Dance Commons^™

Introduction: Grotowski's Evolving Influence In Poland, Kathleen Cioffi

Mime Journal

In this introduction, Kathleen Cioffi discusses the physical basis of Jerzy Grotowski’s practice and describes how it developed through the various stages of his career, from the Laboratory Theatre stage to the Art as vehicle stage. She also surveys Grotowski’s Polish reception, including various controversies surrounding his work, and analyzes the evolution of his influence on several generations of physical theatre practitioners in Poland.

It’S In The Backbone: Dance From Africa Through The Diaspora, An Interview With Deama Battle, Deama Battle, Kenneth J. Cooper

Trotter Review

Classically trained in dance, DeAma Battle became interested in Africa-rooted dance in the 1960s. She started performing the traditional dances from Africa that spread, via the Atlantic slave trade, to the United States, the Caribbean, and South America. She not only has performed those steps and movements, Battle has studied them, with master dancers from West Africa, Brazil, Haiti, Jamaica, and Cuba. One of her teachers and mentors was Chuck Davis, a leading African American teacher of traditional African dance. Her research has probed deeper, into the field abroad, on dance-study tours to Haiti, Jamaica, Ghana, Senegal, Morocco, and other …

Fascism, Flamenco, And Ballet Español: Nacionalflamenquismo, Theresa Goldbach

Theatre & Dance ETDs

The nationalist regime of General Francisco Franco (1936-1975) dramatically and forcefully reshaped every element of Spanish culture including dance and flamenco. Many flamencologists derisively refer to the resulting product of this system as nacionalflamenquismo or national-flamencoism. The bureaucratic mechanics that created nacionalflamenquismo evolved throughout the first three decades of the regime to fit with changing economic and political realities. As Spain re-entered the global community following its Civil War (1936-1939), flamenco and Spanish dance proved useful tools for international public relations as well as domestic propaganda. By discerning the various factors that linked the art of flamenco to the political …

Spring Dance Concert (May 1-3, 2014), Lindenwood University

Student Dance Programs & Brochures

Event program for Spring Dance Concert (May 1-3, 2014), Lindenwood University.

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...

Sam Gill, Dancing Culture Religion, Anthony Shay

Pomona Faculty Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

The Marauder’S Son: An Exploration Of The Classical Story Ballet And Children’S Literature, Emily H. Kleeman

Pitzer Senior Theses

The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling was, for many Millennials, a defining literary and media experience. The popularity of the series has spawned many fan-made parodies. Meanwhile, in recent years, the classical Petipa story ballet style has begun to give way to more modern structures of choreography. The Marauder’s Son, the culmination of a yearlong choreographic endeavor, is a story ballet that strives to introduce new audiences to classical dance through the use of the first book in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The full production is available for viewing in the …

Dancing In The Stacks: Dance Works And The Concept Of Authorship In Libraries, Dominique Bourassa

Library Staff Publications

It is self-evident to choreographers, dancers and dance scholars that dances are works in their own right as much as literary and musical works are. However, from an American library perspective, this fact was not fully acknowledged until 20 years ago. Indeed, the historical mistreatment of dance works has evolved from their once total absence from subject taxonomies, to their being classified with works about recreation instead of among the “serious” arts, to their being subordinated to music. The situation greatly improved in 1994 with the publication by the Library of Congress (LC) of special cataloging rules that finally treat …

Exploring Dance Teachers' Perceptions: Video As A Teaching Tool, Daralyn Scurlock

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The process in which dance instructors evaluate dance students' technical skills has been dependent on spontaneity; it is time sensitive and almost synchronous. However, video introduces an asynchronous evaluating component. Video recording can be utilized in the dance profession not only to improve a dancer's overall performance, but as an injury prevention tool. Therefore video permits deeper reflection.

This is a preliminary study designed to open the door for future studies in the dance field. In order to gain the in depth knowledge required for this thesis, an instrumental case-study design was utilized based primarily on the analyses of broad, …

Trunk Coordination In Dancers And Non-Dancers, Danielle N. Jarvis, Jo Armour Smith, Kornelia Kulig

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Variability, or how a task changes across trials, may reveal differences between athletes of differing skill levels. The purpose of this study was to examine trunk and lower extremity (LE) single joint kinematic variability and inter-segmental coordination variability in dancers and non-dancers during bipedal vertical dance jumps (sautés). Twenty healthy females, ten with no formal dance training and ten professional dancers, performed 20 consecutive sautés. Single joint kinematic variability was assessed using mean standard deviation of angular displacement, and inter-segmental coordination variability was assessed using angular deviation of the coupling angle between segments. Within the context of the standard error …

The Dance Artist Showcase, November 22-23, 2013, Lindenwood University

Student Dance Programs & Brochures

Event program for The Dance Artist Showcase, November 22-23, 2013, Lindenwood University.

An Exploration Of Self-Empowerment And Truthful Expression Through Movement And Rudolf Laban's Theory Of Effort, Morgan Raquel Sicklick

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

My ultimate goal in completing my Honors Thesis was to make a very personal discovery: to feel and see what it was like to become self-empowered and thus, give myself and others within the field of dance permission to engage in truthful expression. To accomplish this, I used Rudolf Laban's theory of Effort to explore, through movement, my "inner" and "outer" Effort life as well as created a large-scale choreographic work entitled "In the Moment of Not Knowing." Creating this work allowed me to project my own journey towards self-empowerment onto a universal, physical and artistic canvas, and evaluate the …

Spring Dance Concert (May 2-5, 2013), Lindenwood University

Student Dance Programs & Brochures

Event program for Spring Dance Concert (May 2-5, 2013), Lindenwood University.

Preserving Dance Forms In India Through Education And Performance: A Curriculum For Bollywood Dance, Kimberly Martin

Masters Theses

This project is a practical curriculum of Bollywood dance that can be used to assist in the preservation of dance forms in India through education and performance. The goal of this curriculum is to systematically equip dancers of all ages with the basic knowledge and experiences needed to excel as dancers and choreographers of Bollywood dance. This will be achieved through practical experience that is built from the basics of Bollywood dance and founded in classical tradition and theory as presented in Bharat Natyam. This curriculum is broken up into four sixteen-week semesters and covers a series of steps, basics …

I Am Not Your Video Girl, Rashida Aluko-Roberts

SURGE

“We need girls who are willing to be up on stage with us and who are not afraid to go HAM dancing in front of a crowd. I know at least a few of you who have the confidence/jaw-dropping dance moves to pull this off.” [excerpt]

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.

The Uses And Gratifications Of Dance Reality Television Shows, Heather M. Yuille

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Uses and Gratifications of Dance Reality Shows

Competition based dance reality shows are a sub-category under the reality television show genre. One way to add to the growing body of research about reality television shows is to study each sub-category individually in terms of uses and gratifications theory. Therefore this research looked into the reasons why people watch dance reality shows. Since dance is an art form that has deep historic roots, has experienced highs and lows in terms of public perception and has experienced a strong resurgence recently within the realm of reality television, it proves to be …

Fall Dance Concert (October 25-27, 2012), Lindenwood University

Student Dance Programs & Brochures

Program for Fall Dance Concert (October 25-27, 2012).

Choreography And Performance With Deaf Adults Who Have Mental Illness: Culturally Affirmative Participatory Research, Sondra H. Malling

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

Dance/movement therapy (DMT) techniques—particularly choreography and performance techniques—have not been well-researched with Deaf adults who have mental illness. This study investigated the use of DMT, choreography, and performance techniques with Deaf adults with severe and chronic mental illness through participatory artistic inquiry. Primary research questions addressed pragmatic matters of participatory artistic inquiry: What aesthetic choices will the co-researchers make in the dance-making process? How does the researcher provide structure and incorporate her experience as a choreographer without overshadowing the contributions of the co-researchers? Broader philosophical research questions included: How do choreography and performance techniques impact this population’s well-being? How does …

The Cat Who Couldn't Take A Nap, Rebecca Saunders

English Faculty Publication Series

Cleo wakes up to discover that she has become a cat.  At first, leaping about is fun, but alas, she is an elderly cat. And soon, all she wants is to have a nice snooze.

So what keeps getting in her way?

The Production Of Choreography Influenced By Works Of George Balanchine, Tiffany Guy

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

One of the most renowned Ballet Masters in the history of dance is George Balanchine. By studying his works and feedback from his dancers, my goal is to gain enough information to develop a two to three minute choreographed work of my own, incorporating the influence of Balanchine’s style and design. In my research, I will be examining his history and the interviews of Balanchine-influenced dancers, reflecting on personal experiences, and dissecting his choreography and elements of my own work in creating my final choreography. Within my piece, I will be manipulating various uses of rhythms, implementing Balanchine-style movements, and …

Spring Dance Concert (April 20-21, 2012), Lindenwood University

Student Dance Programs & Brochures

Event program for Spring Dance Concert (April 20-21, 2012), Lindenwood University.

Incite, In Mind, Ashley M. Deran

Honors Theses

I create because I am more fluent in the language of movement than any other dialect. Performing and choreographing serves as an outlet through which I convey my feelings, thoughts and opinions in the most direct and innate way possible. My capstone project illiustrates that movement and language hold equal potential to impact an audience. This comprehensive work serves as a culmination of artistic exploration and includes a video of original choreography entitled Under Ouse for the 2012 Graduating Presentation Concert, Incite, In Mind. Under Ouse explores weight and momentum as well as dependence in relationships while drawing from the …

Student Dance Concert (February 16-18, 2012), Lindenwood University

Student Dance Programs & Brochures

Event program for Student Dance Concert (February 16-18, 2012), Lindenwood University.

Dancing The Numinous: Sacred And Spiritual Techniques Of Contemporary American Belly Dancers, Jeana Jorgensen

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

In this paper, I explore how contemporary American practitioners of belly dance (as Middle Eastern dance and its many varieties are often called in the English-speaking world) conceptualize not only the spiritual dimensions of their dance, but also how the very notion of performance affects sacred and spiritual dance practices. Drawing on interviews with this community, I describe the techniques of sacred and spiritual belly dancers, how these dancers theorize performance, and how the conflicts inherent to patriarchal mind-body dualism are resolved in these practices. My purpose here is twofold: to document an emergent dance tradition and to analyze its …

Fall Dance Concert (November 10-11, 2011), Lindenwood University

Student Dance Programs & Brochures

Program for Fall Dance Concert (November 10-11, 2011).

A Christmas Carol: The Musical

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s Fall 2011 performance of A Christmas Carol, based on the story by Charles Dickens. Music by Alan Menken, book by Mike Ockrent and Lynn Ahrens, and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens.

A Christmas Carol tells the story of elderly miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who is visited by the ghost of his deceased business partner, and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Through the encounters Scrooge is transformed into a kinder man.

Artmaking On The Edge Of A Cliff: Directing Iphigenia 2.0, Shannon E. Cameron

Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film: Theses, Student Research, and Creative Work

This thesis contains written documentation regarding the process of directing a theatrical production in fulfillment of the partial requirements for Master of Fine Arts in Directing for Stage and Screen at the University of Nebraska Lincoln.

Topics addressed include play selection, script analysis, director/designer collaboration, coaching and actors and evaluation of final product.

Advisor:  Virginia Smith

Beyond Colonization, Commodification, And Reclamation: Recognizing And Retheorizing The Role Of Religion In Hula, Christine E. Chan

Pomona Senior Theses

Given the history of colonization and commodification in Hawai`i, it is no surprise that non-traditional performances are met with critical reception. However, in this thesis, I hope to destabilize the popular binary juxtaposition of authentic Hawaiian art and (mis)appropriated tourist kitsch. I argue that hula has been Orientalized and wrongly associated with religion not only by colonizers and the tourist industry, but also by those whose response to colonization is a call for purity and authenticity in the practice of Hawaiian culture. I am specifically referring to people who romanticize and mythologize hula and Hawai`i prior to European contact. Therefore, …

Fall Dance Concert (November 8-10, 2018), Lindenwood University

Student Dance Programs & Brochures

No abstract provided.