Exploring the Modern Dance Technique Class As a Somatic Practice

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Exploring the Modern Dance Technique Class As a Somatic Practice EXPLORING THE MODERN DANCE TECHNIQUE CLASS AS A SOMATIC PRACTICE by MELANIE J. MEENAN A THESIS Presented to the Department of Dance and the Graduate School of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts June 2013 THESIS APPROVAL PAGE Student: Melanie J. Meenan Title: Exploring the Modern Dance Technique Class as a Somatic Practice This thesis has been accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Fine Arts degree in the Department of Dance by: Dr. Steven J. Chatfield Chairperson Mary Seereiter Member Shannon Mockli Member Dr. Jenifer Craig Member and Kimberly Andrews Espy Vice President for Research and Innovation; Dean of the Graduate School Original approval signatures are on file with the University of Oregon Graduate School. Degree awarded June 2013 ii © 2013 Melanie J. Meenan iii THESIS ABSTRACT Melanie J. Meenan Master of Fine Arts Department of Dance June 2013 Title: Exploring the Modern Dance Technique Class as a Somatic Practice This movement project investigates principles of modern dance technique and pedagogical practices which emphasize the inherently somatic nature of dance. Through designing, implementing, and evaluating an experimental modern dance technique course, my research considers: how dance can be inherently somatic, how teaching dance as a somatic practice differs from authoritarian dance pedagogy, and how implementing a somatic teaching philosophy affected my teaching strategies and practices. The catalyst for this project emanates from the personal belief that dance is somatic. The overarching aim of the experimental course was to promote deeper embodiment and ownership of modern dance experiences. Delineating principles of modern dance technique and somatic practices supported the development of course goals which emphasize the inherently somatic nature of dance. Themes of somatic dance pedagogy emerged: honoring student perspective in learning; process, mindfulness, and movement dialogue; language; repetition; and dedicated time. The somatic practice of modern dance technique is illustrated. iv CURRICULUM VITAE NAME OF AUTHOR: Melanie J. Meenan GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOLS ATTENDED: University of Oregon, Eugene City University London, United Kingdom (Laban) University of Wyoming, Laramie DEGREES AWARDED: Master of Fine Arts, Dance, 2013, University of Oregon Master of Dance Performance, 2005, City University London Bachelor of Fine Arts, Dance, 2003, University of Wyoming Bachelor of Arts, Journalism, 2003, University of Wyoming AREAS OF SPECIAL INTEREST: Dance Pedagogy Dance Science and Somatics PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Graduate Teaching Fellow, Dance Department, University of Oregon, 2010-2013 Company Dancer/Outreach Instructor, Hannah Kahn Dance Company, 2007-2010 Pilates Instructor, Pilates Denver and Higher Health Chiropractic, 2008-2010 GRANTS, AWARDS, AND HONORS: Georgianne Teller Singer Dean’s Fellowship, Dance, University of Oregon, 2010-2013 Outstanding Dance Graduate Student Award, School of Music and Dance, University of Oregon, 2013 Gradate School Research Award, Dance, University of Oregon, 2013 Summer Research Grants, Dance, University of Oregon, 2012 and 2011 v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my sincere appreciation to my committee chair and mentor, Dr. Steven J. Chatfield for his enthusiasm, support, and mindful discourse during my time at the University of Oregon. Thank you for always challenging me to leap further. This project also wouldn’t have been possible without the caring support of committee member Mary Seereiter. Thank you for sharing your body of knowledge with me; I continue to be inspired by your embodied wisdom. This project was also stimulated by the intuition and curious nature of committee member Shannon Mockli. Thank you for sharing in pedagogical conversations and for your multidimensional support these three years. I would like to express my gratitude to committee member and mentor Dr. Jenifer Craig for validating dance in higher education through rigorous dance discourse. Thank you for supporting my growth as an artist, teacher, and researcher. In addition, I would like to express sincere appreciation to all of the dance faculty, staff, and my graduate colleagues, whom have contributed to my journey and studies at the University of Oregon. This research was made possible by the involvement of my movement project participants – thank you for sharing your thoughts and this experience with me. Special thanks to Wendy Loren for her compassion and support of this project. I would also like to acknowledge my previous teachers, mentors, and dance colleagues whose caring spirits have inspired my teaching and research. Finally, and far from least, I would like to acknowledge my family, especially my husband Sean, for his never ending support, patience, and inspiring belief in the potential of the human spirit. Thank you for taking this journey with me. You are my home. vi For my grandfather, Robert V. Andes Senior, whose “driving” spirit taught me to live fully with purpose and fortitude vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................... 1 Statement of Purpose ............................................................................................. 4 Definition of Terms................................................................................................ 5 Delimitations.......................................................................................................... 10 Limitations ............................................................................................................. 11 Significance of Study............................................................................................. 11 II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE.................................................................................. 14 Introduction............................................................................................................ 14 Somatics and Dance .............................................................................................. 15 Somatic Principles ................................................................................................. 28 Modern Dance Technique Principles .................................................................... 30 How Can Dance Be Inherently Somatic? .............................................................. 36 III. METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................ 39 Course Design........................................................................................................ 39 Course Activities and Structure ....................................................................... 41 Writing Activities............................................................................................. 44 Evaluating .............................................................................................................. 45 IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION............................................................................ 48 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 48 How Does Teaching Dance as a Somatic Experience Differ from an Authoritarian Dance Pedagogy Model? ................................................................ 49 viii Chapter Page Honoring Student Perspective in Learning ..................................................... 49 Process, Mindfulness, and Movement Dialogue.............................................. 57 Language.......................................................................................................... 64 Repetition ........................................................................................................ 69 Dedicated Time ............................................................................................... 70 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 72 How Did Implementing a Somatic Teaching Philosophy Affect My Teaching Strategies and Practices as I Worked Toward Facilitating Somatic Dance Inquiry in a Modern Dance Technique Class? ...................................................... 73 V. CONCLUSION....................................................................................................... 82 Future Research Recommendations....................................................................... 86 Concluding Remarks.............................................................................................. 88 APPENDICES ............................................................................................................. 89 A. RECRUITMENT FLYER................................................................................. 89 B. RECRUITMENT LETTER/EMAIL................................................................. 90 C. CONSENT FORM ............................................................................................ 91 D. LESSON PLANS.............................................................................................. 94 REFERENCES CITED................................................................................................ 103 ix LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. The Somatic Practice of Modern Dance Technique .............................................
Recommended publications
  • Academy of Theatre and Dance Theatre
    Academy of Theatre and Dance Theatre TechniekTechnical enTheatre Theater - 2828 ScenografieScenography 24 AssociateArts - Associate Degree Degree Academy of Theatre and Dance ProductieProduction PodiumkunstenPodiumkiunsten and Stage Management 2222 TheaterdocentTheatre in Education Verkort 1818 Abbreviated 2 Dance Academy of Theatre and Dance National Ballet Academy Urban Contemporary (JMD) 42 46 Modern Theatre 44 5 O’Clock Class 52 Dance School for New Dance 48 Development (SNDO) Dance in Education 50 DAS Choreography 60 1 Creative team Techniek en Theater 26 Regie Opleiding 20 Uitvoerenden Amsterdamse Toneelschool &Kleinkunstacademie 12 Makers Mime Opleiding 14 Docenten Theaterdocent 16 Masters DAS Theatre 58 Theater Techniek en Theater - 28 Scenografie 24 Associate Degree Academy of Theatre and Dance Productie Podiumkunsten 22 Theaterdocent Verkort 18 1 Nine reasons to study at the Academy of Theatre and Dance Academy of Theatre and Dance The Academy of Theatre and Dance (formerly de Theaterschool) is the Netherlands’ premier training school for all theatre and dance disciplines at bachelor and master’s degree level. As a student, you are the star of our show: we’ve built our courses to service your artistic talent, your ambitions and your dreams. Here are nine reasons why you should study with us. 2 Academy of Theatre and Dance 1 We’re one of a kind! Our academy is the only one of its kind in the Netherlands: we are the only theatre and dance academy in the country with all disciplines and relevant resources under one roof. Students from fifteen specialisms can meet and inspire one another here, break new ground and challenge conventional thinking.
    [Show full text]
  • Dance, Senses, Urban Contexts
    DANCE, SENSES, URBAN CONTEXTS Dance and the Senses · Dancing and Dance Cultures in Urban Contexts 29th Symposium of the ICTM Study Group on Ethnochoreology July 9–16, 2016 Retzhof Castle, Styria, Austria Editor Kendra Stepputat Copy-editors Liz Mellish Andriy Nahachewsky Kurt Schatz Doris Schweinzer ICTM Study Group on Ethnochoreology Institute of Ethnomusicology, University of Music and Performing Arts Graz Graz, Austria 2017 Symposium 2016 July 9–16 International Council for Traditional Music Study Group on Ethnochoreology The 29th Symposium was organized by the ICTM Study Group on Ethnochoreology, and hosted by the Institute of Ethnomusicology, University of Music and Perfoming Arts Graz in cooperation with the Styrian Government, Sections 'Wissenschaft und Forschung' and 'Volkskultur' Program Committee: Mohd Anis Md Nor (Chair), Yolanda van Ede, Gediminas Karoblis, Rebeka Kunej and Mats Melin Local Arrangements Committee: Kendra Stepputat (Chair), Christopher Dick, Mattia Scassellati, Kurt Schatz, Florian Wimmer Editor: Kendra Stepputat Copy-editors: Liz Mellish, Andriy Nahachewsky, Kurt Schatz, Doris Schweinzer Cover design: Christopher Dick Cover Photographs: Helena Saarikoski (front), Selena Rakočević (back) © Shaker Verlag 2017 Alle Rechte, auch das des auszugsweisen Nachdruckes der auszugsweisen oder vollständigen Wiedergabe der Speicherung in Datenverarbeitungsanlage und der Übersetzung vorbehalten. Printed in Germany ISBN 978-3-8440-5337-7 ISSN 0945-0912 Shaker Verlag GmbH · Kaiserstraße 100 · D-52134 Herzogenrath Telefon: 0049 24 07 / 95 96 0 · Telefax: 0049 24 07 / 95 96 9 Internet: www.shaker.de · eMail: [email protected] Christopher S. DICK DIGITAL MOVEMENT: AN OVERVIEW OF COMPUTER-AIDED ANALYSIS OF HUMAN MOTION From the overall form of the music to the smallest rhythmical facet, each aspect defines how dancers realize the sound and movements.
    [Show full text]
  • Taiwanese Eyes on the Modern: Cold War Dance Diplomacy And
    Taiwanese Eyes on the Modern: Cold War Dance Diplomacy and American Modern Dances in Taiwan, 1950–1980 Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Tsung-Hsin Lee, M.A. Graduate Program in Dance Studies The Ohio State University 2020 Dissertation Committee Hannah Kosstrin, Advisor Harmony Bench Danielle Fosler-Lussier Morgan Liu Copyrighted by Tsung-Hsin Lee 2020 2 Abstract This dissertation “Taiwanese Eyes on the Modern: Cold War Dance Diplomacy and American Modern Dances in Taiwan, 1950–1980” examines the transnational history of American modern dance between the United States and Taiwan during the Cold War era. From the 1950s to the 1980s, the Carmen De Lavallade-Alvin Ailey, José Limón, Paul Taylor, Martha Graham, and Alwin Nikolais dance companies toured to Taiwan under the auspices of the U.S. State Department. At the same time, Chinese American choreographers Al Chungliang Huang and Yen Lu Wong also visited Taiwan, teaching and presenting American modern dance. These visits served as diplomatic gestures between the members of the so-called Free World led by the U.S. Taiwanese audiences perceived American dance modernity through mixed interpretations under the Cold War rhetoric of freedom that the U.S. sold and disseminated through dance diplomacy. I explore the heterogeneous shaping forces from multiple engaging individuals and institutions that assemble this diplomatic history of dance, resulting in outcomes influencing dance histories of the U.S. and Taiwan for different ends. I argue that Taiwanese audiences interpreted American dance modernity as a means of embodiment to advocate for freedom and social change.
    [Show full text]
  • Rudolf Laban in the 21St Century: a Brazilian Perspective
    DOCTORAL THESIS Rudolf Laban in the 21st Century: A Brazilian Perspective Scialom, Melina Award date: 2015 General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal ? Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 30. Sep. 2021 Rudolf Laban in the 21st Century: A Brazilian Perspective By Melina Scialom BA, MRes Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of PhD Department of Dance University of Roehampton 2015 Abstract This thesis is a practitioner’s perspective on the field of movement studies initiated by the European artist-researcher Rudolf Laban (1879-1958) and its particular context in Brazil. Not only does it examine the field of knowledge that Laban proposed alongside his collaborators, but it considers the voices of Laban practitioners in Brazil as evidence of the contemporary practices developed in the field. As a modernist artist and researcher Rudolf Laban initiated a heritage of movement studies focussed on investigating the artistic expression of human beings, which still reverberates in the work of artists and scholars around the world.
    [Show full text]
  • Dance Photograph Collection
    http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf8q2nb58d No online items Guide to the Dance Photograph Collection Processed by Emma Kheradyar. Special Collections and Archives The UCI Libraries P.O. Box 19557 University of California Irvine, California 92623-9557 Phone: (949) 824-3947 Fax: (949) 824-2472 Email: [email protected] URL: http://www.lib.uci.edu/rrsc/speccoll.html © 1997 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. Guide to the Dance Photograph MS-P021 1 Collection Guide to the Dance Photograph Collection Collection number: MS-P021 Special Collections and Archives The UCI Libraries University of California Irvine, California Contact Information Special Collections and Archives The UCI Libraries P.O. Box 19557 University of California Irvine, California 92623-9557 Phone: (949) 824-3947 Fax: (949) 824-2472 Email: [email protected] URL: http://www.lib.uci.edu/rrsc/speccoll.html Processed by: Emma Kheradyar Date Completed: July 1997 Encoded by: James Ryan © 1997 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. Descriptive Summary Title: Dance Photograph Collection, Date (inclusive): 1906-1970 Collection number: MS-P021 Extent: Number of containers: 5 document boxes Linear feet: 2 Repository: University of California, Irvine. Library. Dept. of Special Collections Irvine, California 92623-9557 Abstract: The Dance Photograph Collection is comprised of publicity images, taken by commercial photographers and stamped with credit lines. Items date from 1906 to 1970. The images, all silver gelatin, document the repertoires of six major companies; choreographers' original works, primarily in modern and post-modern dance; and individual, internationally known dancers in some of their significant roles.
    [Show full text]
  • Aikido: a Martial Art with Mindfulness, Somatic, Relational, and Spiritual Benefits for Veterans
    Spirituality in Clinical Practice © 2017 American Psychological Association 2017, Vol. 4, No. 2, 81–91 2326-4500/17/$12.00 http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/scp0000134 Aikido: A Martial Art With Mindfulness, Somatic, Relational, and Spiritual Benefits for Veterans David Lukoff Richard Strozzi-Heckler Sofia University, Palo Alto, California Strozzi Institute, Oakland, California Aikido is a martial art that originated in Japan and incorporates meditation and breathing techniques from Zen Buddhism. Like all martial arts, it requires mindful concentration and physical exertion. In addition, it is a compassion practice that also provides a spiritual perspective and includes social touch. These components make Aikido a unique form of mindfulness that has the potential to be particularly appealing to veterans coming from a Warrior Ethos tradition who are used to rigorous somatic training. Mindfulness practices have shown efficacy with veterans, and the self- compassion, spiritual, and social touch dimensions of Aikido also offer benefits for this population, many of whom are struggling with these issues. Several pilot Aikido programs with veterans that show promise are described. Keywords: mindfulness, veterans, PTSD, spirituality, martial arts Aikido, like all martial arts, requires mindful spiritual dimensions in his martial art and de- concentration and physical exertion. In addi- scribed it as “The Way of Harmony.” tion, it is a compassion practice that provides a Aikido emphasizes working with a partner, spiritual perspective and social human touch. rather than sparring, grappling, or fighting Aikido emerged in twentieth-century Japan fol- against an opponent in competitive tourna- lowing an evolution of martial arts over hun- ments. Aikido techniques neutralize and control dreds of years from a system of fighting arts attackers instead of violently defeating them.
    [Show full text]
  • Remediation of Moving Bodies: Aesthetic Perceptions of a Live, Digitised and Animated Dance Performance
    CLR-Nº 6 17/6/08 15:15 Página 85 CULTURA, LENGUAJE Y REPRESENTACIÓN / CULTURE, LANGUAGE AND REPRESENTATION ˙ ISSN 1697-7750 ˙ VOL VI \ 2008, pp. 85-99 REVISTA DE ESTUDIOS CULTURALES DE LA UNIVERSITAT JAUME I / CULTURAL STUDIES JOURNAL OF UNIVERSITAT JAUME I Remediation of Moving Bodies: Aesthetic Perceptions of a Live, Digitised and Animated Dance Performance PAULINE BROOKS LIVERPOOL JOHN MOORES UNIVERSITY ABSTRACT: This article discusses the dance performance project Interface 2, which involved live dancers, animated computer projections (remediated creations of the live section), and the interface of live dancers with dancers on film. It analyses the responses and perceptions of an audience to the changing transformations of the media and the staging of the dance performance. Alongside these responses, I compare and contrast some of the philosophical and aesthetic debates from the past three decades regarding dance and technology in performance, including that of the tension between the acceptance or rejection of «unnatural» remediated bodies and «natural» live bodies moving in the stage space. Keywords: Dance, Remediation, Live, Film, Computer animated. RESUMEN: Este artículo aborda el proyecto de danza Interface 2, que agrupaba bailarines en directo, proyecciones animadas por ordenador (creaciones transducidas de la sección en vivo) y la interfaz de bailarines en vivo con bailarines filmados. Se analizan la respuesta y percepciones del público hacia las transformaciones continuas de los medios tecnológicos de la puesta en escena de la danza. Igualmente, se comparan y contrastan algunos de los debates filosóficos y estéticos de las últimas tres décadas en relación con la danza y el uso de la tecnología en la representación, en particular el referente a la tensión entre la aceptación o rechazo de la falta de «naturalidad» de los cuerpos transducidos y la «naturalidad» de los cuerpos en vivo moviéndose por el espacio escénico.
    [Show full text]
  • Nederlands Dans Theater Bambill
    1994 NEXT WAVE FESTIVAL 1994 NEXT WAVE COVER AND POSTER ARTIST ROBERT MOSKOWITZ NEDERLANDS DANS THEATER BAMBILL BROOKLYN ACADEMY OF MUSIC Harvey Lichtenstein, President & Executive Producer presents in the BAM Opera House October 17, 1994, 7pm; October 18-22, 8pm and in the BAM Majestic Theater October 24-29, 8pm; October 30, 3pm NEIERLANIS IANS THEATER Artistic Director: JIRI KYLIAN Managing Director: MICHAEL DE Roo Choreographers: JIRI KYLIAN & HANS VAN MANEN Musical Director: CHRISTOF ESCHER Executive Artistic Directors: GLENN EDGERTON (NDT1), GERALD TIBBS (NDT2), ARLETTE VAN BOVEN (NDT3) Assistants to the Artistic Directors: HEDDA TWIEHAUS (NDT 2) & GERARD LEMAITRE (NDT 3) Rehearsal Assistant to the Rehearsal/Video Director Artistic Director Director ROSLYN ANDERSON ULF ESSER HANS KNILL Company Organization Musical Coordinator/ Manager (NDT 2) (NDT1&3) Pianist CARMEN THOMAS CARINA DE GOEDEREN RAYMOND LANGEWEN Guest Choreographers (1994/95 season) MAURICE BEJART CHRISTOPHER BRUCE MARTHA CLARKE PATRICK DELCROIX WILLIAM FORSYTHE LIONEL HoCtIE PAUL LIGHTFOOT JENNIFER MULLER OHAD NAHARIN GIDEON OBARZANEK PHILIPPE TREHET PATRIZIA TUERLINGS Guest Teachers BENJAMIN HARKARVY (Guest teacher, North American tour) CHRISTINE ANTHONY KATHY BENNETS JEAN-PIERRE BONNEFOUX OLGA EVREINOFF IVAN KRAMAR IRINA MILOVAN JAN NUYTS ALPHONSE POULIN LAWRENCE RHODES MARIAN SARSTADT Technical Director Marketing & Publicity Joop CABOORT KEES KORSMAN & EVELINE VERSLUIS Costume Department Tour Management JOKE VISSER WANDA CREMERS Pianist Dance Fitness Therapist Chiropractor
    [Show full text]
  • Chiarts Dance Overview and Audition Guide
    CHIARTS DANCE OVERVIEW AND AUDITION GUIDE This guide is designed to help you prepare for the Dance conservatory audions and for considering ChiArts as an opon for your high school. ChiArts is a wonderfully creave and educaonal environment, and we take our work seriously. DECIDING IF CHIARTS DANCE IS RIGHT FOR YOU What can I expect from ChiArts Dance? Our programs are modeled on college-level Conservatory programs and tailored for high school students. It is a rigorous training program that is taught by professionals in their fields who have high standards of excellence and a commitment to training the next generaon of arsts. Classroom instrucon is supplemented by a variety of performance opportunies in which training is put into pracce. Whether or not a student chooses to ulmately pursue a career in the arts, the curriculum will provide a wide variety of learning opportunies and experiences that can benefit them throughout their lives and in whatever field they choose to pursue. What does ChiArts Dance expect from me? The school day at ChiArts is from 8 am to 5 pm and includes some evening rehearsals and events. Students must have stamina and focus throughout the enre day and must be commied to both academic and arts educaon. Students are expected to arrive to each Dance class on me, fully prepared to work with all of their materials and dedicated to their cra and community. Students should be open to praccing sustained focus, taking risks, and providing a safe learning environment for others. Your aendance affects the work of your peers as well as yourself.
    [Show full text]
  • Dance Fields Conference Boa NEW
    Dance Fields Conference April 19th – 22nd 2017 Book of Abstracts (Chronologically listed) SESSIONSPANELSPRACTICALSWORKSHOPSROUND TABLES Thursday, April 20th 10:00 – 11:30 Session I Chair: Ann R. David Michael Huxley Dance Studies in the UK 1974-1984: A historical consideration of the boundaries of research and the dancer’s voice The first Study of Dance Conference was held at the University of Leeds in 1981. The following year saw the First Conference of British Dance Scholars in London, leading to the inauguration of the Society for Dance Research and then the publication of its journal, Dance Research. Since 1984, the field of dance studies in the UK has both developed and been debated. My paper draws on archival and other sources to reconsider this period historically. With the benefit of current ideas of what constitutes dance, practice, research, and history, it is possible to consider the early years of UK Dance Studies afresh. In the twenty-first-century there are some accepted notions of dance studies. I would argue that they have established boundaries, but that these are often unstated. The period is re-examined with a view to uncovering a broader, and indeed more inclusive, idea of dance studies. In this, attention is given to the researches of practitioners in the period; both published, including in New Dance, and unpublished. Whilst recognising the significant scholarship of the period, the paper also considers the ideas that dancers gave voice to. The analysis is taken further by considering the unexamined discourses that helped enable research in dance in the UK to develop in the way it did.
    [Show full text]
  • MASSEY Dave Slreport S17
    Parts II-V Sabbatical Leave Report II. Re-statement of Sabbatical Leave Application The intention behind this sabbatical proposal is to study contemporary dance forms from internationally and nationally recognized artists in Israel, Europe, and the U.S. The plan is to take daily dance class, week long workshops, to observe dance class and company rehearsals, and interview directors, choreographers, and artists to gain further insight into their movement creation process. This study will benefit my teaching, choreographic awareness, and movement research, which will benefit my students and my department as courses are enhanced by new methodologies, techniques and strategies. The second part of this plan is to visit California colleges and universities to investigate how contemporary dance is being built into their curriculum. Creating a dialogue with my colleagues about this developing dance genre will be important as my department implements contemporary dance into its curriculum. The third part of the sabbatical is to co-produce a dance concert in the San Diego area showcasing choreography that has been created using some of the new methodologies, techniques and strategies founded and discussed while on sabbatical. I will document all hours in a spreadsheet submitted with my sabbatical report. I estimate 580 hours. III. Completion of Objectives, Description of Activities Objective #1: a. To explore, learn, and document best practices in Contemporary Dance b. I started my sabbatical researching contemporary dance and movement. I scoured the web for journals, magazines, videos that gave me insight into how people in dance were talking about this contemporary genre. I also read several books that were thought-provoking about contemporary movement, training and the contemporary dancer.
    [Show full text]
  • What Are the Overall Benefits of Dance Improvisation, and How Do They Affect Cognition and Creativity? Carley Wright Honors College, Pace University
    Pace University DigitalCommons@Pace Honors College Theses Pforzheimer Honors College Summer 7-2018 What Are The Overall Benefits of Dance Improvisation, and How Do They Affect Cognition and Creativity? Carley Wright Honors College, Pace University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.pace.edu/honorscollege_theses Part of the Applied Behavior Analysis Commons, Arts and Humanities Commons, and the Cognitive Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Wright, Carley, "What Are The Overall Benefits of aD nce Improvisation, and How Do They Affect Cognition and Creativity?" (2018). Honors College Theses. 193. https://digitalcommons.pace.edu/honorscollege_theses/193 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Pforzheimer Honors College at DigitalCommons@Pace. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors College Theses by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Pace. For more information, please contact [email protected]. What Are The Overall Benefits of Dance Improvisation, and How Do They Affect Cognition and Creativity? Carley Wright BFA Commercial Dance Major Advisor: Jessica Hendricks th nd Presenting: May 7 ,​ Graduating: May 22 ​ ​ Advisor Approval Page Abstract The purpose of this thesis is to define the terms improvisation, cognition, and creativity, ​ and therefore find the direct correlation between all three, and how they can all be involved within dance. The main intention is to determine whether or not improvisational dance can positively influence one’s creative mindset, thus improving the cognitive learning process. Furthermore, it is to discover if the development of a creative mindset can be established through dance improvisation at an early age. In this exploration, the majority of my research will come from the examination of previously conducted experiments, as well as guiding and observing an improvisation class of young adults, gaining insight simply from a dance teacher’s perspective in order to explore the idea of cognition leading to creativity through movement.
    [Show full text]