visibility, and redefining industry standards. The research explores how digital platforms have shifted the traditional pathways to success, enabling dancers to showcase their work independently while also creating challenges related to self-promotion, competition, and mental health.

Through a series of in-depth interviews with professional dancers and choreographers actively working in the industry, this …

The Mental Side-Effects Of Commercial Dance, Katie Carnaroli

Honors College Theses

This research evaluates the spectrum between mental adversities and mental triumphs that commercial dancers face within the four professional settings of auditions, training, rehearsals, and performances. As a senior commercial dance major at Pace University, I have found myself in many facets of the dance industry within my four years of higher education wondering how certain environments either took away or fueled my love for dance. I sought to conduct a Qualtrics survey that was completed by college dance majors and professional dancers expressing their experiences of the positive and negative connotations of the mental grit that is required of …

Tap Dance As A Nonverbal Language For Autism Spectrum Disorder, J Sydney Rhane Burtis

Honors College Theses

Through elements of sound and movement, tap dance employs rhythm as a universal language for nonverbal communication through the medium of music. Through three distinct but related elements, (a literature review, an artist’s statement, and a performance piece), this thesis will explore tap dance as a form of nonverbal language. For individuals with autism spectrum disorder, tap dance may help to achieve further attunement with themselves and the outside world. Due to autistic people’s impaired communicative, interactional, and skilled abilities, experiencing the relationships formed through tap dance may facilitate improvement. The literature review begins with a brief definition of nonverbal …

The Effect Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Collegiate Dance Majors At Pace University, Taylor Kurtz

Honors College Theses

This thesis will explore the various adaptations dance majors at Pace University were required to make to their training during the shift to remote learning due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, beginning in March of 2020. Prior to universities moving to a completely remote learning environment as a result of COVID-19, collegiate-level dance had never been taught through an online platform. Because of this, dancers needed to shift the way in which they were training for this extended period of time. To begin my research on this topic, I first collected various scholarly articles and journal entries that related to the …

Mind Over Matter: How A Dancer’S Mind Affects The Physical Body, Kayla Johnson

Honors College Theses

This thesis is an exploration of how a dancer’s mind can affect its physical body. Undoubtedly, there is a strong connection in every human between their mind and their body, but for an artist whose entire career depends on the ability of their body to create movement, there must be extra emphasis placed on their mental health care. Dance is just as mentally demanding as it is physically. To begin this project I collected research articles relating to injury, anxiety, self-confidence, body image and eating disorders performed on dancers. I noticed throughout my research that there was a lack of …

The Lack Of Recognition For The Film Choreographer In Hollywood, Claire Ross

Honors College Theses

The following research directly addresses why the film choreographer has lacked adequate recognition within the Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Additionally, this study aims to fill the research gap in relation to the minimal documentation that exists regarding the role and contributions of the film choreographer within the film industry. In order to move forward in assessing how the film choreographer can be recognized within the Oscars, one must address why they have not been sufficiently recognized within the history of the Academy Awards. By assessing the film …

Putting It Together: Musical Theatre As An Academic Discipline, Madison Finney

Honors College Theses

Musical Theatre is an art form that integrates singing, acting, dancing, and production for the purposes of storytelling. It is an artistic field that is extremely interdisciplinary, and it draws upon many different areas of knowledge for performance and education. Additionally, Musical Theatre has evolved into a viable academic field of study. It incorporates artistry and academic analysis as a way to enhance performance and higher education. This paper will use Practice as Research theory, creativity theory, and disciplinary discourse theory to explore the ways Musical Theatre successfully functions as an art form and an academic discipline.

Company Management For Dance Space ‘19: A Background And Documentation, Devin Mcmahon

Honors College Theses

The position of Company Manager for Pace School of Performing Arts productions was created for the Fall 2019 semester. I had the privilege of being the Company Manager for the first production of the fall, To Clothe the Naked , and then was asked to fill the role again for the final show of the semester, dance sPace ‘19 . I was excited for this opportunity, as it allowed me to take what I had learned and what had been perfected about the duties of the position and put it into my final show at Pace. Throughout the process, my …

The Female Athlete Triad At Pace, Maile Makaafi

Honors College Theses

No abstract provided.

The Exploration Of The Evolution Of Language Regarding The Radio City Rockettes, Emily King

Honors College Theses

No abstract provided.

The Class Video: Defining A Commercial Dance Genre, Sarah Payne

Honors College Theses

No abstract provided.

Redefining The Competitive Dance Indsutry: A Plan For The Dance Competitions Of Tomorrow, Stevie Mack

Honors College Theses

There is an absence of direct focus in the development of a dancer’s education within today’s competitive dance world, as current dance competitions have many holes in providing the proper training and education a young dancer needs. It is clear that dance competitions are for-profit businesses with a focus on making money, but it is time to turn these businesses into opportunities for growth, success, and a place where pure talent can be discovered and then launched into the next generation of professional dancers.

I am a strong believer in education. Therefore, I believe competitive dance should be another form …

American Tap Dance History And Proposed Preservation, Margaret Miller

Honors College Theses

The first form of dance conceived in the United States, tap dance, thrived throughout the era of vaudeville and the movie musical. Today’s society often overlooks tap dance beyond basic or beginner dance education; the history of the art from is even more so neglected. Within these pages, I will address the question of how the history of tap dance can be honored and preserved for generations to come. I feel so grateful to have had a tap mentor that valued the history of tap just as much as the technique and steps. Others in my field may not have …

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 …

Rehearsal Injuries In Soft-Soled Character Shoes: Injury Rate Of Female Collegiate Dancers Wearing Soft-Soled Character Shoes With 2.5 Or 3.0 Inch Heels In Musical Theatre Rehearsals, Evelyn Vaughan

Honors College Theses

High-heeled shoes (HHS) have been known to present biomechanical imbalances in lower-leg mechanics at the pedestrian level, but have not been thoroughly studied in the context of highly dynamic movement, such as dance. In order to analyze the effects of 2.5-inch and 3.0-inch soft-soled character shoes (CS) worn by female collegiate musical theatre dancers during rehearsals, selected subjects completed a written questionnaire, the star balance excursion test, and a heel raise test. It was predicted that both heel heights would promote irregularities in subjects’ sense of balance and lower leg stamina, while 3.0 inch CS would cause greater rates of …

Bringing Life To Theatre: A Scenic Designer's Role In Creating "The Wild Party", Matthew Carlin

Honors College Theses

The purpose of this paper is to examine the research that goes into designing the scenic elements of a musical. I was the scenic designer for Pace School of Performing Arts’ production of Michael John LaChiusa and George C. Wolfe’s The Wild Party in the fall of 2017. Directed by Roger Ellis, our version of the vaudeville-style musical was done in an immersive, in-the-round style. As the scenic designer for this production I was strongly focused on the research aspect of the design process. We consulted several art movements and architectural styles, as well as mythology, film and literature in …

Establishing Cultural Identity In American Concert Dance: How Corporate Funding Can Revitalize The World Of Dance, Taylor Rosenberger

Honors College Theses

In a country that has rapidly evolved in many industries, it has always mystified me as to why advancement in the arts, specifically dance, has lagged behind. My hypothesis as to why this is occurring is that concert dance in America is not as synonymous to the cultural identity of the nation as it is in comparison to its European ancestors. I began my research with the creation of ballet in order to determine the cultural roots that were established within particular societies. I then compared the funding models between the nations with this deep attachment to the funding models …