Dance Commons^™

Theatre And Dance As Divine Purpose: Liberating The Christian Performer In Pursuit Of Artistic Worship, Abby Owen

Dance (MFA) Theses

This study examines the historical relevance of theatre and dance alongside religious forms of worship, with a particular emphasis on their integration into Christian churches of the Middle Ages, in comparison to the current Western era. Beginning with their origin, this research examines the creation of theatre and dance in Ancient Greece as a means of connecting with spiritual deities, tracing their recorded transition into accepted acts of everyday worship by Christian leadership. At the same time, this research scrutinizes contemporary congregations’ lack of artistic incorporation, denouncing the rise of restricted worship in response to present-day condemnation of the female …

My Body Is Bad, Daintry Tennapel

Dance (MFA) Theses

my body is bad is an integrative endeavor that critically examines cultural and theological teachings within the Evangelical Church, focusing on the rise of Purity Culture and its connections to a broader history of patriarchy and white supremacy in America. This work investigates the psychological, emotional, sexual, and spiritual impact on women raised within Purity Culture, analyzing its core teachings and the systems that perpetuate them. By exploring the intersection of political, societal, and religious ideologies, this work interrogates how these forces—manifested through Purity Culture narratives—shape women’s identities, self-worth, and sexual agency. This work combines scholarly research, survivor testimonies, and …

The Sacred Duty Of The Christian Storyteller: The Rediscovery Of Divine Creative Heritage And Its Function In The Public Square, Trinity Wood

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis assesses the specific value of the storytelling medium and evaluates how one’s artistic duty coexists with their spiritual responsibility as a Bible-believing Christian. Storytelling has a proven power to evoke change within society and within the hearts of its members, and creativity is an innate characteristic we share with the original Divine Creator. Creativity is our birthright and our inheritance from God the Father, as beings made in His Image. The secular entertainment industry often appears as foreign enemy territory to the Christian creative – in most recent years, faith-based content has garnered a poor reputation for itself …

How Would Jesus Watch This? An Investigation Into Dance Restrictions In American Protestantism, Rebecca Lynn Huppenthal

Theatre & Dance ETDs

In the United States there has been many disagreements concerning the place of dance within Protestant Christianity. Some denominations have banned dance entirely while other utilize dance as an essential element of worship. At the center of this argument is the understanding, treatment, and use of the physical body. Beginning in the sixteenth century through current times, I analyze specific Protestant denominations including the Puritans, Evangelical Fundamentalists, Southern Baptists, the Shakers, certain African American denominations, and Pentecostals. Additionally, I examine notable liturgical modern dancers, as well as my own choreographic work, a dance film titled Rebirth. This research displays …

Testimony Coming To Life: Revealing The Lord Through Dance, Rachil L. Reynolds

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This honors project is a choreographic work based on a testimony of a woman named Ashley Abercrombie who went from a journey of excellence, to drug abuse, to salvation. The objective of this project was to create an artistic social action piece based on faith. The final work of choreography was movement that was directly related to the story line of Ashley Abercrombie’s testimony, at seventeen minutes in length, and includes a cast of eleven. The final work was publicly presented at the Paul A. Daum Theater, Kolbe Hall, The University of Akron on April 24-25, 2015 as part of …

Though The Earth Give Way

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s Fall 2013 performance of Though the Earth Give Way by William Gebby, commissioned and presented by the Taylor Theatre Touring Company.

Though the Earth Give Way is a reimagined telling of the story of King Hezikiah and his resistance of the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem in 701 B.C.. The story is found in the Old Testament, in 2 Kings 18-20 and Psalm 46.

Godspell

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s Spring 2013 performance of Godspell by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak.

Gospell is a musical telling the parables and life of Jesus found in the gospel of Matthew.

Latvian Folk Dance: Sustaining Cultural Heritage In The Context Of Christianity And Communism, Emilija Karina Grinvalds

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

In times of chaos and violence, brutality and oppression, one would not think of the arts as a guiding light for maintaining cultural identity and establishing peace and independence. However, the small country of Latvia serves as a prime example of how the arts, specifically folk dance, helped to maintain Latvian culture through centuries of oppression and war. As Swedish and German missionaries sought to spread Christianity throughout the pagan tribes in the 11th century, dance helped to sustain the cultural and religious beliefs of the ancient Latvians. Folk dance created a sense of unity within their communities, and the …

Footprints Of A Pilgrim

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s Fall 2009 performance of Footsteps of a Pilgrim based on the book by Ruth Bell Graham and adapted by Kerry Meads and Robert Smyth.

Footprints of a Pilgrim is the story of Ruth Bell Graham recounting the story of her childhood as the daughter of missionaries in China, her marriage to Reverend Billy Graham, and beyond.

Dance And Doctrine: Shaker And Mormon Dancing As A Manifestation Of Doctrinal Views Of The Physical Body, Lindsy Stewart Cieslewicz

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis compares the dancing of the Shakers (The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearance) and the Mormons (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or LDS Church) during the nineteenth century, as it was influenced by their doctrinal beliefs about the human body. Specifically, it examines how the role of the physical body in achieving mortal happiness and immortal salvation was viewed by each group and how these beliefs were reflected in their dancing. It describes the different forms of dancing performed by each religious group and how dance functioned as worship and recreation for the …

“…And A Child Shall Lead Them”

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s Fall 1999 performance of “…And a Child Shall Lead Them”.

“…Of Things Unseen”

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s Fall 1991 Advanced Oral Interpretation Class’s performance of …Of Things Unseen adapted by Oliver Hubbard.

Cotton Patch Gospel

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s Spring 1987 performance of Cotton Patch Gospel book by Tom Key and Russel Treyz, music and lyrics by Harry Chapin.

J.B.

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s Spring 1984 performance of J.B. by Archibald MacLeish.

J.B. is a retelling of the Biblical story of Job by two old circus performers by the name of Zuss and Nickles (Zeus and Satan), who make a wager and play out Job’s story in modern America where Job is a millionaire named J.B..

Quest And Query

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s Fall 1978 performance of Quest and Query adapted by Oliver Hubbard.

Christ In The Concrete City And The Prodigal Son

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s 1974 performances of Christ in the Concrete City by Philip Turner and The Prodigal Son by R.H. Ward, performed by the Religious Drama Company

Cry Of Dawn In Dark Babylon

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s Fall 1968 performance of Cry Dawn in Dark Babylon by P. W. Turner.

From the playbill: “According to the author, this is a play about death, the Resurrection and the Church. It is a true story, based on his own experience as a pastor in an industrial parish in England.”

Performed by the Taylor Religious Drama Company. It was second of three projects developed by the class for the semester.

J.B.

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s Spring 1961 performance of J.B. by Archibald MacLeish.

J.B. is a retelling of the Biblical story of Job by two old circus performers by the name of Zuss and Nickles (Zeus and Satan), who make a wager and play out Job’s story in modern America where Job is a millionaire named J.B..

This was part of the 1961 Fine Arts Festival and performed in Maytag Auditorium.

The Robe

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s Fall 1957 performance of The Robe adapted by John McGreevey from Lloyd C. Douglas’s work of the same name.

The Robe tells the story of Marcellus, a young Roman officer who wins the robe of Jesus when he is crucified, and how Marcellus’s life is changed after that encounter.

Androcles And The Lion

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s 1956 performance of Androcles and the Lion by George Bernard Shaw.

Androcles and the Lion is the story of a Christian in early Rome named Androcles, who helps a Lion that later comes to his aid when Androcles is captured and brought to the Colosseum for torture and death.

The Voice Of The Phi Sigma -- 1925 --, Phi Sigma

The Voice of the Phi Sigma

This item is part of the Phi Sigma collection at the College Archives & Special Collections department of Columbia College Chicago. Contact [email protected] for more information and to view the collection.