Dance Commons^™

The Travelling Dancer: The Exploration Of Strength And Conditioning And Lifestyle Strategies To Mitigate The Risk Of Posterior Ankle Impingement Whilst Dancing Abroad, Emma Tucker

Theses : Honours

Ballet dancers commonly experience posterior ankle impingement (PAI), and while there is research regarding the biomechanical risk factors for PAI in ballet dancers, and mitigation and rehabilitation strategies for this type of injury, there is little research conducted surrounding further barriers posed by international travel. This study investigated the implications of international travel on the risk mitigation and rehabilitation of posterior ankle impingement in ballet dancers, exploring barriers posed by international travel to regular strength and conditioning and lifestyle practices. Three ballet dancers and two physiotherapists were interviewed and shared their lived experience with, or treating, posterior ankle impingement in …

Classical Ballet: The Progressive Preservation Of Tradition, Caroline Peacock

Quest

Research Essay

Research in progress for ENGL 1302: Composition II

Faculty Mentor: Lisa Roy-Davis, PhD

I am pleased to introduce Caroline Peacock’s excellent work “Classical Ballet: The Progressive Preservation of Tradition,” a research essay she wrote for my English 1302 class in the fall 2023 semester. Adapted from Bruce Ballenger’s textbook, The Curious Writer, the Research Essay assignment encourages students to foreground the role of inquiry by narrating their questions and how their sources address and extend those questions. When students prioritize questions over answers, their writing then demonstrates the value of “thinking on the page,” or the forward …

Pas De Deux Past And Present: Examining The Future Of Partnering Work In The Study Of Teaching And Performance Of Professional Ballet, Madelyn Groth

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This research explores the historical evolution and future direction of partnering in ballet, focusing on its technical, aesthetic, and pedagogical progress. Pas de deux is a dance for two, typically performed by a male and female dancers. Traditional pas de deux, found in classical ballet dating back to its the courts of 16th century France, adheres to strict gender roles and aesthetic traditions. However, contemporary choreographers are reimagining partnering dynamics and movement patterns to reflect a more inclusive and diverse approach. Through a historiographical study of ballet and an ethnographic investigation conducted at the Miami City Ballet and the …

Striking Similarities: An Exploration Of The Relationship Between Tap Dance And Ballet, Shannon Maloney

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This research explores the relationship between tap dance and ballet, two genres of dance often viewed as polar opposites—if they are considered to have any relationship at all. Qualitative research methods were used throughout this process, including consulting texts and videos, conducting ethnographic research by attending the Woodshed Experience tap dance intensive, and choreographing a dance work featuring both tap and ballet dancers. This project investigates the relationship between the genres in the areas of technique, choreography, and pedagogy. There is significant overlap in the techniques of tap dance and ballet in the areas of musicality, polyrhythmic expression, isolated muscle …

Dance-Related Fractures Occur In The Upper And Lower Extremities At Similar Rates: An Analysis Of The 2004-2023 National Electronic Injury Surveillance System Database, Senah E. Stephens, Joshua F. Edwards, Lisa K. Cannada

Department of Medicine Faculty Publications

Introduction

In the United States, 21% of adolescents participate in dance. Dancers are susceptible to injuries, particularly of the lower extremity, due to extreme positioning, dynamic overload, and repetitive movements.

Objectives

(1) to report the prevalence and describe demographic characteristics of dance-related fractures and (2) to analyze variables associated with disposition status.

Methods

The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) database, published by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, was used to investigate dance-related fractures diagnosed in a sample of 100 emergency departments over 20 years. Descriptive statistics and demographic variables were analyzed using chi square tests. Age was analyzed …

The Problem Of Scale: Professional Ballet Companies, Their Respective Preeminence, And Factors Outside Of Their Control, Katherine Hanson

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This thesis looks at professional ballet companies in the United States, the factors affecting a company’s preeminence or lack thereof, and whether it is possible in current conditions for large professional ballet companies to develop into preeminent ballet companies. What are the relevant factors historically involved in the growth of a professional ballet company into a preeminent ballet company in the United States? Are those factors still applicable or possible to attain for professional ballet companies today? Contributing categories of factors discussed include: budget, name recognition, numbers of productions and individual performances, touring, numbers of dancers, dancer salaries, union memberships, …

"Lord, What Fools These Mortals Be:" Ambiguity In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet And A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hannah Murphy

Scripps Senior Theses

My thesis is focused on how and why ambiguity/double meanings within the language of Shakespeare plays occurs, and how this can be adapted into a ballet format as there is no verbal component. As well as why this aspect of the plays is so vital to the portrayal of the characters that to remove it would be to severely reduce the impact of the story. It focuses specifically on the plays and ballets of A Midsummer Night's Dream and Romeo and Juliet, with the NYC Ballet versions of both as a reference.

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 …

The Jewish Dancing Body: Body Image In Jewish Folk Dance, Alexa Berkowitz

Master's Theses

Throughout my life as a dancer, I often wondered if body image issues were purely found in Western concert dance (such as ballet and modern dance) and if folk dance instilled a sense of ownership over one’s body. It was apparent to me that being asked to stare at yourself in the mirror for hours on end in a ballet class, or any other dance style, forced you to see every tiny defect in your body. For me personally, this caused a lot of body dysmorphia and body image issues that I carry to this day. While some folk dance …

Dancing In My Abode: A Study On The Space Struggles Of The Online Dancer, Atasha Gabrielle D. Ramos

DLSU Senior High School Research Congress

As the COVID-19 pandemic deemed performing artists unable to rehearse and perform in studios and theaters, space has become a big struggle for dancers, especially for those who train in Ballet. This dance piece is an original ballet variation created for a small space that interprets the difficulties and experiences of online ballet dancers. The researcher interviewed a dance teacher and a dance student about their space struggles, adjustments made for online dance, and their experiences. The struggles of both dance students and dance teachers include; internet connection, lag, hanging videos, disconnection, screen time, camera angles, attention span, lack of …

So You Think You Know Dance?: Fundamentals Of Dance, Mary Francis “Cissy” Whipp, Roshanda Spears, Susan Perlis, Vanessa Kanamoto, Peter Klubek (Editor)

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

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 …

Cultural, Political, And Choreographic Developments Of Feminism In Classical Ballet, Lydia Mariya Wirth

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

This thesis was an exploration of how the female ballerina can be better represented in the culture, aesthetics, and politics of ballet. Despite the patriarchal and misogynistic traditions that this artform is steeped in, women have made significant strides in reclaiming ballet as a tool of female empowerment, rather than of suppression or objectification. A disparity of leadership positions, a traditionally disempowering training system, misogynistic ballet narratives, and patterns of abuse and harassment all combine to create a world which disempowers female dancers on multiple levels. Despite these realities, women have been at the forefront of narrowing wage and opportunity …

The Vulnerability Of The Acetabulofemoral Joint: Examining Acetabular Labral Tears In Classical Ballet Dancers, Rebecca Tschan

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

The acetabulofemoral joint, more commonly referred to as the hip joint, is an extremely important mechanism of the human body. It plays a crucial role in a person's ability to sit and stand, walk and run, jump and crouch, and more. Not only this, but the hip joint bears most of the weight of the body, making it necessary for the joint and surrounding anatomical structures to be strong and stable. Fortunately, hip joints are built in such a way that allow for an extreme range of motion while simultaneously providing support for the rest of the body. Additionally, the …

The Cuban Diaspora: Stories Of Defection, Brain Drain, And Brain Gain, Lester Tomé

Dance: Faculty Publications

Since the 1990s, many dancers from Cuba have found work in North American and Western European ballet ensembles. This chapter describes how their international dance careers reflect high-skilled labor migration in the global economy, as well as the decentralizing expansion of ballet’s labor market. Migrant Cuban dancers cite a depressed local economy and the artistic stagnation of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba as fundamental reasons for looking for work in international ensembles. Their exodus is also political—extending into the present practices and discourses associated with the Cold War concept of defection. The numerous departures constitute a detrimental form of brain …

The Female Leadership Experience In Pre-Professional And Professional Ballet, Jill Grundstrom

All NMU Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

THE FEMALE LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE IN PRE-PROFESSIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL BALLET

By

Jill Grundstrom

The purpose of this qualitative, narrative research study was to explore the experiences of current female leaders in pre-professional and professional ballet. These stories often remain untold, as leadership in ballet has been largely male-dominated. The study examined the stories of four female leaders in ballet, including their journey to leadership, leadership philosophy and protocol, and thoughts regarding the future of female leadership in ballet. This study collected data using in-person, phone, and email interviews. The collected data was analyzed and coded for themes and conclusions using …

Body Dissatisfaction Among Ballet Dancers, Isabelle Fatima Barlaan

Senior Theses

Athletes are required to maintain a healthy and strong physique, however they can experience pressure to look a specific way. Certain types of sports promote a thin body image which athletes are insisted to follow. As a result of this, there is a trend often seen in female athletes and body dissatisfaction because of the sociocultural and sports community pressure. Body dissatisfaction is the negative subjective evaluation of the weight and shape of one’s own body. The level of body dissatisfaction a female athlete can experience varies among the type of sport they participate in. Studies show that female athletes …

An Analysis Of The Foot In Turnout Using A Dance Specific 3d Multi-Segment Foot Model, Sarah L. Carter, Alan Bryant, Luke S. Hopper

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Introduction: Recent three-dimensional (3D) kinematic research has revealed foot abduction is the strongest predictor of standing functional and forced turnout postures. However, it is still unknown how the internal foot joints enable a large degree of foot abduction in turnout. The primary purpose of this study was to use a dance specific multi-segment foot model to determine the lower leg and foot contributions to turnout that female university-level ballets use to accentuate their turnout. Methods: Eighteen female dance students (mean age, 18.8 ± 1.6 years) volunteered for this study. Retro-reflective markers were attached to the dancers' dominant foot. Each dancer …

National Dances Of The Nutcracker : A Study Of Racial, Cultural, And National Depictions In A Classical Ballet, Meredith Hunter-Mason

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Character development is a large component of ballet performance that is integrated into each rehearsal process leading up to the show. In this year’s production of The Nutcracker, I danced the role of Chinese Soloist. As I began my character development, I asked myself, “How does a Chinese girl dance?” When the question is asked about other roles, it is easy to respond; however, when the character is tied to a specific nationality it becomes much more difficult. Generalization and cultural misrepresentation become possible risks. Alastair Macaulay explains in his article Stereotypes in Toeshoes¸ “The ranks of ballet companies contain …

Moments

Taylor Theatre Playbills

Taylor's first-ever dance production is review of our musical history. It includes numbers from past shows, such as Oklahoma!, current works that have come out of dance classes, and previews of upcoming performances, such as The Pirates of Penzance and Mary Poppins. Don't miss this incredible night of storytelling through dance!

Performed October 6-7, 2017 at the Mitchell Theatre.

The Effects Of Cross Training On Ballet Dance, Allison Holland

Senior Theses

The dictionary defines cross training as, “the action or practice of engaging in two or more sports or types of exercise in order to improve fitness or performance in one’s main sport” (“cross-train”). While ballet dancers may look physically fit and slim, ballet dancers do not always give their bodies proper care. This thesis will explain the elements of ballet training that are crucial for development as an artist and a dancer. It will also discuss the benefits of cross training for ballet dancers and how this should be incorporated into the ballet curriculum. Finally, this thesis will discuss the …

Kinematic Repeatability Analyses Of Multi-Segment Foot Motion In University-Level Ballet Dancers, Sarah Carter, Nahoko Sato, Luke Hopper

ECU Posters

Background:

Dancers are susceptible to overuse foot and ankle injuries, however there is a lack biomechanical studies examining foot mechanics to explain the causality of these injuries. The purpose of this study was to determine the intra and inter-assessor repeatability of a modified Rizzoli Foot Model (RFM) for ballet dancers.

Methods: Six university-level ballet dancers performed the following trials in randomized order, natural stance, turnout plié and stance, and two dynamic trials; turnout rise and flex-point-flex movement. A twelve-camera motion capture system were used to track fourteen reflective markers and one triad on the following segments: shank, entire foot, hindfoot, …

Theatrical Texts And Contexts: Poe And Hawthorne’S Fictional Women, Savannah M. Singletary

Theses and Dissertations

Edgar Allen Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne are arguably two of the most highly read and heavily debated nineteenth-century antebellum authors in America. Their writings fascinate readers, while their character depictions, particularly their characterizations of fictional women, prompt intense academic debate. This thesis examines the previously less-studied historical developments surrounding Poe and Hawthorne in the antebellum era that shaped their approach to writing fiction. In particular, this study scrutinizes the effects of the development of a newly popular art form, ballet, the ascendency of female authorship, and the impact of American theatrical reform upon antebellum authors’ authorial faculties, especially Hawthorne and …

Tracing The Ancestral Roots And The Flow Of Pedagogical Practices In The Development Of Ballet Teaching From 1950 To 2016 In Perth, Western Australia, Diana C. M. Beck

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In the history of dance, that of ballet is but a fragment. The art of ballet is affiliated with the arts of music, literature, and those of the visual arts: its international history covering some 500 years. This thesis spotlights Perth, the capital of Western Australia (WA) and one of the world’s most geographically isolated capital cities. Throughout its balletic history of less than a century, Perth has seen rapid growth in this art form. As in all the arts, pedagogic rules act as guidelines for the teaching of traditional ballet vocabulary; consequently, in order to understand this development and …

The Wishing Well: A Children's Ballet (A Composer's Perspective), Lydia Dempsey

Honors Projects

As a composer, I am passionate about introducing audiences to contemporary classical music. I chose to compose a twenty-five-minute children's ballet titled The Wishing Well based on the fairytale Diamonds and Toads. It premiered on April 2, 2016 at the Bowling Green Performing Arts Center in collaboration with choreographer Sophia Schmitz and conductor Robert Ragoonanan. Other elements of the project included set design, costuming, lighting, audio and video recording, and marketing. The mission was to provide the local community with a free arts event, introduce young audiences to music and ballet, enrich people’s lives through music and dance, provide …

Comparison Of Body Composition, Neuromuscular Characteristics And Anaerobic Endurance Between Novice, Semi-Professional And Professional Ballet Dancers, Penelope Blanco Ochoa

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Study 1 Comparison of body composition, neuromuscular characteristics and anaerobic endurance between novice, semi-professional and professional ballet dancers.
/="/"> The purpose of this study was to compare selected physiological fitness parameters including: body composition, neuromuscular characteristics and aerobic endurance were significantly different between novice, semi-professional and professional ballet dancers. The secondary purpose was to establish which parameters were best discriminators between these dancers. Thirty-five classical ballet dancers (male: n =11 and female: n =24) divided into three different groups according to their dance skill level: novice (n=12) (age: 16.6 ± 1.5 y; height: 1.7 ± 0.1 m; weight: 58.0 ± …

Digital Expressionism And Christopher Wheeldon’S Alice’S Adventures In Wonderland: What Contemporary Choreographers Can Learn From Early Twentieth-Century Modernism, Kelly Oden

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

How can classical ballet adapt to a world that is in an ever more rapid state of flux? By uncovering an example of the kind of interdisciplinary artistic collaboration that contributed to the thriving artistic environment of the early twentieth century, a model for artistic success emerges. By examining modernism and Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes in relation to Christopher Wheeldon’s groundbreaking 2011 ballet Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, a correlation between the success of the Ballets Russes and the success of Wheeldon is exposed. I argue that by applying the modernist practice of interdisciplinary interaction to his own productions, Wheeldon …

Human Sacrifice As Explained Through Three Performances Of The Rite Of Spring, Victoria Jacqueline Wee

Dance Department Best Student Papers

No abstract provided.

Genu Recurvatum In Dance Training: Assessing And Addressing The Structural Deformity In Dancers, Anne Mercedes Mushrush

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Genu recurvatum is a medical condition in which the knee curves baac kwar d past the normal range of extension predominantly in the sagittal plane. Hyperextension can be attributed to extra laxity in the body, therefore the surrounding ligaments of the knee allow for the femur and tibia to be placed past a sagittal alignment of 180°, which is the possible knee extension of normal knee alignment. Genu recurvatum, medically viewed as a deformity, is desirable and considered a positive attribute in the dance world, especially classical ballet. Hyperextension also makes the line of the leg appear longer and straighter …

The Ballerina, Natasha M. Dones

Student Publications

Little in the world can be as delicate and poised as the small

ballerina you bought me. She dances motionless upon my

bookshelf, as she did for many years before...