Dance Commons^™

Redeemed: A Dance Composition And Analysis On Transformation, Kasia D. Oliver

Undergraduate Honors Theses

I have created a film entitled Redeemed, which utilizes the medium of dance to explore emotional devastation and restoration present throughout life. My experience as a kinesiology major with an exercise science concentration, dance minor, and fine and performing arts student at East Tennessee State University from 2021-2025 has ignited my desire to connect kinesthetic awareness, somatic movement, dance choreography, and improvisation in a way that is cathartic for both me as the choreographer/performer and the audience. My goal is to touch viewers on a soul level by embodying how it feels to truly and fully exist. This film consists …

Scare If You Dare: A Look Into Scare Acting, Hana Goss

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Scare acting has always been the unsung villains of the entertainment industry. For three months of the year, for about five minutes of a haunted house, they get attention. However, the work scare actors do to is way more than just a five second “boo.” Scare actors have been at the beginning of theatre and continue to influence modern entertainment. Even though the patrons may be the ones feeling the danger, scare actors may be even more in danger than them. Each scare actor is unique from their looks to their moves. It might be take a lot of nerve …

Løvetann/Tvntēli'on/Beàrnan-Brìde/Paardebloem: Decolonization Through Heritage, Brooke Howton

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Through their lifelong passion for genealogy, Brooke “Uisce'' Howton researches a way to dismantle White supremacy and colonization through analyzing and reconnecting to their heritage. This involves learning about the nature of White supremacy, which is ever present in American society, and gaining a better understanding of what the history of racial formations in the United States looked like. Through this new lens, she revisits old traditions that she had been able to experience, mostly through her maternal family; all while learning new traditions that she has been unable to experience due to the adoption of her paternal grandmother, mystery …

Steadfast: Connections Fostered Through Dance, Lily Mckenzie

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Steadfast is an expression of dance as an emotional and spiritual experience, as well as an exploration of the deep connections that may be fostered through the art form of dance. My personal experience, which will function as inspiration for this choreographic piece and performance, has led me to see dance as a means to connect with God when used as worship and a way to connect with other people and form meaningful relationships. Through the production and execution of this performing art, I hope to explore and experience these aspects of dance as well as my own personal journey. …

Reflections: Battling Body Image As A Dancer, Erika Shaffer

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Reflections is a dance I choreographed and performed on February 25, 2022 in studio 205 Campus Center Building at East Tennessee State University. The dance explores the relationship between a dancer’s mind and body and uses mirrors and repetition to express the dancers’ perception of their flaws and insecurities. The following thesis, Reflections: Battling Body Image as a Dancer, analyzes the artistic elements of the choreographic process, my experiences as a dance student at ETSU from 2018-2022, as well as my training in my youth. My research for this thesis involves exploring the history and craft of choreography including the …

A Dancer's Image, Sydney Baker

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Dancers are amazingly dedicated athletes who train for hours a day to try and perfect their craft. In doing so, they can become hyper focused on the details, picking apart every aspect of themselves and their technique. With so much time spent training, it can be difficult to take a step back and analyze the role the mirror plays in a dancer’s training and everyday life. There are many factors that can affect a dancer's body image, including the social environment between educators and peers, social standards and social media, dance clothing, and so much more. This report and creative …

Tendu To Tango Across The Lifespan: An Argument For Prioritizing Fixed Ballet Instruction As A Contemplative Practice For The Adolescent Mind And Social Dance Instruction For Healthy Aging In The Elderly Population, Jenica Barker

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Why dance? This thesis investigates and provides arguments for prioritizing different dance training methods and styles across a person’s lifespan for maximum neurological and mental benefit. Beyond the interpersonal, motivational, and creative skills it delivers, dance training provides significant neural benefits for the developing adolescent brain (ages 10-24). Additionally, there are significant implications for dance’s aid in the prevention or delay of symptoms of healthy aging, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease.

According to the synthesis of research provided in this thesis, fixed ballet training is an optimal form of ballet training for adolescents because of its features consistent with …

Finding Light, Olivia Jones

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Throughout history, dance is a powerful tool for expression of self or community. Art, especially dance, became a way to react to societal shifts and stalemates through means of storytelling. Through my choreography, I used history of modern dance such as the mother of modern dance, Isadora Duncan, an incredibly influential choreographer, Martha Graham, and her famous protege, Merce Cunningham. I used a combination of their methodology to choreograph my intrapersonal journey with dance and life.

The Art And Craft Of Aerial Dance, Vianna Isbister

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Art and Craft of Aerial Dance discusses my personal experiences training and performing aerial dance, along with my study of safe practices in aerial rigging. My journey as a Theatre and Dance Honors-In-Discipline Scholar at East Tennessee State University from 2016-2020, culminated with my senior thesis capstone performance at Azure Aerial Arts on Friday, December 6th, 2019. This exploration into the world of aerial dance began in the spring of 2017 and has not ceased. If anything, the drive and motivation to continue pushing forward despite many obstacles continues to grow and manifest itself into new forms in my …

Movement In Elementary Education, Elizabete Bosse

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Movement in Education explores the impact of movement on the quality of a student’s learning experience in education. This thesis is the culmination of four years of study from 2019-2023 in East Tennessee State University’s education and dance programs. Participating in these programs has provided me with many opportunities to explore the impacts of movement pedagogy in elementary education. The research portion of this thesis focuses on the educational benefits of incorporating movement into classroom activities and assessments. The experiential portion of this thesis focuses on both observations and data collected from students in a 3rd grade classroom who participated …

Identity: An Expression Of Life Through Dance, Rachel Crabtree

Undergraduate Honors Theses

"Identity: An Expression of Life Through Dance" is a reflection on the process of choreographing and performing a series of dances based on self-discovery and research on innovators of dance and their techniques.

Irish Dance In The State Of Utah: A History, India Eve Henrichsen

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis summarizes the history of Irish dance in Utah. Over the past 35 years, from its beginning in 1983 to today in 2018, Irish dance schools have multiplied in Utah and evolved following international trends. The first school of Irish dance in Utah was started by Maureen McTeggart Hall at the request of Harold Gottfredsen in 1983. Five years later, in 1988, Brigham Young University established an Irish dance instruction program. Following the first television broadcast of Riverdance from Dublin in 1994, the interest in Irish dance increased exponentially. The number of schools has grown, new schools have emerged …

Storytelling Through Movement: An Analysis Of The Connections Between Dance & Literature, Zoe Hester

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Movement and storytelling are the links between past and present; both dance and literature have the same artistic and primal origins. We began to dance to express and communicate, to worship and feel. We tell stories for the same reasons: to learn from the past and to be able to communicate in the present.

This work explores the many connections between literature and dance through examinations of six dance forms: Native American, Bharatanatyam, West African, Ballet, Modern, and Post-Modern dance.

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 …

Dancing Through Curricula: Integrating Dance Into Elementary Classrooms, Kristi Duvall

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Elementary students spend most of their day sitting, learning in passive ways, resulting in a lack of physical activity and creativity. By utilizing dance education in the curricula, students are provided opportunities to be physically active and creative throughout the school day. When students are active and using their creative minds, they can learn and perform better on academic tasks. This second-grade curriculum provides students with more active movement throughout the school day, in addition to employing their creative abilities. The curriculum was created based on current research on the benefits of physical education and dance in the elementary classroom …

A Summer Experience As A Paid Actor: It’S Not All Broken Legs, Reagan James

Undergraduate Honors Theses

A Summer Experience as a Paid Actor: It’s Not All Broken Legs

Thesis Statement: Finding out that you are going to be paid to act sounds like a dream come true, but there is a lot more to it than just the glitz and glam of the final product.

Le Sacre Du Printemps: The First Rite (An Exploration Of Modern And Aerial Dance As Storytelling), Whitney Bates

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Le sacre du printemps, a ballet choreographed in 1913 by Vaslav Nijinsky, played an important part in changing the way the world thought about choreography. Since, modern choreographers such as Graham and Taylor have followed in the tradition of creating their own versions of Le sacre. This thesis outlines the significance of Le sacre. It also describes how Bates created a choreographic project using Nijinsky, Taylor, and Graham influences, and also combining modern dance floor techniques with aerial choreography.

My Year As A Choreographer, Hannah R. Hasch

Undergraduate Honors Theses

My Year as a Choreographer analyzes the art and craft of dance choreography. My training as a theatre and dance student at East Tennessee State University from 2010-2014, culminated in my final senior capstone experience as a choreographer for two productions, the ETSU Division of Theatre and Dance’s 2014 Dance Concert and University School’s musical, Sleepy Hollow. Composing a new dance in a concert setting and choreographing for musical theatre provided significant material for analysis, and the following research compares the two processes. In addition, the research of the history and development of dance choreography and its modern practices …

Echoes: A Dance Composition And Performance, Jessica M. Vest

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Echoes: A Dance Composition and Performance analyzes the creative process of choreographing a dance with aerial elements to convey an emotional narrative. My experiences as a theatre and dance Fine and Performing Arts Honors student at East Tennessee State University from 2013-2017, culminated with my final senior capstone project as director, choreographer, and performer of The Echoing Effect, performed February 9, 2017 at the Bud Frank Theatre. The following research of the history and development of aerial dance as an art-form created a better appreciation of the artistic field and informed how I approached the daunting task of composing …