Dance Commons^™

Dance And The Self: An Analysis On The Psychological Impacts Of Dance, Morgan Etzinger

Honors Projects

Professional dancers spend numerous hours immersed into dance culture every single day, learning new technique, practicing choreography, and exercising to stay fit. This study explores how dance affects the self-confidence and self-esteem of dance students. Utilizing surveys, the self-confidence and self-esteem of dance students at BGSU is compared to non-performing arts students. The study of psychology allows for proper analysis on the differences between the two groups, why a difference might occur, and how self-confidence and self-esteem is affected. After gathering data on emotions, perfectionism, comparison, group versus individual performances, personal thoughts, and body image, it was found that dancers …

Reflections: A Meditation On Ballet And Pain, Claire Madeline Silverman

Honors Theses

The defining details of the character of Giselle are that she loves to dance even though she knows it could kill her (for she has a frail heart), and that she is in love with a peasant boy named Loys, though she knows her mother dislikes him. She is defiant, determined to follow her desires.

Giselle wasn’t one of the ballets that stuck out to me when I was younger. I loved the Tchaikovsky ballets — Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker — and later Romeo and Juliet (Macmillan’s version) became my favorite. Giselle existed at my periphery. It’s …

Navigating Gifted Pathways, Ashley Rosenthal

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Programs for gifted students have been used to identify and advance youth who show talent and academic potential in their academics for years. These programs separate the course load for gifted students from the typical education of their peers and allow them to further explore knowledge with advanced and accelerated work programs that manage the pace, content, and applications of their intelligence and talents. This research project investigates what it means to be a gifted student, how these students are identified, what the mental health trends of burnout are, the social-emotional relationships between peers, and how gifted students later bridge …

Paige Mulick Bfa Dance Graduating Presentation, Paige Mulick

Honors Theses

Paige Mulick’s Graduating Presentation/Honors Thesis was created to be a piece that explored recurring dreams and built a dream on stage. Mulick developed this piece beginning with a concept, auditioning dancers, developing choreography, designing costumes, developing a lighting design, and rehearsing the piece for multiple months before it was performed on stage. As supporting research for this choreographic project, Mulick drew on her personal experiences, the experiences of her dancers, and readings from texts about the science and history of dreams. In addition to her work in choreography, Mulick took on the roles of Production Coordinator and Schedule Coordinator for …

Mary Grace Geise Bfa Graduating Presentation, Mary Grace Geise

Honors Theses

The Bathers takes inspiration from the late 19th-century impressionist painter Paul Cézanne and his series of paintings known as Bathers. Cézanne believed in the harmony between art, emotion, and nature. This piece explores the healing powers of nature and how it reflects the human experience, beauty, ugliness, and inner peace. The Bathers endure a journey to rebirth by ways of nature, traversing through moments of desertion, cleansing, surrender, ecstasy, and freedom.

Personifying Inanimate Objects: A Study Through Movement, Delainey Bailey, Tricia Zweier

2023 Student Academic Showcase

This project explores how inanimate objects can be personified through movement. The chosen item for this work, a kaleidoscope, inspired many of the gestures, energies, and expressions for this original piece of choreography that premiered in the Lindenwood University Winter 2022 Dance Concert. My poster presentation will highlight many components of the kaleidoscope that were used as inspiration in this piece: the colors, patterns, shapes, and pathways. This work, titled “Kaleidoscope,” is centered around eight dancers that travel through circular pathways in a colorful ambiance to find contentment in the perfect patterns of the kaleidoscope. Each of their journeys are …

Spring Dance Concert (April 20-22, 2023), Lindenwood University

Student Dance Programs & Brochures

Program for the Spring Dance Concert.

Local Traditions, Global Influences, National Belonging: Conditional Acceptance Of Cross-Gender Dance In Central Java, Indonesia, Calla Rhodes

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Indonesia has a long and rich history of cross-gender performance in which males embody femininity onstage. Until recently, these diverse, locally-specific traditions were a widely accepted cultural practice. However, modern negative associations with the LGBTQ+ community and, by extension, the West, threaten the survival of traditional Indonesian cross-gender dance. By investigating feminine male gender performance in Java, I will uncover how Indonesians draw from localized cultural traditions, as well as globalized practices like Western-style drag, to destabilize restrictive national constructions of gender. I posit that traditional cross-gender dance serves as a culturally- sanctioned outlet for male expressions of femininity that …

From Raqs Sharqi To Belly Dance: The Influence Of Western Cultural Values On A Middle Eastern Dance Form, Molly Talbot

Dance Department Best Student Papers

This paper examines the history and development of two Middle Eastern movement forms, raqs sharqi and belly dance, through an analytic lens of Western cultural influence. Raqs sharqi originated around 5500 b.c. and holds strong cultural values in honoring female rites of passage. During Napoleon's occupation of Cairo in the late 18th and early 19th century, raqs sharqi performers split into two paths. Some performers appealed to new norms imposed by French spectators while others refused such norms and removed themselves from the scene to create various movement subcultures. This rift began a theme in belly dance history of subjection …

29th Annual Roger Williams University School Of Law Barrister's Ball 2-11-2023, Roger Williams University School Of Law

School of Law Conferences, Lectures & Events

No abstract provided.

Winter Dance Concert (March 16-18, 2023), Lindenwood University

Student Dance Programs & Brochures

Program for the Winter Dance Concert (March 16-18, 2023).

Examination Of The Cumulative Risk Assessment And Nutritional Profiles Among College Ballet Dancers, Kenya Moore, Nancy A. Uriegas, Jessica Pia, Dawn M. Emerson, Kelly Pritchett, Toni M. Torres-Mcgehee

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of Education and Professional Studies

This study examined female collegiate ballet dancers’ (n = 28) Female Athlete Triad (Triad) risk via the Cumulative Risk Assessment (CRA) and nutritional profiles (macro- and micronutrients; n = 26). The CRA identified Triad return to play criteria (RTP: Full Clearance, Provisional Clearance, or Restricted/Medical Disqualified) by assessing eating disorder risk, low energy availability, menstrual cycle dysfunction, and low bone mineral density. Seven-day dietary assessments identified any energy imbalances of macro- and micronutrients. Ballet dancers were identified as low, within normal, or high for each of the 19 nutrients assessed. Basic descriptive statistics assessed CRA risk classification and dietary macro- …

Macbeth

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University's performance of Macbeth by William Shakespeare.

Performed February 24-26 & March 3-5 2023 at the Mitchell Theatre.

Macbeth is a tragedy that delves into themes of ambition, power, and guilt. The play follows the rise and fall of Macbeth, a Scottish nobleman, who is driven by a prophecy from three witches and the manipulative encouragement of his wife, Lady Macbeth. After murdering King Duncan to seize the throne, Macbeth's reign is marked by paranoia and tyranny, leading to further bloodshed and his eventual downfall. The play explores the psychological effects of ambition and the moral …

Works In Progress, Robin Kish, Julianne O'Brien, Tomas Tamayo, Amanda Kay White

Dance Programs

No abstract provided.

Where I Belong: Four Dancers On What They Bring Into Leadership Roles, Kate Mattingly

Communication & Theatre Arts Faculty Publications

The article discusses dancers on what they bring into leadership roles which include Kiyon Ross, the associate artistic director for Pacific Northwest Ballet, Clifton Brown, assistant director at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and Helanius J. Wilkins, associate director of dance in the Department of Theatre & Dance at University of Colorado. Topics include Ross's first foray into choreography in 2005; Brown on how Dancers are being heard; and Wilkins on leadership role in dance.

“W”: Women In Afropop Entertainment At The Intersection Of Race, Gender, Sexuality, And Culture, Coreen Robledo

Theses and Dissertations

Performing artist uses a personal and historical viewpoint as a catalyst to discuss some women's challenges in the Afropop and African entertainment by offering social, patriarchal, cultural, and sexual contexts that the writer argues construct the images, reputations, decision-making, and circumstances of Brown and Black women in the entertainment industry.

Dance 245 Research Paper And Presentation, Kim Ranger

Handouts

This handout provides information about library resources related to the DAN 245 research assignment. Search tips are included as well as workspace for students to note key concepts and search terms. Students get hands-on practice using the RILM database. Information about MLA citation style is also provided.

The Reality Of Bipolar Disorder: A Dance Film To Bring Awareness To The Misconceptions Of Mental Health, Julia Woolums

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

For my project, I researched bipolar disorder to create a dance film highlighting the associated symptoms and emotions of hypomanic and depressive episodes. The purpose of this research is to bring awareness to and educate on the reality of these mental health symptoms to reduce mental health stereotypes and stigma. I researched academic texts and peer-reviewed articles about bipolar disorder written from the perspective of those diagnosed with it and used the symptom criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders to compose, choreograph, film, and edit my dance film. The completed film showcases what daily life could …

Crossing That Street, On Your Mind, In Our Yard: A Choreographic And Theoretical Exploration Of The Cognitions Involved In Dance And The Importance Of Observable Connection, Dale Lippincott

Dance Department Honors Papers

No abstract provided.

Deconstructing The Past, Reconstructing The History, & Constructing The Future: Understanding & Healing Transgenerational Trauma Through Process-Focused Creative Methodology In Costume Construction, Catja Christensen

Dance Department Honors Papers

No abstract provided.

On The Way To Maturity, Mikhail Ilyin

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

My experience as a dance maker is rooted in the following: use of space, interpersonal relationships, efforts in dynamics, psychology, and personal memory, all of which inform my thesis project. This thesis project specifically investigates the stages of psychosocial development as seen through the theories of psychologist Erik Erikson. It explores the emotional effect of these psychosocial stages on people, including conflicts and positive impacts. I demonstrate how these developmental stages can define a person's identity and how audience members, choreographers, and artists from various fields might be influenced by them. Weaving together my research and personal experiences in fine …

Lindenwood University Promotional Booklet For The Dance Program, Lindenwood University

Student Dance Programs & Brochures

2023 Lindenwood University Promotional Booklet for the Dance Program

Shifting Once Again, Hannah Dusek

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Change is constant; an action and a reaction. “Shifting Once Again” is an exploration of how changes in an individual affect one's relationship to themself and others. Figuring out who we are - that is change. Such shifts can be terrifying, exciting, and in some cases, underwhelming. I invite you to reflect on these shifts in your own life as you watch this piece, and how they might have even brought you to this very audience tonight. The knowledge that everyone around us is constantly going through changes can be comforting. Finding comfort in those changes, without resistance, is what …

การสวมบทบาทนางรจนาในละครเรื่องสังข์ทอง พระราชนิพนธ์รัชกาลที่ 2, กัณฑ์กรพัชญ์ สุทธิพร

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

วิทยานิพนธ์ เรื่อง การสวมบทบาทนางรจนาในละครเรื่องสังข์ทอง พระราชนิพนธ์รัชกาลที่ 2 มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาวิธีการสวมบทบาทนางเอก (ผู้ชาย) ละครนอกแบบหลวง บทพระราชนิพนธ์ในรัชกาลที่ 2 ของรองศาสตราจารย์ ดร.ศุภชัย จันทร์สุวรรณ์ (ศิลปินแห่งชาติ) โดยใช้ระเบียบวิธีวิจัยเชิงคุณภาพ ด้วยการศึกษาจากเอกสาร การสัมภาษณ์ และการสังเกตการณ์ ผลการวิจัยพบว่า การสวมบทบาทการแสดงเป็นผู้หญิงปรากฏอยู่ในนาฏกรรมไทยหลายประเภท เช่น ละครนอก สันนิษฐานว่าเริ่ม มาจากการละเล่นมหรสพของชาวบ้านในสมัยอยุธยา การสวมบทบาทนางรจนาในละครนอกเรื่องสังข์ทองของรองศาสตราจารย์ ดร.ศุภชัย จันทร์สุวรรณ์ (ศิลปินแห่งชาติ) ได้รับการถ่ายทอดและฝึกหัดบทบาทนางรจนาจากคุณครูเฉลย ศุขะวณิช และได้รับคำแนะนำจากคุณครูจำเรียง พุธประดับ เนื่องจากบุคลิกและอุปนิสัยที่สอดคล้องกับบทบาทนางรจนา ประกอบกับการศึกษาตัวละครนางรจนาในเรื่องสังข์ทอง การฝึกปฏิบัติอย่างสม่ำเสมอ และประสบการณ์การแสดงมาประยุกต์ให้เหมาะสมกับตนจนกลายเป็นกลวิธีเฉพาะบุคคล การพิจารณาเลือกผู้ชายมาสวมบทบาทนางเอก คือ รูปร่างเล็กสันทัด ใบหน้ารูปไข่หรือใบหน้ากลม มือและแขนยาวเรียว ปากเรียว และมีปฏิภาณไหวพริบดี รูปแบบกระบวนท่ารำ จำแนกเป็น 2 ประเภท ได้แก่ การตีความอุปนิสัยของตัวละคร และการตีบทตามอารมณ์ความคิดของตัวละคร โครงสร้างกระบวนท่ารำ ประกอบด้วย 4 ส่วน ได้แก่ ส่วนศีรษะและใบหน้า ส่วนลำตัวและไหล่ ส่วนแขนและมือ และส่วนเท้า รวมถึงการแสดงสีหน้าอารมณ์ ได้แก่ อารมณ์รัก อารมณ์เศร้า อารมณ์ประชดประชัน และอารมณ์โกรธ ท่ารำที่เป็นอัตลักษณ์ คือ ท่าพลิกเท้า เครื่องมือในการแสดง ประกอบด้วย ภายนอก (สรีระร่างกาย) และภายใน คือ (อารมณ์และความคิด) องค์ประกอบเสริม ได้แก่ การแต่งหน้า การแต่งกาย และการเลือกศิราภรณ์ จากการสังเคราะห์คุณสมบัติของนักแสดงที่ดีพบว่ามี 6 ประการ ได้แก่ ความงดงามของจิตใจ ความพร้อมของร่างกาย ความสามารถในการสังเกต ความจำ ความเข้าใจ และความมีวินัย กล่าวได้ว่าผลการวิจัยจะเป็นประโยชน์ต่อการพัฒนาบทบาทของตัวนางในนาฏกรรมไทยต่อไป

Passerby To Sonder: How Black Literary Sources Use Dance To Carve Out Relational Possibility, Zion Martin-Hayes

English Honors Papers

This thesis outlines the raw phenomenon of humans to exist in relation to each other as “passersby,” unaware of their tendencies towards desire and lack, when they should pursue “sonder,” the awareness that someone else’s life is as equally complex as your own. Relationality looks like a performance of bodies when it should embody the essence of dance. The performance of bodies equates to the purpose of passersby to prioritize movement as a way to remain unattentive of personhood. Whereas in dance, an appreciation for stillness to the same degree of movement brings people to sonder as a way to …

Disability Justice In Motion: Exploring Dj Principles Through Contact Improvisation, Susanna Procario-Foley

Dance Department Honors Papers

No abstract provided.

Needs Salt, Joshua Lang

Dance (MFA) Theses

Researcher Joshua Lang investigates the development of the Eden narrative in western culture. Near the beginning of the book of Genesis, the Eden narrative provides a lens to culturally significant elements of early Hebrew culture. Genesis illustrates early Hebrew culture’s relationship with the natural world, sex, sin, judgment, and death. Similarly, John Milton’s retelling of the narrative in Paradise Lost divulges information about the culture that Milton lived in, as well as a great deal about the author himself. Milton’s blindness, and his opinions on heteronormative marriage, Protestantism, sin, judgment, and death are evident in the text. In Paradise Lost …

Dancing Through Loss, Tracy Vogt

Dance (MFA) Theses

This thesis project aims to examine and interrogate the embodiment of grief through the comparison of western concert dance works choreographed by Antony Tudor, Martha Graham, Alvin Ailey, Bill T. Jones, Anna Halprin, and Camille A. Brown. This research will culminate in a choreographic work reflecting and responding to my own personal journey with grief and loss while also incorporating and integrating the process of the choreographers studied.

#Iykyk: Tiktok As A Subversive Space: Democratizing Dance And Shifting Artistic Paradigms, Meagan Dodini

Dance (MFA) Theses

The emergence of TikTok as a platform for dance content has revolutionized the dance industry providing new avenues for exposure, creativity, and self-promotion. Researcher Meg Dodini explores the impact of TikTok on the institution of dance, investigating opportunities for increased visibility, collaboration, and brand sponsorships. Moreover, TikTok has facilitated the creation of new dance styles and trends, fostering collaboration between artists and engagement with the viewer. It is important to acknowledge the drawbacks of TikTok's influence. This research or thesis aims to explore the potential biases surrounding the expectations of dance regarding appearance, spaces, and performance. It argues that TikTok …

Erosion: Landscape Reveals Us, John Alexander Mcbride

Dance (MFA) Theses

This thesis explores the connective tissue between the land on which we stand and the body we inhabit. Through the lens of climate change and erosion, this research unveils the lasting effects of severe and traumatic weather patterns on the psychology and physiology of those who continue to endure them. How bodies (capitalistic bodies, collective bodies, and our personal bodies) treat the land and each other affects us all—we are all part of the eroding ecosystem, linked together by the soil beneath our feet. The soil that has been scorched and stolen, mined and massacred. The soil that is fertile …