TERRESTRIAL RESONANCE: EXPLORING EARTH THROUGH DANCE A Dissertation Submitted to the Temple University Graduate Board In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY OF DANCE by Jennifer L. Conley May 2014 Examining Committee Members: Dr. Joellen Meglin, Advisory Chair, Dance Dr. Karen Bond, Dance Dr. Dorothy Merritts, Franklin and Marshall College, Earth and Environment Dr. Kariamu Welsh, Dance Dr. Edward Flanagan, External Examiner, Music Studies © Copyright 2014 by JenniferL.Conley All Rights Reserved ii ABSTRACT The geologic theory of plate tectonics, sometimes referred to as “the dance of the continents,” proposes a vision of Earth as dynamic body in motion that is constantly shifting and altering its form. Geophysical research during the 1950s and 1960s, especially in relation to Harry Hess’s seafloor spreading hypothesis, Fred Vine and D. H. Matthews’ geomagnetic reversal hypothesis, and J. Tuzo Wilson’s classification of new faults in Earth’s crust, established enough scientific evidence to suggest a viable model of this dance of the continents. This led to the geoscientific community widely accepting the theory of plate tectonics by the end of the 1960s. The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate how the idea of Earth as a dynamic body in motion can be connected to the experience of one’s own body in motion and in movement practice. Emerging from my work as an artist and an educator, this research analyzes the creative processes and the phenomenological essences of two geologically inspired dances, and develops a pedagogical application of geosomatic movement practices in an undergraduate course entitled Dancing Earth, Dancing Body. I use a phenomenological method of analysis informed by Max van Manen and Clark Moustakas to examine what it means to embody terrestrial forces, entities, and landscapes, and how geologic structures and scientific ideas can be translated into anthropomorphic movement. In chapter 4, “Sediments of Meaning: Phenomenological Analysis of Pieces of Pele,” I devise a theoretical structure for critical reflection upon and development of the choreographer’s creativity, which I call a meta-choreographic process. This essentially hermeneutic method of reflection allows choreographers to more deeply understand their creative process and aesthetic criteria, and how they iii construct meaning through movement. The analysis in chapter 5, “Continental Shift: Phenomenological Analysis of Tectonic Suite,” illuminates the profound role of metaphor in both the creative process and the viewing experience in relation to this particular dance from my GeoDance repertoire. Using the framework of George Lakoff and Mark Johnson’s analysis in Metaphors We Live By, I demonstrate how dance can function to create coherent metaphors. In chapter 6, “Dancing Earth, Dancing Body: Experiential Learning of Geologic Concepts,” I use an ethnographic framework to examine student perspectives of Dancing Earth, Dancing Body. This analysis reveals that, as the instructor of the course, I fostered, and students applied, three distinct modes of creative inquiry in the classroom: imagistic, language-based, and collaborative. Embedded within these three modes of creative inquiry were a variety of somatic experiences and refocused dance-based exercises that amounted to a technique of sorts, with the specific goal of awakening and fostering the development of our body-mind-environment connection. I theorize this collection of experiences and exercises as a geosomatic movement practice. Illuminated throughout this dissertation are key sources from the fields of dance, geology, somatics, ecology, phenomenology, eco-phenomenology, and ethnography— evincing the interdisciplinary nature of this study. At the heart of this interdisciplinary inquiry lies a fundamental awareness that our experience of our bodies is integrated with our experience of atmosphere, terrain, and gravitation. Therefore, by deepening our understanding of how we can cope with these physical aspects of our environment, we can deepen our understanding of Earth and its processes. iv For Rex. “The earth and myself are of one mind. The measure of the land the measure of our bodies are the same.” Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce Nation v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The ideas presented in this dissertation developed over the course of the seven years, while I was conducting research as a doctoral student at Temple University. I am indebted to the following dance faculty at Temple for their guidance and enlightenment: Dr. Karen Bond, Dr. Luke Kalich, Dr. Sarah Hilsendager, Dr. Joellen Meglin, and Dr. Kariamu Welsh. I consider it a gift that they perceive the potential for creative and pedagogical processes to inform scholarly investigations, and never once questioned the notion of being both an artist and a scholar. I also recognize each of my committee members for helping me to find my voice in this research: Dr. Bond for illuminating phenomenological methodology and always encouraging an experiential voice to emerge in my research; Dr. Kariamu for nourishing the poetic nature of this work and reminding me to give voice to the cultural context that informs this investigation; Dr. Dorothy Merritts for bringing a geomorphic expertise to this study that has inspired me to visualize static motion in rocks; and Dr. Edward Flanagan for graciously joining this committee and bringing a musical mind to this research. Lastly, I am especially grateful for the generous contributions of my primary advisor, Dr. Meglin. To use a geologic metaphor, I have learned from her how to crystallize my ideas. I would also like to mention the Temple University Provost’s Commission on the Arts for granting me the unique opportunity to stage the evening-length concert, GeoDance Theatre, at the Conwell Dance Theatre in Philadelphia in February 2009. The dance community at Franklin and Marshall College has also provided a fertile ground for the experimentation and implementation of my geosomatic vi ideas. In particular, professors Dr. Lynn Brooks and Pamela Vail have been incredibly supportive. They commissioned my first GeoDance piece for their annual Fall Dance Concert in 2008, and invited me to teach my course Dancing Earth, Dancing Body in the Spring of 2010. A special thank you to this first class of students in Dancing Earth, Dancing Body whose enthusiasm for this material gave me the spark I needed to complete this research. The geologists in the Earth and Environment Department at Franklin and Marshall College delighted me with their interest in my artistic interpretations of their field. The truly liberal arts of vision of geologist-educators Dr. Merritts, Dr. Robert Sternberg, and Dr. Roger Thomas inspires me to believe in an ecological model of academic disciplines where the boundaries between fields are more like pervious membranes rather than walls. I would also like to acknowledge geologists Dr. George H. Myer at Temple University and Dr. Laura Serpa at University of Texas in El Paso. There are many artists that I have collaborated with on GeoDance projects, and their contributions deeply enhanced the vision of each work. A very special thank you to lighting designers Leigh Mumford and John Whiting, costume designers Gregory Powell and Virginia West, and composer Pat Daugherty. Lastly, a choreographer is forever indebted to the dancers who literally breathe life into the work. With all of my heart, thank you to my dancers who have emboldened, empowered, and inspired this vision. It is my distinct joy and privilege to be able to collaborate with each of these artists. It may be unusual to acknowledge someone whom I have never met in person, but I would be amiss if I did not mention Martha Graham whose work and ideas have deeply vii inspired this research. A special thank you to Terese Capucilli, Christine Dakin, Ellen Graff, Stuart Hodes, Pearl Lang, Yuriko, Ethel Winter, Marnie Thomas Wood, and Yuriko—the keepers of the flame. I acknowledge my entire extended Graham family including past and current company members, ensemble members, teachers, and students. I hope this work resonates with you and illuminates a new understanding of our inner landscape. Lastly, a very loving thank you to my family. I would like to especially mention my late grandfather, George Taylor, for instilling in me a connection with the outdoors at a young age. To my Mom and Dad, I carry their endless love and support with me no matter how far from home I may travel. For my dearest friend and lifetime collaborator, Pat Daugherty, your unbridled creativity is a shining example of our greatest potential. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... iii DEDICATION .....................................................................................................................v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. vi LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... xii CHAPTER 1. A MOUNTAIN RISING: AN INTRODUCTION ........................................................1 Introduction ..............................................................................................................1 Coming into Focus ...................................................................................................4 Defining Purpose and